Corfu local products
Kumquat
The kumquat is the speciality of the island. It is a chinese fruit brought by the British in the XIXth century, which looks like a very small orange with a bittersweet flavour. As the climate in Corfu is very similar to the chinese climate, this fruit grows very well in the island. Kumquat are mostly grown in the north-west of Corfu, especially near the village of Nymfes. You can eat it with the skin, but you can also find it candied, in spoonsweet, marmalade or liqueur. The liqueur is very famous in Corfu because it is said that it’s the only place in the world you can find it. You can also find the fruit added to fruit salad or ice cream.
Olive oil
Olive oil is the most important production of Corfu: the island is covered by more than 3 millions olive trees, and some of them are older than 400 years! Those trees were planted by the Venetians who understood that it was a very profitable production. Even if those trees are so old, they still product olives of very good quality. Olive trees in Corfu are special: they are huge. That is why we can’t harvest the olives by hand, we have to wait for them to fall. The olives are very small and black.
Tsitsibira (Ginger beer)
Tsitsibira was introduced in Corfu by the British. It became very popular with the locals and now it is one of the best known Corfu products. Ginger beer is very refreshing and has a unique taste, and it is said to be very healthy.
Corfiot dishes
The mediterranean food is known to be very healthy and very tasty. The cuisine of Corfu is mediterranean, having olive oil as a base, with vegetables, pasta, fish, meat and a lot of spices, but has many differences from the Greek food because of its Venetian influences (the Venetian domination lasted for 400 years). The most popular dishes of Corfu are:
-Pastitsada: it is veal cooked in a saucepan with thick tomato sauce, garlic, onion, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, bay leaves, pepper and vinegar. It is served with thick spaghetti (bucatini) and is the most popular dish in Corfu.
-Sofrito: is thin slices of fried veal with white sauce of white wine, garlic and parsley.
-Bourdeto: it’s fish cooked in a sauce of onions, tomato and hot red pepper.