Lifestyle I
Corsican Bounty
WORDS: CHLOÉ BRAITHWAITE | IMAGES: MURTOLI
Corsica weaves a unique tapestry of flavours, boldly entwining the mountains to the sea and the maquis in between. With her untamed, natural good looks and typically Mediterranean epicurean tradition, the so-called Île of Beauty’s beaches (and the city of Sartène, see page 61) aren’t the island’s only hidden gems.
Corsica’s culinary legacy is interlaced with diverse cultural threads and a deep connection to its rugged landscape. Its history of influences, from French to Italian and specifically Genoese, has left an indelible mark on its cuisine. Corsica’s food journey embraces the challenge of its terrain, resulting in inventive dishes that incorporate local ingredients such as chestnuts, aromatic maquis herbs and the bounties of the Mediterranean Sea. The resilient fare is born from necessity and ingenuity, and every bite is a taste of the island’s captivating past.
Nestled within a valley bridging the mountains and the sea lies the expansive Domaine de Murtoli. A showcase of Corsica’s breathtaking beauty, Murtoli spans 2,500 hectares, painting a vision of ever-changing colours and timeless tastes. Here, among rolling green hills and scattered shrub, the Domaine has become an ode to a much slower, more sustainable way of life; a centuries’-old agro-pastoral tradition that has come to define the Corsican lifestyle.
The Domaine’s three restaurants lean heavily into locavore-ism, promoting local products from the sea and the Corsican terroir, even from the Domaine’s grounds itself. You’ll find a stunning mix of herbs from the maquis on your plate, such as the minty nepita – hard to find off the island – which make dining here a truly
unique experience.
Each of its venues is in a remarkable setting, from the nearby beach to an underground grotto glowing with candlelight. But it’s the farm’s restaurant, La Table de la Ferme, helmed by Michelin-starred chef Mathieu Pacaud, that steals the show. Pacaud returns to Murtoli each summer to combine state-of-the-art French haute cuisine techniques with his knowledge of the terroir in order to craft a regionally-inspired menu that showcases local produce. Dining at La Table de la Ferme engages all the senses, and every one of Pacaud’s dishes is as exquisitely beautiful as it is delicious.
