Cretan Dakos - Cretan rusk salad

Suchlike Panzanella - the Italian bread salad, Cretan rusk salad (Kρητικός ντάκος) is based on bread. 

In fact, it is a large barley rusk topped with chopped tomatoes, crumbled Feta or Mizithra cheese and some olive oil. People in Creta and especially the sailors, used to eat a lot of rusks. Main reasons - rusks are lighter than fresh bread and more of them could be laded on the ships. They are unexpensive and long-lasting and do not get mouldy which is important on any island where every product is limited. Cretan dakos is still one of the traditional Cretan salads. If you do not have rusks on hand, you can use toasted or grilled bread - taste is nearly the same. 

Ingredients:

• 2 barley rusks, about 10-12 cm (5 inch) diameter
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped finely or grated coarsely
• 100 g Feta or Myzithra cheese, crumbled
• 1 Tbsp dry oregano (rigani)
• olive oil to taste (but at least 4 Tbsp)

Preparation:

Soak rusks into little warm water. If you prefer them crunchy you can omit this step. But if you soak the rusk in advance, it will absorb better the chopped tomatoes and the olive oil, so you will feel the taste better. Put the grated or chopped tomatoes and the cheese above.  Add some salt according to your taste. Pour olive oil and sprinkle with oregano.