Typical Corsica

Where to start....well, let's just say...what do i always do when i visit new places...try their local specialities (which of course i research) and their cappuccino...so let me start with the specialities....

Meat dishes....Civet de sanglier (wild boar casserole): one says....the signature dish of Corsica. This is a rich, hearty casserole with the flavour of wildboar, mixed with onions, carrots, garlic, chestnuts, fennel and red wine.....as you might rememeber Kim and i tried this as part of our set menu in Calvi...And we enjoyed it....for us though wildboar was nothing new as we often eat it in Tuscany....but we still enjoyed it...just so you remember...let me share a pic....

Wildboar casserole

Veau aux olives (veal with olives): a slow cooked stew, full of flavour with tender veal, olives, tomatoes, onions and herbs with a generous portion of either white or rose wine...you might remember Kim and i tried this the first night in Calvi, as part of the set menu, then i tried it in Calcatoggio and again we tried it for lunch in Evisa...let me share some pics....

Calvi

Calcatoggio

Evisa

Now of course...the verdict....for me...the best was the one in Evisa...it had the perfect balance between tenderness and wine and heaviness....just delicious....but all three were good and very soft....yes, i would have it again.

The last meat dish that Corsica is know for is the lamb, but as we all know i do not like lamb, so i cannot comment...and in all honesty it did not feature that much on the menu, so kim in fact also did not try it....so no verdict on that.

However, the charcuterie, i can comment on...

Prisutu: smoked ham (tried and loved)

Figatellu: liver sausage (did not try)

Salamu: salami- style sausage (tried and loved)

Valetta: cheek (did not try)

Boudin: black pudding (did not try)

Coppa and lonzu: they look quite similar, are made form different part of the pig and do taste different, with Coppa being the leanest of the two (tried and loved both)

Prisuttu: Corsican raw ham is one of the best charcuterie delights (tried and loved)

As you might remember for lunch we twice had the Corsican salad which included the Prisuttu and also as part of the set menu in Calvi i tried the charcuterie....let me share some pics again....just to remind you...

Calvi charcuterie plate

Salad with prisuttu

Corsican salad with prisittu and local cheese

Seafood....of course.....well, in all honesty i did not eat much seafood...i am not such a big fan of red mullet or seabass or even john dorry, i find them quite boring fish and they are plainly grilled...so i opted for meat dishes....we did however try mussels twice...once in Calcatoggio and once at our last night in Bastia...both times served with french fries, both times a 1kg portion...and both times absoloutely delicious....yummie..mussels is something i really do love....let me share my pics again....

Calcatoggio mussels

Bastia mussels

Chestnuts and cheese.....well i think chestnuts i have talked about enough...i mean i dedicated a whole blog on it....cheese...well i tried the Corsican salads which had Corsican cheese on it....and of course all my cheese platters.....i'll just remind you by sharing some pics....

Aijacco market (brebis-sheep cheese)

Aijacco market (chevre-goat cheese)

Calcatoggio cheese platter

Calvi cheese platter

Evisa cheese

As you can see....there is a common denominator on the cheese platter...and that is the fig jam...that is because there are a lot of fig trees in Corsica....yummie. Now....let's chat about desserts....three famous desserts....

Beignets: small doghnuts sometimes made with chestnut flour, stuffed with various ingredients.....best we tried...chocolate

Fiadone: a kind of cheesecake, the cheese used is brocciu and they often use chestnut flour and of course eggs, it is then flavoured with lemons au l'eau de vie. This we tried in Calvi....was not smooth but rather a grainy texture...bricciu cheese is kind of like a cottage-type cheese.

Flan a la farine de chaitaigne.....this is what we had the last evening in Bastia. This desserts uses chestnuts, eggs and eau de vie....let me share the pics again....just to remind you....

Beignet stuffed with melted chocolate

Fiadone

Flan a la farine de chaitaigne

Last but definitely not least....let me discuss mu cappuccino experience....but in a simple phrase....the Corsican's CANNOT make cappuccino to safe their lives! So....let's start.....first morning in Corsica, Calvi: we tried three places before we sat down.....first place said they only did espresso and cafe con crema....hmmm....no...i want cappuccino....and the second place stated the same...so finally third time lucky...and lucky us....the cappuccino was good...thick foam....a lot of foam...strong coffee....and it even had chocolate sprinkles....yummie...but quite pricey at €3.00....let me share the pic...

Cappuccino in the background

Next up.....outside Calcatoggio in a place called Cargese....in some hotel....well...i totally forgot to take a pic...cause i was so disappointed.....it all disappeared as it was served and it tasted so bad....like a filter coffee....i could only take three sips....hence kim tried to finish it....very bad....AND the first place we wanted to go to actually said the same as Calvi (we only do espresso or cafe con crema).....i was starting to think that these Corsicans have no idea about cappuccino.

Next up...our hotel in Calcatoggio.....no pics either cause it was an automatic machine...and no foam at all...i ended up pressing espresso twice and it still tasted like flavoured water...help....i wAs really missing my strong Italian coffee....in Aijacco i did not try any cappuccino because i was worried...the next day however when we stopped in Vico in this small bar i dared ask for a cappuccino....the waiter looked at me as if i was asking a stupid question and said of course....and guess what....i had my first decent cappuccino....not amazing...but good....let me share a pic....

Vico cappuccino

Next up Corte....again....bad....foam disappeared as soon as it arrived and the coffee quality was terrible...but at least there was a little bit foam and some chocolate sprinkles....i was starting to REALLY miss my good strong coffee....especially my cappuccino....let me share a pic....

Corte cappuccino

Breakfast in Bastia..AMAZING apple cake....and cappuccino hmmm....absoloutely no foam but the coffee was at least strong and chocolate sprinkles....a good coffee but a bad cappuccino...Hahaha.....here is a pic....

Bastia cappuccino

My last cappuccino in Corsica was in Erbalunga in some small bar.....it was ok...there was foam...just very very little...coffee a little week...but there were chocolate sprinkles...here is a pic....

Erbalunga cappuccino

So....my verdict....drink espresso or coffee con crema in Corsica....cappuccino....no thank you.....not great at all....disappointing....but the rest of Corsica and its food amazing....rather choose a good pastry because that the French know how to make....hahaha....all in all...we had an amzing trip and we will definitely go back...for now...cheers from me...chat soon.

Oh wait...i almost forgot...typical aperitivo which we tried....Muscato....Cap Corse and chataigne aperitivo (which i did not try)....last two pics....

Aperitivo in Bastia....Muscato and birra