Corsica

This island has been overrun by several Mediterranean cultures, including France, and these multiple influences are evident in Corsican cooking and food production. The Orezza mineral waters from Rapaggio, south of Bastia on the east coast are prized for their medicinal properties. In fact this east coast is where some of the best cheeses appear, and the flavours reflect the minerality and the maquis – the shrubby bushland of bay, thyme, rosemary and savoury where the animals graze. In early spring, Brocciu, a light and airy ewe’s milk ricotta, requires only a dribbling of dark honey for dessert. Explore the island’s narrow mountain roads and be rewarded at the end of the day with platters of roasted wild boar and charcuterie, chunks of chewy bread and cheese washed down with local crisp white.