One can land into poetry as one unravels Italy’s best kept secrets. A Calabrian can only know that his cuisine is all a derivation of Calabria’s natural resources. This Arcadian land holds in its bosom a wide range of trees from bergamot and citron to lemon, palm, oleander, almond, chestnut, fig, olive and pepper trees, which are used as important ingredients in the local cuisine. Calabria being in the midst of the Mediterranean sea presents the rarest sea foods in the world. This delicacy comprises swordfish and tuna, and Bottarga, or preserved tuna roe, which is a local specialty that occupies the traditional cuisine. Apart from the creatures in sea, the creatures on land provide Mediterranean’s favourite diary diet – cheese. Cheese from lamb and cows are either grilled alongside vegetables. Eggplant and peppers are cooked in sauces, pickled, grilled, or fried as an appetizer, main course, or side dish. Calabria is famous for peppers and its delicacies like peperonata, a stew of peppers and meaty local capers. Usage of chilli peppers from cured meats to pasta is also very common. Calabrian appetizers are also used as sandwich fillers spicy sausages, or soppressata. Figs, chestnuts and almonds are mainly used in desserts like Fichi Ripieni (Stuffed Figs), a specialty of Cosenza that tops dried figs with cocoa, almonds and other nuts. Read More…
