The cuisine of Calabria is based on rural and fishing traditions.
In fact, it is typical southern Italian and, in a broader sense, Mediterranean cuisine , in which meat dishes (pork, lamb, goat meat), vegetables (especially eggplants ) and fish are approximately evenly present. Pasta (a kind of pasta) plays a significant role in the local cuisine - as in all of Italy. Unlike other Italian regions, Calabrians traditionally paid great attention to the long-term storage of food, in particular, because of the climate and the threat of a small crop. As a result, a tradition has arisen to store vegetables and meat in olive oil, the production of sausages and cold meats (Sopressata, Nduja), and in the coastal zone - smoked fish - especially sabrillarium, sardine (sardelle rosamarina) and codfish (Baccalà).
Local desserts are usually fried, honey-sweetened pastries ( Cudduraci , scalille or scalidde ) or biscuit-type pastries (for example, ' nzudda ).
Typical local dishes or components of the dish are chocavallo cheese (Caciocavallo), red onion, roast pork (Frìttuli or Curcùci), Liquorice ( liquirizia ), Lagane e Cicciari (ceci) (a type of chickpea lasagna), sheep cheese (Pecorino Crotonese)). Pinolata (Pignolata).
Although Calabrian wines are little known outside of Italy, in antiquity Calabria was known as Enotria ( Greek Οἰνωτρία , literally, "Land of Wine"). According to the ancient Greek tradition, the name Enotria was derived from the name Enotr ( Greek ωνωτρος ), the youngest of the sons of Lycaon [1] . Some vineyards arose during the time of the ancient Greek colonization of Italy. The best-known local wines of controlled denomination by origin are: Cirò (Province of Crotone) and Donnici (Province of Cosenza).
Content
Unique local dishes
- Melanzane alla menta - eggplants, pickled with mint
- Pitta coi pomodori - pita with tomatoes
- Pesce spada alla ghiotta - swordfish rolls in tomato sauce
- Zippuli - fried dough
- Cuzzupa - Local Christmas Cake
Peasant Cuisine
- Coria (or Frittule) 'ccu fasuli e cipulle : pigskin with beans and red onions.
- Frittata di Carnevale : On Mardi Gras, each local family prepares an omelet with spaghetti with fresh ricotta cheese and sausages, since the ashen environment begins the next day and you should limit yourself to meat consumption.
- Patate 'ccu pipe e mulinciane : potato slices fried with pepper and eggplants, sometimes pig skin or pork cubes are added.
- Minestra e fasuli : fragrant herbs, boiled or lightly fried, with beans, sometimes also with chili pepper.
- Mulinciane e pummaduari : eggplant in oil with fresh tomatoes (summer, refreshing dish).
- Spezzatino (Stew): Stewed pork with roasted tomatoes and tomato sauce, a typical dish for the feast of the patron saint.
- Pitticelle : flat flour cakes, sometimes with pumpkin flowers, zucchini or olives.
- Zippuli : (in plural Zippula) - fried dough with potatoes with or without anchovies inside.
Seafood
- Pasta 'mbiancu e baccalà : pasta (a type of pasta) with cod, boiled and seasoned with olive oil. The dish is typical of religious holidays associated with fasting meat items, such as Advent , Christmas , Ash Wednesday and Pentecost .
- Baccalà e patate vullute : cod, boiled in tomato sauce, with large diced potatoes.
- Alici fritte : small anchovies, fried in oil and flavored with lemon or orange.
- Alici sutt'uaglio : Anchovies in butter, used with bread, oregano and dried tomatoes.
- Alici 'mpipate : Anchovies in pepper and chili sauce, used with bread.
Cakes, cakes
- Cuzzupa : a typical Christmas cake, usually with an egg in the middle.
- Bucchinotti or Buccunotti : typical Calabrian pie, with grape jam or cocoa with raisins.
- Pani i castagna : similar to castagnaccio, but smaller and thicker, with pine nuts, raisins, hazelnuts and walnuts.
- Turdilli : fried (usually prepared for Christmas), spiral-shaped, dipped in honey.