Culinary Corfu - what to eat

My primary goal of my big fat Greek holiday was met: I ate octopus at least once a day. But that was by no means the end of it, And hey, when do you get to stuff your face genuinely believing it's for a greater cause of saving the national economy?

Here are some tips as to what to eat in Corfu.

Mezes:

Corfu's culinary traditions tie in with the continental Greece so go silly with mezes. Dolmados (vine leaves stuffed with minty rice mixture), tzatziki, taramasalata, skordalia...and keftadakios, luscious Greek meatballs. 

But do skip that Greek salad, stifado and souvlakis and instead got for the real Corfiot treats.

Corfiot village sausage:

On the menus you're likely to find spetsofai - local sausage usually stewed with pepper and onions. Lovely. It's warm and comforting but, like food here in general, not too spicy.

Stews, stews, stews:

Corfu's long ties with Venice are another thing that are very evident in the culinary traditions. One of the local classics is Pastitsada, a meat and pasta casserole that's very much like lasagne. 

Meaty stews, result of hours of simmering are something spectacular here. You should definitely try Sofrito, veal of beef cooked in white wine, parsley and garlic.

(For my recipe, just see here!)

And should you encounter Kaisserli (another Greek classic that's found home here) , lamb marinated in yogurt and garlic, cooked with apricots, have it. Melt in your mouth magnificence.

Octopus:

Seeing how Corfu is an island, you should defo make the most of fresh fish and seafood. In case you're an octopus lover (who isn't?!), you're in for a treat: they have it deep-fried, barbecued and (my favourite) marinated in vinegar showcased by the first photo). In some places they even make stifado with it!

Wine:

Wine-making has long roots in the island of Corfu. Kakotrygis, Petrokoritho and Skopelitiko are some of their native grapes. As far as our experience goes, the best wines come from the continent though. Wines sold in the shops are cheap but shopping can be a very confusing experience: be it red or white, they're all classified as dry, semi-sweet and sweet. Oh, and as "ideal accompaniment for food" (no shit, Sherlock)

For wines (and restaurants) you should try should you ever find yourself in Agios Stefanos, please see here.

Kumquat is a local specialty that found its way here from China. It's turned into jams, sweets and sweet liqueur that has become a Corfu trademark.

___________________

ANYONE FOR SECONDS?

      

Jewish Corfu

On the outskirts of Corfu Old Town, nestled in the area around Velissariou street in the shadow of the fortress wall, there's a neighbourhood called Evraiki. The name is a tribute to one minority and pays homage to their long presence on the island and the role they've played in defending her.

Today the number of those people can be measured in mere tens and in addition to some peculiar street names there's only one building that tells of their existence. Even that building is easy to miss as it's only the symbols in its windows and doors that reveal its nature. Welcome to Evraiki, the Jewish part of Corfu and the location of the old Jewish ghetto.

First records of Jews in Greece are from 300-250 BC. In Corfu there have been Jews at least in 1160. Quantity: One. 

The number started to go up in 13th and 14th century as more people moved here from the continent. Newcomers weren't exactly welcomed with open arms and the following centuries brought with them various degrees of persecution and discrimination. Acquiring and possessing land was effectively impossible and the arrival of 15th century saw Jews being forced to wear a specific yellow symbol to identify them as Jews (as we know now, far from the last time in the history...)

The Jewish population of Corfu consisted mainly of Romaniot Jews that spoke Greek and came form the mainland and Puglian Jews who spoke Italian. They fled the persecution from South of Italy in 16th century and quickly became the majority.

In 1522 there were 200 Jewish households, by 1558 the number had doubled. In 1663 the number had gone up to 500.

Under the Venetian rule the situation of Corfiot Jews was in many ways better than the situation of the Jews in Venice. They took part in defending the island against various invaders, most significant of which was the Ottoman attack of 1716.

The Venetian rule was followed by the French one (1797-1799 and 1806-1815) and now even Jews were granted an equal status with the rest of the population. The British era from 1815 onwards however, made things worse again.

AT the end of 19th century the number of Jews on Corfu was estimated to be 7000. Less than 100 years later the number had dwindled to 2000. The reason? Series of blood libel cases against the community.

A young Jewish girl was murdered in 1891, but soon false rumours started circulating claiming that the girl had in fact been Christian and had lost her life in Jewish sacrificial ritual. (The ability of the Corfiots' of the time to exercise common sense, source criticism or any kind fact checking seems to have been right on par with the trolls of the Internet era: it really wouldn't have taken much work to find out Jews don't have that kind of rituals!) 

