Cuisine of Abruzzo

The Abruzzo cuisine is the traditional cuisine of Abruzzo; it is very wide and is originally from the traditions of both pastoral and mountainous inland areas that marinate in the coastal zone; among the foods most commonly used are: bread, pasta, meat, cheese and wine. The isolation that has characterized the region for decades has ensured that it maintained a culinary art alive and independent.[1] Abruzzo boasts one of the best cuisine to be found in Italy, well known for its variety and richness owing to the heterogeneity of its territory. Both the agricultural and coastal aspects of Abruzzo have contributed to its cuisine. Due to the mountains themselves, much of Abruzzo grew separated from the influence of international commerce and civilization until the 20th century. With this physical exclusion, the region’s cuisine stays unique, a gastronomical heaven.[2] In 2013 the Italian organization Confesercenti led a research which indicated Abruzzo as the best region where to eat in Italy according to foreign tourists ratings.[3][4]

Products

Among the products of Abruzzo that have entered the collective imagination of the whole world are:

Dishes

Starters

Bruschetta

The starters (called antipasti) include:

Pasta

Maccheroni alla chitarra.

One of the most prominent dishes of the region is maccheroni alla chitarra. This dish is created by pressing or cutting pasta through an instrument called a chitarra, creating long thin noodles similar to spaghetti. The pasta is served with a tomato-based sauce, often flavored with peppers, pork, goose, or lamb.[13]

This dish is served with complementary regional side dishes, such as the bean and noodle soup known as sagne e fagioli. This soup is traditionally flavored with tomatoes, garlic, oil, and peperoncini.

Other popular dishes include:

Main dish

Arrosticini

Across the region, roast lamb is enjoyed in several variations. Some of these variations include:

Seafood also plays a role in the cuisine of Abruzzo, especially in those areas located closer to the coast. The variety of fish available to the area has resulted in several fish-based Brodetti (broths), coming from such places as Vasto, Giulianova, and Pescara. These broths are often created by cooking the fish in an earthenware pot, and flavored with tomatoes, herbs, and peperoncino. Others seafood include the Scapece of Vasto (Fish marinade); is the only dish in Abruzzi to use saffron, although this spice is one of the most important regional products. It is a fish marinade (often skate) cut into pieces, floured and browned in a frying pan. Thanks to vinegar the dish can keep for 20 to 30 days in special wood containers handed down from generation to generation.[16]

Breads and Pizzas

Pizza di Pasqua.

Rustic pizzas are also very common. Some of these are:

Charcuterie

Mortadella di Campotosto.

Also from Teramo are the spreadable sausages flavored with nutmeg, liver sausages tasting of garlic and spices. The ventricina from the Vasto area is made with large pieces of fat and lean pork, pressed and seasoned with powdered sweet peppers and fennel and all encased in the dehydrated stomach of the pig itself. Mortadella di Campotosto is another product famous in Abruzzo; is a small mortadella, longish oval-shape. Inside, it is dark red, with a white column of fat. They are generally sold two tied together. Together, they are about as big as two cupped hands put together. Another name for the mortadella in Italian is "coglioni di mulo" (donkey's balls.); using meat from the shoulder and loin and trimmings from making prosciutto, mixed with fat. In all, it is 80% lean meat, of which 25% will be prosciutto (ham), and 20% of pancetta.The meat is finely minced, and mixed with seasonings (salt, pepper, white wine.) Some makers will also use cinnamon and cloves and no nitrates are used.

Cheeses

The principal cheeses of region are:

Caprino

Atri and Rivisondoli also are famous for cheeses. Mozzarella, either fresh or seasoned, made from ewe's milk, although a great number of lesser known varieties of these cheeses can be found all over Abruzzo and Molise.

Ferratelle is a typical sweet of Abruzzo region

Desserts and sweets

The sweets of Abruzzo are famous throughout the world. Some of the better known include:

Fruits

The principal fruits of Abruzzo are:

Wines and drinks

A Montepulciano d'Abruzzo wine labelled as being made from old vines.

The principal wines of region are:

Others wines are:

The drinks include:

See also

References