Corsica
Politically, Corsica is a part of France, but her geography, history, and language are linked inexorably with Italy. Most distinctively Corsican cuisine is noted for its imaginative use of chestnuts, which are used whole or ground into a fine flour that forms a part of many types of dishes and adds distinct flavor. Many people maintain that even sausages and hams produced from crossbred pigs and boars have a special taste because chestnuts form an important part of the animals’ diet. The importance of chestnuts in Corsican cuisine stems from the ingenuity of the peasants of the Middle Ages who decided to grow chestnuts instead of the grains that were so heavily taxed by foreign conquerors.