If you’ve ever been to the Greek island of Crete, or if you have any ancestors that are from the island, chances are pretty good that you’ve had a spirit called Raki. Local Raki or Tsikoudia is a strong and clear distilled spirit produced out of the rich vineyards of Eastern Crete. It contains about 37 per cent alcohol per volume and is produced from what is left behind once grapes have been pressed to make wine. The must residu than is slowly boiled in special cauldrons. Dro

Tsiknopempti, literally 'Thursday of the Smoke of Grilled Meat', is part of the traditional celebrations for the Carnival season in Eastern Crete and the whole of Greece. The three weeks of Carnival in Greece are, in order, 'Profoni', 'Kreatini', and ‘Tirofagou’. In Greek letters, Tsiknopempti is Τσικνοπέμπτι. In Greek, Thursday is Pempti (Πέμπτη), meaning the fifth day of the week as Greeks count Sunday as the first day. The word tsikno (Τσικνο) refers to the smell of burned