Corfu food and wine blend Greek tradition with centuries of Venetian influence, giving distinctive dishes such as sofrito, pastitsada and the spicy fish bourdeto, the island’s famous kumquat, fine olive oil and local wine. The Ionian island’s cuisine is unlike anywhere else in Greece. This guide covers what to eat, what to drink and where to taste the best of both.
Eating well is one of the island’s great pleasures, a flavourful thread in the wider Corfu tours and travel guide. The cooking reflects a long Venetian past. The sections below cover the highlights.
What makes the island’s food distinctive?
The island’s food is distinctive for its fusion of Greek and Italian flavours, a legacy of four centuries of Venetian rule. Slow-cooked meat and fish dishes in rich sauces, pasta, spices and citrus set Corfiot cuisine apart from mainland Greek cooking.
The island’s cooking is a delicious blend of two cultures. Four centuries of Venetian rule left a deep Italian imprint, so alongside Greek staples the island serves dishes built on slow-cooked meat and fish in rich, spiced sauces, pasta, and a love of citrus, herbs and olive oil. The result is a cuisine quite different from the rest of Greece, with its own signature dishes and a Mediterranean richness. Tasting these specialities is one of the joys of a visit, set within the wider things to do in Corfu. Three classic dishes lead the table.
What are the signature dishes?
The signature dishes are pastitsada, slow-cooked beef or rooster in a spiced tomato sauce over thick pasta; sofrito, thin veal in a garlic, parsley and white wine sauce; and bourdeto, fish cooked in a fiery red pepper sauce. All three reflect the island’s Venetian heritage.
Three dishes define Corfiot cooking. Pastitsada, the island’s signature, simmers beef or rooster in a rich tomato sauce flavoured with cinnamon, cloves and red wine, served over thick tubular pasta with grated kefalotyri cheese. Sofrito, its name drawn from the Italian soffritto, is thinly sliced veal slow-cooked until tender in a fragrant sauce of garlic, parsley and white wine, served with mashed potato or rice. Bourdeto is a fiery fish stew in a red sauce of onions, olive oil and hot pepper, a fisherman’s classic. These dishes are best sought out in traditional tavernas, set out alongside the guide to Corfu villages. The kumquat is the island’s emblem.
What is the kumquat and what other products are there?
The kumquat, a small citrus fruit, is Corfu’s most iconic product, made into liqueur, jams, candied sweets and spoon sweets. The island also produces some of Greece’s finest olive oil, local cheeses, and ginger beer known as tsitsibira, a British-era legacy.
The island’s products are as distinctive as its dishes. The kumquat, a small orange citrus brought from Asia, has become Corfu’s emblem, transformed into a sweet liqueur, jams, candied fruit and spoon sweets served with coffee. The island’s olive groves, planted in their millions under Venetian rule, yield some of Greece’s finest olive oil, and an olive-mill visit makes a fine excursion. Local cheeses, almond sweets and tsitsibira, the British-era ginger beer, round out the larder, all fine souvenirs, set out alongside the guide to Corfu tours and tastings. The wine completes the table.
What is Corfu wine like?
Corfu wine comes from small local vineyards growing native grapes such as Kakotrygis for whites and Petrokoritho for reds, often light and rustic. The green, rainy island is less famous for wine than for its food, but local labels pair well with the rich cuisine.
The island makes characterful, traditional wines. Its small vineyards, scattered among the olive groves, grow native varieties such as the white Kakotrygis and red Petrokoritho, producing mostly light, rustic country wines, alongside a sweet local style. The green, comparatively rainy climate makes Corfu less of a wine destination than the dry Cyclades, but the local labels and the kumquat liqueur pair naturally with the island’s rich, Venetian-influenced food. Tasting them in a village taverna is part of the experience, set out alongside the guide to the island’s tavernas and food tours. Knowing where to eat helps.
Where do you eat well on the island?
You eat well in the old-town tavernas of Corfu Town, the harbour fish tavernas of Kassiopi and the fishing villages, and the traditional kitchens of the hill villages like Old Perithia. A food tour or cooking class adds depth to the island’s cuisine.
The island rewards eating across its towns and villages. Corfu Town’s old-town tavernas and bistros serve the classic Corfiot dishes alongside fine dining, while harbour villages such as Kassiopi grill the day’s fish by the water and the hill villages, including the restored tavernas of Old Perithia, offer hearty traditional cooking in atmospheric settings. A guided food tour of Corfu Town, an olive-mill visit or a cooking class brings the island’s flavours and history to life, set out alongside the guide to Corfu Town. Booking popular tables ahead is wise in summer. The questions below cover the points travellers ask most.
Frequently Asked Questions
What food is Corfu known for?
The island is famous for its Venetian-influenced dishes: pastitsada, slow-cooked meat in spiced tomato sauce over pasta; sofrito, veal in white wine and garlic; and bourdeto, fish in a spicy red sauce. The famous kumquat, olive oil and ginger beer are local specialities.
What is Corfu kumquat?
The kumquat is a small citrus fruit that has become Corfu’s iconic product, made into liqueur, jams, candied fruit and spoon sweets served with coffee. Brought from Asia, it now grows across the island and features in many local treats.
Where can you taste Corfiot food?
You can taste Corfiot food in the old-town tavernas of Corfu Town, the harbour fish tavernas of Kassiopi and the fishing villages, and the traditional kitchens of hill villages like Old Perithia. A food tour or cooking class adds depth.