History

Staka is dairy economics turned into a delicacy. Cretan shepherds skimmed the cream off milk left to stand, then cooked it down with flour over a low fire. The paste that forms is staka; the butter that separates out is stakovoutyro, and it goes into gamopilafo, into pastries, and over potatoes. Nothing is wasted. It is a mountain product, made where flocks are, and it travels badly, which is why it stays a Cretan speciality rather than a Greek one. Heraklion kitchens use it as a finishing fat: stirred into wedding rice, spooned over grilled pork fillet, or served plain with bread and a glass of raki.

Book a food experience

Tours, tastings and classes from the cities on this page, bookable on GetYourGuide.

★ 4.9 (4,063)
Athens

Guided tour · 3 hours

Athens: Street Food Tasting Tour

Immerse yourself in Athenian cuisine, sample the best street food with beer or wine, explore Athens, and hang out where the locals do on this guided...

from€59Check dates

Browse every bookable food experience

Common allergens: Dairy

Make it at home

Yield Makes about 400gHands-on 30 minTotal 24 hrDifficulty Advanced

Ingredients

  • 1 litre full-fat sheep or goat milk
  • 2 tablespoons plain flour
  • Pinch of salt

Method

  1. Leave the milk in a wide bowl in the fridge for 24 hours so the cream rises and sets.
  2. Skim the cream carefully into a heavy pan, leaving the milk behind for something else.
  3. Warm the cream over the lowest possible heat, whisking in the flour a little at a time.
  4. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes without letting it boil. The mixture will thicken, then release clear golden butter.
  5. Pour off the butter and keep it for cooking. Season the remaining white paste lightly with salt.
  6. Cool and refrigerate. Use the paste within a week and the butter within a month.

Tip from the editors. Sheep or goat milk gives the right texture. Cow cream will not split the same way and stays greasy rather than firm.

Where to eat staka

Staka in Heraklion

Merastri ★ 4.7

€€ Greek tavernaOld Town

Merastri keeps a serious Cretan wine list behind its wood oven in Heraklion, and the reds it pours are built to stand up to three-hour roast lamb.

OrderA Liatiko red alongside the wood-oven lamb

PourA Liatiko red with the wood-oven lamb

WineCretan list built around the wood oven

FoodFull Cretan menu

TipThe Cretan list is the reason to linger. Ask what is open by the glass before committing to a bottle.

Directions

All Heraklion signature dishes →

More cities are in research. Want staka covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

Browse all dishes →