Issue No.
13349
Kumquat
The Achilleion
Kumquat liquers
IT IS ONE of Corfu’s wonderful attractions, the exotic kumquat that has been a constant on the Ionian island since its introduction long ago.
In 1846, the English botanist Robert Fortune, who gave the kumquat its Latin name, Fortunella, brought the plant, originally indigenous to southeast China and Indochina, to Europe as an ornamental shrub.
The British soon introduced it to Corfu, where it became happily established. Since then, the attractive fruit, which now grows primarily in the subtropical regions of China and Japan, but also in Africa and America, has also grown in Corfu.
If you visit Corfu today, you will come across red, yellow, green or blue bottles of liqueur. If you do, you’ll know you’re on the trail of a plant that is extremely rare to Europe, for - with the exception of Corfu - the kumquat is found only in Asia.
Tiny tangerine
The kumquat, also called a dwarf orange, better known as a small ornamental tree, is a slightly prickly evergreen shrub. It thrives in conditions similar to those required for growing oranges, which belong to the same genus within the citrus fruit family. They tolerate stony soil and like sun in summer and rain in winter.
Greek kumquats are known only in western Greece, but in recent years they became readily available, fresh, in the markets across Greece.
The fruit, which should be eaten as fresh as possible, is about the size of small mandarins and has a thin, golden-yellow to reddish-orange, edible rind. They do not store well, and are therefore usually preserved by being candied or made into jelly.
The bitter, acidic fruit is also used as the base for various spirits and liqueurs from Corfu. The pure kumquat essence distilled from the fruit juice is colourless, but the product is dyed all sorts of wonderful colours.
By the way, on Corfu there is another tradition that is associated with kumquat liquor. It is thought of as the drink for newlyweds, but it is also the custom to buy a bottle on the occasion of the birth of the first child and to keep it until that child’s marriage.
Only then is it opened with great ceremony and every one present drinks to the health of the happy young couple, wishing them a sweeter, better, longer life than was granted to this bottle of liqueur, which has gained so much in flavour, maturity and quality over so many years.
The Achilleion
Besides kumquats, another attraction is awaiting you on Corfu: the Achilleion Villa.
When Elisabeth, empress of Austria and queen of Hungary, visited Corfu for the first time in 1861, she was so enchanted by the landscape and its olive, lemon and orange groves that she stayed on the island for more than a month. Yet she did not make a second trip to Corfu until 1885.
In the interim, her mind had been much occupied with antiquity, and she had learned Ancient and Modern Greek. When she was shown the old Venetian villa by the architects Braila and Gasturi, which was for sale, she was instantly inspired.
Two years later she bought the villa and had it converted into a mini-castle, based on the architecture of Pompeii. She named it after her favourite classical hero, Achilles.
Until her violent death, the empress came regularly to the Achilleion that she thought of as her retirement home. In 1907, Emperor Wilhelm II acquired the estate. Today visitors can see the garden, the imperial chapel and a small museum with memorabilia belonging to the two rulers.
ATHENS NEWS 30/08/2010, page: 34
