December 16, 2014

Vicki Schwartz, PhD, an assistant clinical professor in the Department of Nutrition Sciences, along with Nutrition Sciences student Viktoryia Kuzmitskaya, joined students and faculty from Drexel’s Culinary Arts, Environmental Science, and Education Programs to study the Mediterranean diet, culture, and cuisine of Crete from September 9-17, 2014.  Some of the highlights included visiting an olive oil factory, taste- testing indigenous wines at a local winery, cheese tasting, and walking through the Minoan archeological ruins.

“It was exciting to hike up a mountain with a botanist, who identified wild herbs for us such as St. John’s Wort, sage, thyme, and rosemary as well as wild fruits like prickly pears and figs,” Schwartz said. Olive oil, herbs, vegetables and fruits were incorporated into meals with specialty cheeses (mizithra, feta, kefalotiri, graviera), yogurt, beans, fish (snails, octopus, calamari, sardines, sea bream, red mullet), and meats. All of the students and faculty stuffed grape leaves and zucchini blossoms with a delightful vegetable and rice mixture along with preparing meals with famous chefs in the area. “It was nine days of wonderful culinary and nutritional experiences that I recommend for all students at Drexel,” ended Schwartz.