Most of the Jews no longer felt safe in the unrest that followed and almost 5000 of them emigrated elsewhere in Europe and Alexandria in Egypt.

New tragedy hit the community in September 1943 as the Nazi Germany occupied the island. More than 90% of the Corfiot Jews were rounded up and deported. Destination: Auschwitz. After the war the number of Jews was down to 170. In 1968 they numbered at less than 100.

And the beginning of 21st century the estimated number of Jews was about 50. Today there are about 60 of them. Last time the synagogue saw a Jewish wedding was 1993. Same with brit milah. 

In its heyday Corfu had 4 synagogues. 3 of them wer built my the Puglian Jews and located in Paleologou street, a couple of street away from Velissariou. First was built in 1550.

This, Venetian-style synagogue of Velissario street was built in 18th century and is the newest. And the only one still operating today. 

Weekly Shabbat service is held on Saturday mornings, on other days the synagogue is open to visitors 10am-4pm. No entrance fee, donations welcome. 

Interested in Jewish Europe? For scenes of the Riga ghetto and their (equally tragic) history please see here.

___________________

ANYONE FOR SECONDS?



      

Venetian charm and cobblestones in Corfu Town

The island of Corfu is the second largest island of Ionian sea. Her history is entwined in the bewildering turns of Greek mythology. According to a legend Poseidon, the god of sea, fell for the beautiful nymph Korkyra, brought her to the island which, at the time was still unnamed, and named the place after his sweetheart (Men- take note. Girls like that sort of things. I wouldn't mind having an island of my own. I might go on a date for less, though. Like... after having a rock named after me. Not fussy, me.)

The island has been settled at least since the Paleolithic era (70 000 - 40 000 BC) and was a significant centre for commerce and economy already before the Trojan war.

Corfu has had its fair share of conquests and wars, too. Owing to its strategic location it was at the forefront of European defence as the Ottoman empire sough to expand to the Adriatics and it was one of the most fortified places in the continent. 

After the Napoleonic wars Corfu fell under the British rule. In 1864 it as united with the rest of the Greece. The capital of the island is Corfu town. 

Corfu town is less than 40 kilometres from our base, the village of Agios Stefanos, but in the narrow serpentine roads of the mountains the journey takes at least 1,5 hours. The bus ticket costs €4,50 each way. 

The last green bus from Corfu town to Agios Stefanos departs already at 4pm, so if you intend to be on that and have a seat, start sharpening your elbows now. Taxi ride to Agios Stefanos would set you back about €60.

Corfiot architecture differs from traditional Greek one, result of its unique history. Between 1386 and 1797 it was part of the Republic of Venice and showcases the features of the Venetian architecture at the time: candy-coloured, multi-storey townhouses towering over narrow alleyways.

Italian influence is evident in Corfu in other ways too. Up until the mid-20th century Veneto da mar, a peculliar Venetian language was spoken here. Many Venetian and Italian words have found their way into the Greek spoken in the island today. 

In 2007  the Old Quarter of Corfu was added onto UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

If you fancy a bit of shopping, head over to the cluster of tiny streets located between Kapodistriou and Guilford streets.

In addition to souvenirs of varying degrees of tackiness ("My boyfriend went to Corfu and all I got was syphilis and this lousy T-shirt", anyone? A collection of shot glasses decorated with glow-in-the-dark-map of Corfu?) there are shops specializing in something else, too. Like jewellery. I had to make do with window shopping though that 1,5- carat princess-cut aquamarine ring with diamond halo would have been just the perfect souvenir for me. Too bad the 4-figure price tag wasn't...

The area is also bustling with small cafes and tiny tavernas with terraces to provide shade while you hydrate (and perform frantic calculations on how many not-so-vital organs should you need to sell on the black market in order to get enough money to by, well, let's say... a 1,5- carat princess-cut aquamarine ring with diamond halo.)

The more traditional goodies to lug back include loofah...

... and anything from the olive tree. Olives, oils, soaps and creams made of the oil and all sorts of artifacts carved out of olive wood.

If you'are after a bit more relaxed atmosphere, space to breathe and tavernas favoured by the locals, head over to the area nestling between Velissariou and Agia Sofia streets.

Pergola for instance, located on Agia Sofia has a good selection of seafood, bountiful salads and local specialties. 

___________________

ANYONE FOR SECONDS?