Local recipies of Corfu

Corfu is a rich island in history and culture as well as in unique local products, especially Kumquat.

Important local corfu products:

Kumquat

The characteristic product of Corfu. It’s not produced anywhere else in Greece and is a “quality product of protected geographical status”. It look like a small orange, you may eat it without peeling it and has bittersweet flavour. It comes from the East. It came to Corfu by the Englishman Merlin in 1924. Corfiots loved it and they started producing it. The ideal location was the valley of Nimfes in north Corfu. Now the Agroindustrial Association of Nimfes is responsible for gathering, processing, standardizing and distributing the product.

Its main product is the famous liqueur. Choose a light coloured one because you can be sure that it has its natural colour. Other products are caddied fruits, preserves and marmalade.

Gingerbeer

A bubbly refreshment which you can drink frozen. It’s made of lemon, ginger, raisins, water and sugar. It is a characteristic product of the island.

Merlin oranges

A special orange variety brought to the island by the English voyager Merlin. That’s why they were named after him. He brought them from America and cultivated them in his own farm. Gradually the cultivation spread to the whole island and other Greek regions.

Other corfiot sweets are mandola, which is browned and caramelized almonds, and mandolato, a sweet made of sesame pulp, egg white, honey and whole almonds. There are also notable wines produced with classic vine varieties: Kakotrigis, white with fine scent, moschato, white with strong scent, and petrokoritho, red brusque.

Nouboulo

A traditional corfiot delicacy. A whole seasoned pork steak with many spices which cures in natural bowels, slightly smoked.

Recipes from Corfu:

Veal sofrito

Sofrito means low frying

Ingredients:

• 1 kg veal in small pieces
• 2 bundles of parsley
• 10 cloves of garlic
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons flour
• Salt and pepper.

Execution:

Press the veal pieces to become thinner. Wash and dry the meat. Cover it first with salt and pepper and then with flour. Heat the oil and sauté the meat from both sides. In a big pot, put half the meat and sprinkle with half the parsley and garlic. Put in the rest of the meat and sprinkle again with the rest parsley and garlic. Pour the vinegar and one glass of hot water into the meat. Cover it and leave it to shimmer for 50-60 minutes, until the meat is tender and the sauce sets.

Pie with lamp and rice

Ingredients:

• 1 kg sliced lamp
• ½ kg rice
• ½ cup oil
• 10-11 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon thick salt
• ½ tablespoon pepper
• 5 small glasses of milk

Execution:

In a deep pot, mix the flour, the pepper and the oil. Add a wineglass of hot water and stir until it become a pulp (rather waterish). Put in the sliced meat and stir it with a spoon to blend with the pulp and until it’s completely covered.

Oil a baking pan and spread the rice all over it. Put levelly the sliced meat and add the rest of the pulp to caver the rice. Then, to cover all the contains of the baking pan, add slowly a liquid mix from 5 wineglasses of water and 5 wineglasses of milk.

While doing all that, heat the oven at 250o C and reduce it to 200o C once you put in the baking pan. Bake the pie for about 2 hours, until it becomes dry but not burnt.