Corsicans take their food and drink very seriously indeed, and despite the influence of Italian and French menus, Corsican cuisine has been preserved for centuries. The earthy style cooking takes its inspiration from the land, with sun loving fruits and vegetables, cured meats and cheeses.

Corsican Specialities

In Corsica, freshness and simplicity are considered the essence of good cooking. Traditional mountain dishes of thick soups, cured meats and cheese derive from the island's sheep herding origins. Local cured or raw ham, cooked or dried meats, sausages and pâtés are excellent; some like peppered, smoked lonzu, and figatelli, both made from pork, liver and herbs, are only found here. Cheeses are made from cow's, sheep's and goat's milk; milder ones come from the gentle landscapes of the south. Bread, croissants and other products from the boulangerie or baker's shop, are of the usual high French standards.

Dining Out

For those wishing to dine out, there are some excellent restaurants and numerous informal cafés serving pizzas, mixed salads or delicious stewed mussels. Fish, as is the case everywhere in the Mediterranean today, is fresh but expensive. Vegetarians can usually find pastas, pizzas, omelettes and vegetable dishes. In Corsica, as anywhere in the Mediterranean, café life is vibrant and everyone takes part - children are very much welcomed. Most restaurants have high chairs available and some will offer a children's menu.

Corsican Wine

Corsica produces several very good wines, which are hardly known outside the island. The producers are scattered and tend to be highly individual - Corsican, in other words. The grape harvest is still often cut by hand, and visiting a vineyard for an afternoon is a pleasant expedition; our Guide to Corsica gives suggestions for visiting cellars and vineyards.

James Boswell was an aficionado, writing in his Tour of Corsica published in 1782: "The flavours of wines differ all over the island. It is a true marvel that such a slight difference in soil and exposure generates such considerable diversity." Some wines are made with traditional Corsican varieties of grape, such as the delicious white Vermentino, Nielluccio, the basis of the esteemed Patrimonio red, and several excellent rosé wines. As a quick guide, wines from Patrimonio, Ajaccio and from near Sartène are outstanding, and the Domaine Vico wines are notable.

Also worth tasting are the local fortified wines, such as Muscat made from the delicious pale Muscat grape, or the darker, sweetish herb-rich Cap Corse. Both can be drunk as apéritifs - or at any time. Home-produced, dusky coloured, apéritif-strength drinks, with herbs such as myrtle and basil, can be found for sale on some roadside stalls.