Food and Wine

Take a look at our typical food


The Elba Island, the largest of the islands of the Tuscan Archipelago and noted for its mines, tourism, and historical past is also well noted for its gastronomy, so much so that it is the preferred location for the Italian Food Festival. The festival hasbeen held for two consecutive years (September 2002 2003) at Marina di Campo. With dishes based on meat, fish and vegetables, Elban cuisine has something to offer to all food lovers.
And let's not forget WINE. There has been a major development in the local oenology in recent years.
But lets return to the subject of food. The recipes, which have been developed over time, shaped by a mix of cultures and lifestyles and influenced by the sea and most notably the island itself, bear testimony to the history of the island. The gastronomic history of Elba has mixed origins. Saracen and Spanish flavors mix with those of many other marine navigators who left their own impression. A poor cuisine, even in its most elaborate dishes, the food of Elba offers differences and variety from one area to the next. There is the Savoy cabbage of Portoferraio, the potato, egg and onion soup of
Capoliveri, and the stuffed sardines of Marciana. The availability of freshly caught fish and sea food makes dishes based on such the most requested by tourists. The possible choices are many: pasta with seafood, thousands of ways to prepare crustaceans, fried squid and cuttlefish, fish soups and cacciucco (fish stew) a variation on the famous dish from Livorno and most loved by Napoleon during his stay on the island. And not to be forgotten is the classic salt cod, a Tuscan food staple over the centuries owing to the ease of preserving it and the variety of preparation. Salt cod can be used in bean and/or vegetable soups as well as prepared with other land-based products.
No less important are the sweet bake goods featured in connection with the big festivals and holidays: "corolla", "strufoli" and "frangette".
The selected recipes included here (offering a gastronomic tour of the island) represent only a fraction of the dishes found on the island and which are increasingly difficult to find prepared as they once were. It is a cultural heritage that is slowly being forgotten as the pace of the modern world takes over and less time is available to spend cooking in the kitchen. A wealth of aromas and flavors are offered as a gift to keep and cultivate so as not to lose them indefinitely.





Agriturismo Isola d'Elba



A WINE FOR EVERY DISH:

The cultivation of grapes on the Isle of Elba has, for centuries, been one of the primary activities for the island people. It is said that Napoleon took great pleasure in viticulture during his exile there. Over time, the viticulture has blossomed and now includes such denominations as: Rosato (rose), Ansonica, Aleatico, Vin Santo, as well as the added specifications like the Elba Passito Ansonica, white Muscat, and spumante.
Like the ancient origins of Elba's cuisine, Elba's wine production shares an ancient history. With centuries of experience numerous types of wine have been produced, each one created to be coupled in particular combination with the Elban cuisine.

- The Elba White: (composed from at least 50% Tuscan Trebbiano grapes and up to50% of one or the other or a mixture of Ansonica and Vermentino)
Straw or lighter in color, it has a delicate nose and a dry harmonious flavor. It goes well with antipasto, pasta and rice dishes with seafood (no tomatoes) and steamed fish.
- The Elba Red: (composed of at least 60% Sangiovese grapes, a maximum of up to 40% other authorized grapes if red, or 10% if white) Ruby red in color, with a fruity nose, it's a full-bodied dry wine. It's ideal with tomato-based pastas, fish stews and grilled meats.
- Reserve: (composed of the same grapes as the red, but aged no less than 2 years). It's perfect drunk with red meat, game, and aged cheese. It is dark ruby red leaning towards garnet in color, has a nose rich in berry and spice with a dry and harmonious full-bodied flavor.
- Elba Muscat: (made from 100% Muscat grapes, carefully selected and air dried). Known as the "wine for meditation", it goes well with sweet baked goods.
- Elba Rose: (made from the same grapes as the red) A characteristic Elban wine, dry and light and good with seafood antipasto, soups, omelets and vegetable souffle'.
- Elba Ansonica: From straw to golden in color, it's best served with shrimp, scampi and other crustaceans.
- Elba Ansonica Passito: (from the same grapes as Ansonica, but air dried) A sweet wine best accompanied by pies and tarts or the traditional "torta briaca".
- Elba Aleatico: A dark ruby red in color with a nose heavy in red fruit, it is meant to be drunk with fruit tarts, cream based sweets, berries and the traditional "schiaccia briaca".


SERVING TEMPERATURES:

Elba White: serve in flared glasses at 8-10C
Elba Red: serve in Bordeaux glasses at a temperature of 16-18C
Elba Rose: serve in large open glasses at a temperature of 12-14C

STORAGE:

The wine is best conserved by storing in a horizontal position on wood shelving at a constant temperature of between 10 and 15C. The surrounding humidity should be between 70 and 75% to prevent the cork from drying out.

HOW THE WINE IS PRODUCED

To obtain the DOC classification the must needs to make contact with the marc, and during this phase a substance containing anthocyans and tannins is released. The fermentation has a variable duration from 2-3 days for the young red wines to 15 days for those of more complex structure destined to be aged. The successive phase is that of the straining with the separation of the must from the mace, the decanting, the refining and the aging. At the end of this period the wine is bottled. The production of the white wines aims for the immediate extraction of the juice from the fruit in a way that the fermentation concerns only the liquid without the skin and thus the color. To this end, a pressing is not always carried out in order to avoid the maceration of the fruit, and often pressure is applied to the whole fruit that allows the must to separate from the skin and other solids reducing the tearing of the skins. After the pressing follows the removal of the dregs from the must by straining out the solid particles, the sulphurization with sulphurous anhydrite and the fermentation, which must not exceed 20C. At the end comes the straining with the decanting that allows for the clarity of the wine.
To produce a rose, the grapes are ruptured without the presence of the stalks so as to avoid excess contact of the must with the coloring and tannic substances. The must obtained then undergoes a brief maceration, fermentation and a light sulphuration. At the end of this operation, the wine is separated with the sedimentation from decanting. After stabilizing it is then bottled.