If you are a lover of Greek flavours, get ready for a culinary journey! Victoria Cruises Line is committed to providing its passengers with the finest ingredients from local producers – and there’s nothing more authentic than Kefalonia’s famous almonds, golden honey and creamy, salty feta cheese. Not only are these traditional Greek delicacies the pride of the locals, but they also offer a unique gastronomic experience on board the ship. Discover how these premium products make their way to your plate and why you should try them while rocking on board Victoria Cruises Residential Ship!
Kefalonia is famous not only for its fabulous landscapes and crystal clear waters, but also for its gastronomic specialities, including almonds and honey. These natural delicacies have played an important role in the local cuisine for centuries and are popular not only as ingredients in dishes but also as gifts. Getting to know the local flavours and traditional products of a place is the best way to discover its secrets. The traditional products of Kefalonia are truly outstanding for their unique taste and quality.
Kefalonian Honey: Nature’s Gold
In Kefalonia, the honey production cycle includes two difficult periods. The first lasts from the end of May until the ‘beginning’ of the month of thyme, wild grass, lavender and oregano, in June. This two-week period is particularly difficult when the honeydew (excellent) is missing from the Aenos honeysuckle, which unfortunately often appears every five years. Thyme and many other herbs flower in Kefalonia until early August, which is very important for beekeepers. The almond and alburnif trees start to flower in mid-January. By the end of March, however, the high demands of rearing offspring mean that honey in the hives is diminishing rather than increasing. Finally, from early April to mid-May everything is in bloom and the bees get to work! In Kefalonia, honey production is stable over time, reaching 70 tonnes per year. Each hive on the island produces 6-10 kg of honey per year. In Cephalonia, many different plants flourish, but not in large quantities. This variety naturally allows growers to avoid using sugar and thus not weaken their bees. Finally, in addition to honey, pollen and royal jelly are also produced.
The honey produced on the island has an outstanding aroma and a rich flavour, thanks to the diverse flora of Kefalonia and the wild flowers pollinated by bees. The most distinctive varieties include thyme honey, which has deep, spicy notes, and pine honey, which is darker and denser. Cephalonian honey is packed with antioxidants and is a local favourite eaten for breakfast with yoghurt or drizzled on bread.
Almonds: the Soul of Greek Desserts
Cephalonian almonds are extremely tasty and of excellent quality, often used in the island’s traditional sweets. In the past, Cephalonia was full of almond trees and the women of the island used almonds to their best advantage: they baked them, sprinkled them with sugar and served them as a delicacy to their guests. Today almonds come in a variety of flavours, such as honey, butter and lemon. The dessert takes its name from the Italian word „Mandorla”.
Another dessert that takes its name from the Italian word „Mandorla” is mandolato (torrone), a sweet made from egg whites, almonds, sugar and honey. During the Venetian occupation, the mandolato was a dessert consumed mainly by the wealthy aristocrats of the region
Barboule is one of the oldest and most traditional delicacies on the island . It is a crunchy sweet made with almonds roasted in honey caramel and then cut into bars.
Pastokydono (Komfeto) is a very tasty and healthy dessert. Its main ingredient is quince, an autumn fruit that flourishes in the Paliki region and is used to make jam when harvested in November. The jam is then mixed with toasted almonds and honey and Pastokydono is ready!
Feta cheese: the Queen of Greek Cuisine
The first references to Kefalonian cheese appear in Homer and Herodotus. Indeed, numerous historical and folkloric references speak of the famous cheese-makers of Cephalonia, who established large dairy farms in the Balkans and were masters of cheese-making!
These cheesemakers, mainly from the northern part of Cephalonia (Pylaros), spent long periods of time in neighbouring areas such as Italy, Romania and the Black Sea, where they worked in large dairy farms producing the famous Cephalonian feta.
Kefalonian feta is made using sheep’s and goat’s milk. During your visit to Cephalonia, you’re sure to see goats roaming free on the steep slopes and cliffs. Both their meat and their milk are very special products because of the sea saltiness that gives the cheese its special flavour.
Today, telemest, a cheese ripened in brine, is produced in large quantities by the island’s dairies. What makes Kefalonian feta special is that it is matured in barrels
Today, 14 small and medium-sized family cheese-making businesses operate in Kefalonia, preserving the island’s traditions. These companies, although not large, are modern because the cheese producers have obtained quality certification using European resources, which allows them to export their products outside Greece.
Where can you taste it?
There are several local apiaries and almond farms on the island where you can not only buy but also taste these delicacies. You can also find homemade honey and almond sweets in Argostoli and in the markets of smaller villages, which you can take away as souvenirs.
When in Kefalonia, don’t miss out on honey and almond tasting, as these flavours are an integral part of the island’s gastronomic heritage, and you can take the flavours of the island home with you with a small bottle of Kefalonian honey or a packet of almond milk!