Say Corfu and most travelers picture pastel Venetian facades and cypress-lined bays. Say Zakynthos and Navagio, its famous shipwreck beach, comes to mind. Yet these islands, along with Lefkada, Kefalonia, and tiny Ithaca, belong to a single archipelago along Greece’s western coast: the Ionian Islands, known to Greeks as the Eptanisa, or Seven Islands. Centuries of Venetian rule left a distinctive imprint on their culture, architecture, and, above all, cuisine. Think slow-simmered bourdeto, a spicy fish stew with tomato and red pepper; garlicky bianco, fish cooked with potatoes, lemon, and white wine; and pastitsada, meat braised in a richly spiced tomato sauce and served with pasta. The result tastes like Italy filtered through Greek soil and sea.
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