HERAKLION – As of May 14, Heraklion, Crete, officially holds a place in the Guinness Book of Records, as it is now the place where the largest “mosaic” of kalitsounia was created in the world. At the pier of Mikro Koule in Heraklion, an unprecedented map of Crete was formed, measuring 41×16 meters, using 37,531 kalitsounia of the lichnarakia or “little lamp” variety and composing a spectacular scene in front of the city’s iconic Venetian Castle.

This unique achievement of building the largest “mosaic” in the world was an initiative of the School of Cooking and Confectionery of IEK AKMI [Institute of Vocational Training] with hundreds of students participating in the creation of the map of Crete, coordinated by Gastronomy Essentials. The event was held with the kind support of the Municipality of Heraklion and the Port Authority of Heraklion, as well as the companies Lyhnia, Mills of Crete, Kalogeraki Bros, Parlamas (Raw materials for confectionery, bakeries, bakeries) Super Market Chalkiadakis, who participated as helpers and sponsors.

The total preparation for the formation of the map, which put Crete in the pages of the Guinness World Records book, lasted six months. The 37,531 kalitsounia were prepared in the last two weeks and using, among other products: 1 ton of flour, 1 ton of mizithra, 400 kg of sugar and 230 liters of eggs. The map of Crete, made with its famous traditional sweets, was unique in its details, with separate colors of white chocolate and cocoa butter to emboss the morphological characteristics of the island.

This impressive gastronomic project was a great celebration for the city of Heraklion with treats, music, plenty of fun and the aroma of Cretan tradition, and a great crowd of people attending. After achieving the world record – for the implementation of which strict health standards were observed – most of the sweets were offered to 12 Public Benefit Organizations in Heraklion, but also in other areas of Crete.

More specifically, about 30,000 Cretan kalitsounia were repackaged and offered to the parishioners of various parishes, as well as to social organizations, such as: the Love Ministry of the Holy Archdiocese of Crete, the Mission of Love – Voluntary Solidarity Team of Heraklion, the Children’s SOS Village Crete, the Food Bank of Crete – Foundation for the Fight against Hunger and Waste, the Community of Ukrainian Refugees due to war, the Center for Accommodation of Unaccompanied Minor Refugees in Anogia, and the Center for Special Children Zoodochos Pigi, Heraklion, Crete.