Greek Food
Greek cuisine is a Mediterranean cuisine. Contemporary Greek cookery makes wide use of vegetables, olive oil, grains, fish, wine, and meat. Other important ingredients include olives, pasta, cheese, lemon juice, herbs, bread and yoghurt. The most commonly used grain is wheat; barley is also used. Common dessert ingredients include nuts, honey, fruits, and filo pastries. It is strongly influenced by Ottoman cuisine and thus, especially cuisine of Anatolian Greeks shares foods such as baklava, tzatziki, gyro, moussaka, dolmades, and keftethes with the neighboring countries. To an even greater extent it is influenced by Italian cuisine and cuisines from other neighboring south European countries.The specialities of Kefalonia are: the pita with meat, skorthalia/ aliatha (potatoes with garlic sauce),bourbourelia (mixed bean soup), hare or rabbit stew, riganada ( bread slices with oregano), strapatsado (eggs withtomato) and, egg and potato soup. The island is also famous for its cheese.Not forgetting the old favourites of Mousaka, Taramasalata, Kalamari, freshfish, octopus and of course the Greek salad, full of the flavours of Summer.
Wine & Drinks
A famous Greek drink is ouzo, this is served in small bottles and is normally drunk with water, together with Meze, Another popular drink is retsina, which is a resonated wine and which is not to everyone’s taste. Most bars serve a brand of retsina known as Kourtaki, which is the most popular brand, though connoisseurs prefer Liokari or Melamatina.Most tavernas will have wine lists with some bottled Greek wines on them. These include Rotunda, Kambas and Lac des Roches. Kefalonia itself has a long history making wine and is famous for some of its own excellent wines. The most well-known appelations of origin are Muscat (a white wine that is very sweet), Mavrodafni (a dark red wine) and Robola (a dry white). The island’s main producers are Vitoratos, Sclavos, Soroke, Metaxas, Gentiliini and Divino.
However on a hot day much better to stick with a bottle of water which can be bought from kiosks, mini markets or shops and is thirst quenching and cheap.A good alternative on a hot day is a fresh juice, fruit picked from the tree there and then, or a nice cold Greek beer.