Food and wine in Elba Island
I sapori dell'isola d'Elba
Flavours of the traditional Elban kitchen are based primarily on
simple dishes, where imagination and knowledge in the choice of
ingredients, dominate. The Elban kitchen which was once considered
poor, can today in the event of tourism, be considered refined.
Among the most popular and sought after dishes are often those which
require a long and complex preparation.
"Lo Stoccafisso alla Riese" (stock fish) is an example of a traditional Elban dish, prepared with nchiovies, onions, tomato, basil, parsley, green peppers, black olives, cappers and obviously, olive oil, chilli and salt.
Gurguglione" is another Elban specialty, originating in Rio Elba, this dish is a popular vegetable stew. Other traditional dishes include risotto made with the ink of cuttlefish (nero di seppia), stuffed calamari and the famous "cacciucco", an exquisite fish stew. Among the less complex dishes are boiled octopus,small fried "zerri" fish and finally, stuffed sardines.
After all of these delicacies mentioned above, tasting some fine Elban wine seems appropriate. Despite the radical reduction in vineyards over these last 50years, (from 3000 hectares to 200 hectares present day), Elban grapes manage to produce an array of fine wines, which for some years now, are classified as D.O.C. (italian quality guarantee).
Elban grapes manage to produce an array of fine wines, which for some years now, are classified as D.O.C. (italian quality guarantee). Among the most renowned are Elba Bianco (white), Elba Rosso (red), Rosato (rosè), Moscato and Aleatico, both of which are sweet dessert wines.
Curiosities about Elba and the Tuscan Archipelago
The island of Montecristo
World-wide known thanks to the famous tale 'The Count of Montecristo', the novel written by the
French writer Alexander Dumas, the island is south of Elba, at a distance of about 45 km. It is
mainly made of grey-pink granite, and viewed from Elba it looks like a wide and short pyramid, and
it is rich of short vegetation. As a very uninhabitable environment, the island has rarely been
inhabited during the centuries, until in the V century, monks and heremits started to make a part of
it less 'uninhabitable'. It is high prohibited to land on the island, to stop or to drop the anchor
offshore up to 1 km from the coast. On the island 100% of the land is protected area.
