Corfu has a tradition of casserole cooking.
Pastitsada, is a Corfu speciality with an Italian touch that derives from Venetian spezzatino. It is created from layered pasta, meat or veal and tomato filling, with bechamel sauce, paprika, cinnamon, and cheese topping. True Corfiot pastitsada is made with cockerel.
Sofrito is another Corfiot speciality. It should contain veal preferably, or beef, cooked in white sauce with olive oil, wine vinegar, garlic and onion, plus white pepper to encourage a thirst.
Roast lamb (arnaki psito), roast kid, pork and of souvlaki are classical tastes you should try!
Of course fish dishes are always available in the psarotavernes (fish restaurants)! Marides for starters this is whitebait, fried whole in olive oil or kalamari, fried squid. Also you can try xsifhia, a kind of 'fish-kebab', with pieces of grilled swordfish sharing a skewer with tomato and onion.
About drink, ouzo is the great Greek drink for socialising, with a strong aniseed flavour. Greek wines are often dismissed, but they have kept the Greeks smiling and singing for a long time. As long as you are not an ostentatious cork-sniffer, you'll find some good wines on Corfu. These include Santa Domenica, light white and red, made from kakotrygis grapes. Some tavernas make their own wine, varelisio, from the barrel and this can be extremely good. Small rural vintners produce distinctive wines such as Liapaditiko, a white wine produced in the Liapades area. Corfu's most famous wine is the expensive and elusive Theotoki Roppa.
If you 'eat
Greek', you rarely have room left for such effete indulgences as 'dessert'. The best way to finish a meal is with to taste yoghurt with honey or with fresh fruits.
You should also try kataifi (wheat cakes soaked in honey) or baklava (nut and syrup cake), or loukoumades (fritters soaked in honey).
Many thanks
Joe!
A beautiful villa for sale in Ithaca on a plot of 3.6 acres.
