Call it the Cretan version of sweet and sour chicken. I remember this dish growing up and I was always intrigued when my mom added her most prized honey that she brought back from Crete to the mixture.
Every summer she’d fill suitcases full of certain products that were not readily available in Pittsburgh. Honey from Crete was one of them. It was one of her most prized food products and she kept it wrapped up in plastic to prevent crystallization and stored in a dry, dark place in her cupboard.
I remember she would always tell me that the key ingredients made all the difference in the world.
She always used her Cretan honey in her syrups for desserts like baklava and kataifi and never– I mean NEVER– opted for the quick, cheap and easy sugar and water syrup concoctions that so many recipes use today since good honey costs so much.
For her sweets, as well as her savory dishes like her honey marinated chicken, she ONLY used her Cretan honey
“It makes all the difference in the world,” she would say.