The Gold Book of Lefkada | Page 37

Μαντολάτο | Mantolato (peanut nougat dessert) Εκλεκτό μέλι | Delicious honey GASTRONOMY Blessed is Greece, blessed is its soil, like a fertile womb, like a woman who nourishes in her loins the whole world. It is pregnant to the seeds that have nurtured generation after gen- eration and continues tirelessly to share its fruits. A wonderful, fertile womb is the land of Lefkada, bearing products that change according to the seasons and are consumed directly as nature itself has made them or others that the human hand has altered, mixed, transformed or experimented with. Honey from thyme that grows in Athani, olive oil from the “golden”, centuries- old olive trees, roe from the fish farm in the lagoon, famous wine from the vineyards of the island (the local varieties of Vardea and Vertzami are grown only here), pasteli (honey sesame candy bar) and mandolato (a kind of chewy nougat), soumada (a soft drink made from bitter almond), excellent Rosoli liqueur, and, of course, the famous salami and sausage and the famous lentils of Egklouvi. Sweet pies prepared with olive oil and Lefkadian olive oil cookies found in bakeries and local households, the local dish sofigado (beef stew with quinces), dishes prepared with in- gredients and pure raw materials, as they should be. Παστέλι | Pasteli (honey sesame bars) 37