When you think of Calabrian pizza, you’re probably imagining a classic pizza topped with hot red chili pepper or spicy salami. But this time, we’re talking about pitta calabrese! Because here in Calabria, pitta is the real superstar. In Catanzaro, it’s a sort of focaccia bread in the shape of a donut or bagel, filled with Calabrian specialty toppings – spicy or not!
Greek or Roman-Italic origins?
The origins of the pitta calabrese are truly ancient. Most likely, the recipe is linked to the Roman term ‘placenta’ mentioned by Cato the Elder. But with a slightly different meaning in this case: The Italian word ‘pitta’ actually derives from the Latin term ‘picta,’ meaning ‘painted’ – most likely a reference to the Roman custom of using decorated buns as a gift for the gods. Other sources lean more towards a Greek origin story. And yet, the main area in which the pitta recipe has been made throughout history is undoubtedly Catanzaro, as demonstrated in the linguistic study performed by writer Vincenzo Dorsa, who translated the term ‘pitta’ to ‘schiacciata di pane’ (meaning ‘flattened bread’ in English) in his book titled “La tradizione greco latina dei dialetti della Calabria citeriore” (1876). Once upon a time, in fact, the pitta calabrese was baked before other breads in order to test the temperature of the oven for baking. Elsewhere in Calabria, in areas like Reggio and Vibo Valentia, the pitta has the same round bagel-like shape, though it’s a little fluffier, resembling ordinary bread more than the other varieties. Traditionally, making pitta is closely associated with two other dishes in Catanzaro – u'suffrittu, a dish made with pork and giblets, and u'morzeddhu, made with cow's tripe mixed with giblets. These customary dishes have always been eaten strictly with pitta calabrese. Originally, the hole in the center was even larger, with the dough only about 5 cm wide. Even the meat portions were very small, given its scarce availability in the past.
Ingredients and recipe
The dough for pitta calabrese is made with type “0” flour, fresh brewer's yeast, water and extra-virgin olive oil – with a final addition of salt. After leaving the dough to rise until doubled in volume, turn the pitta dough out onto a pastryboard. Crush it with your hands and without kneading, form discs 1 cm thick and pierce a hole in the center. Bake for 30 minutes.
Fantastic toppings
Once baked, it’s time for pitta toppings! Tuna and red onions, 'nduja, capocollo salami, provola silana cheese, bell peppers, eggplants in oil, tomato and red chili pepper sauce, anchovies, olives, capers. Not to mention the traditional stuffing made with pilchard (young anchovies and sardines seasoned with red chili pepper and wild fennel. Some recipes also bake the filling directly inside the pitta. This version is called pitta rustica.
In Bova, there’s a quick version of the pitta!
This isn’t the only alternative version of the pitta, but it’s definitely one of our favorites. In addition to the pitta rustica and the fluffier pitta versions in Calabria, in Reggio-Calabria’s city of Bova, you’ll find lestopitta (meaning ‘fast pitta’ in English). In reality, the lestopitta is closer to a piadina: It’s made with a simple dough of flour, water, extra-virgin olive oil and salt. No rising time. Just heat it on a greased pan and serve it with cold cuts, cheese, pork rinds, roasted sausage or red chili pepper. The popularity of this dish in Bova – an Italian town with Greek culture and language (Greekic) from the Magna Graecia period that has miraculously survived – suggests that the pitta must have had a Hellenic (instead of Roman-Italic) origin. Today’s greek pita bread, after all, is not so different from this recipe for lestopitta. Same goes for the fried pitta with honey you’ll find on the Tyrrhenian coast of Cosenza. And we can’t forget the Christmas version of the pitta, called pitta ‘nchiusa or pitta ‘mpigliata, which is popular in both Cosenza and Catanzaro.