Traditional products of Kefalonia worth a taste
Local products of Kefalonia
The local products of Kefalonia, always based in traditional recipes, are flavors you will never forget! You should taste and gift some to your beloved ones!
Mandola is a traditional sweet treat in Kefalonia, but can be found in other Ionian Islands too. “Mandorla” is the Italian word for almond – this is an example of the Italian words borrowed and integrated into greek, since when the Ionian Isles were under the Venetian occupation. The word “mandola” can be pronounced much easier than the word “mandorla”, so it prevailed in the Ionian vocaburaly.
Those sweets are deep red, a color which is given from a kind of seaweed that people of Kefalonia traditionally use in food coloring. This seaweed is still sold during Easter, for the egg painting.
Mandolato is another sweet treat made of almonds, very common in the Venetians. During Venetian Domination, it was the aristocrats’ favorite candy. Apart from almonds, mandolato contains honey, sugar and egg-whites beaten in meringue. Its name comes also from the Italian word “mandorla.
Barboule is a crunchy treat that consists of almonds roasted in honey, cut into small sticks. Its recipe comes far from the past and is healthy and sweet, as well.
Pastokidono (Komfeto): Long before chocolates and other modern sugar-based confections appeared on the scene in Greece, people of Kefalonia were fond of quince, an autumn harvest sweet. So, in early November begins the harvesting of quinces from the wild quince trees that grow in Palliki region. At first, fruits get cut and the hardest part of the procedure comes next, with the peeling and de-pitting of the quinces totally by hand. Then, fruits get smashed, mixed with sugar and boiled. In the form of marmalade, gets enriched with roasted almonds and honey. This is how pastokidono is made, a very tasty and healthy dessert.
Thyme and Spruce Honey: Both varieties of honey are fostered by the plant life and the climate of the island. Thyme honey is light-colored and reach in flavor. It is ranked amongst the best types of honey produced in Greece. Spruce honey is one of the best varieties also. Honey is organic product that cannot get into mechanical procession. Containing at least 180 different nutrients which relate naturally, honey forms a combination that no man-made process can copy.
Robola (wine): Robola of Kefalonia is a designated wine district and all of the wine labeled as Robola must, by Greek wine law, come from Kefalonia. Robola is a local grape variety and as such, this wine is directly bonded with the cultural history of the island. Cheers!
