Rural Tradition and Cultural Identity of the Ionian Islands

Abstract

In recent years, people are more and more exhorted to “go back to tradition”. This tendency testifies every thinking person’s reflection on how tradition affects the cultural identity of the place where he lives. The subject of this study is the rural tradition of the four Ionian Islands, Kefalonia, Corfu, Zante and Lefkada, as well as its contribution to the shaping of their common cultural identity. At a time when there is high economic, political and social instability, it is important to recognize the cultural identity of a specific area of Greece, the Ionian Islands, located in the Ionian and the Adriatic Sea, a region of great geopolitical significance. Since the Ionians’ economy was based on agriculture (olive cultivation, viticulture), livestock farming (cheese making), fishing and bee-keeping, these activities formed an integral part of the culture and the history of each place and its residents. The eating habits of the traditional farming societies are benchmarks of their cultural level. The products of the Ionian Islands are closely linked to several social events as well. In that way, they show the connection that exists between a place’s cuisine and culture. Many rural customs and eating habits of the Ionian Islands originate from their centuries-old traditions. They are linked to the farmers’ concern on the land’s fruitage. Nowadays, due to the technological evolution, some Ionian traditions are extinct. They may still exist in remote mountain areas, but in that case they fulfill the purpose they traditionally had.