The New York Times has already included Calabria among the must-see destinations in Italy. And it did so for purely gastronomic reasons. In fact, all the various food and wine producers should be thanked for making this region more popular today. Chef Gaetano Alia, for example, has been working with his Locanda to promote the area for years now. Giuseppe Romano, originally from Campania, though he has made this land his own, organizes the huge event Tasting Calabria for his Me Restaurant, where some of the main players of this region’s food culture get the opportunity to meet and reflect on the immense heritage for which they are spokespersons.
Northern Calabria: chili, zafarana peppers and lavender
People usually think that the food all over Calabria is spicy. But this is not so. Chili is especially grown and eaten in the North, along the coast: from Diamante (where the chili biggest festival is celebrated in September) up to the province of Vibo Valentia where it’s used for the production of ’nduja. The zafarana pepper is grown inland, especially in the municipality of Tortora. It’s sweet and similar to that of Senise, excellent both ground and fried in a pan (with cod). Still in the northern part of the region, there is Pollino National Park, where lavender is produced in large quantities, giving rise to a marvelous spectacle of long, open, lilac-shaded stretches of land.
Arbëreshë communities: Shëtridhlat, Dromsa, Collivi, Panaghie, Picetulit and Pane di Cerchiara
Moving on to the Ionian side, travelers pleasantly stumble upon the Arbëreshë communities, or towns with emigrants from the then-Arberia, or Albania. They came during the 15th century and settled in municipalities such as Lungro, Civita, and Spezzano. Certain traditional aspects remain alive here. The Arbëreshë culture is still very strong and present, especially when it come to food, as can be seen in unique dishes such as dromsa or dromesat, meaning pasta crumbs; or shetridhlat, a dough that is continuously worked by a group of women, forming a circle that does not break until it is cooked, then seasoned with legumes; or collivi, panaghie and picetulit: wheat cooked with spices and cocoa and little man-shaped pieces of bread prepared in commemoration of the dead, one of the most important festivals celebrated here. Cerchiara bread is also produced in this area, which is one of the best, long-rising loaves of bread you can find anywhere, prepared by local bakeries such as Monti with ancient natural sourdough starter.
La Piana di Sibari: rice, oil and tangerines
La Piana di Sibari is so beautiful that it seems to have come out of a dream. Stroll around Agriturismo Casacchella among the olive trees, from which one of the best oils in Italy is made, up to the tangerine trees and their sweet and delicious fruits, today recognized as IGP. And then precisely in Sibari a rice is produced that according to some is the best in Italy: a carnaroli grown on 2.3 square miles of brackish soil, flooded by the Raganello River when it descends from Pollino.
Around Crotone: finocchio d’oro, pecorino and cutro bread
In those 19 square miles of the Ionian strip that go from Strongoli to Botricello, in the area of Isola di Capo Rizzuto, a special fennel has been produced for at least 160 years, which lacks filaments and has a very persistent aroma. Sold all over the world, it’s called “gold” because it’s an important economic resource for the territory, a veritable goldmine. In the last ten years, above all thanks to the work of the Promoting Committee and its President Aldo Luciano, they have been trying to enhance its value in the kitchen, collaborating with chefs like Natale Pallone of the restaurant Ruris in Isola di Capo Rizzuto, who prepares it au gratin, combined with cutro bread and mixed with Pecorino Crotonese DOP, two other great specialties of the area. This dish was also noticed, mentioned and appreciated by the New York Times.
Catanzaro: morsello or morzello alla Catanzarese and pitta
More a winter dish and better for strong stomachs, “u morzeddhu cu a pitta” is a very ancient dish that is widespread in the province of Catanzaro. It’s made with entrails, tripe and offal, which are first cut into strips and then fried with oil, pancetta, onion, chili pepper, tomato paste, red wine and oregano. It is usually eaten with pitta, a typical Catanzaro bread that is mostly crust and has a shape similar to a flattened donut, which is often also eaten with other dishes.
’Nduja, onion, pecorino, beans, tartufo, tuna and fileja
Although it may have spread within and beyond regional boundaries, ’nduja is actually only from Spilinga. Here the Consortium, with its president Francesco Fiamingo, organizes in its honor the oldest existing Calabrian festival, every August 8 since 1975, also thanks to the fact that every family still raises and slaughters at least one pig. Spilinga is located in a unique part of Calabria, in terms of production. Near Nicotera, an important city for the Mediterranean Diet, there is Tropea and its red onion, famous for its sweetness and digestibility. Then there is Monte Poro, with its pecorino and Sujaca, where there’s a particular variety of bean. But it does not end here: nearby Pizzo is noteworthy both for its historic tuna fishing (the well-known Callipo company is found here, along with others such as Marpesca), and for its sweet tartufo, an ice cream dessert that’s served in all the bars of the central square. The local pasta is the fileja, which can be dressed with all these products (beans, pecorino, tuna).
La Piana di Gioia Tauro and Rosarno: kiwi, citrus fruits and struncatura
Here too, like in Piana di Sibari, many citrus fruits are grown including lemons and clementines, but also a large amount of kiwis that are much better than the imported ones. The undisputed star of Piana cuisine is struncatura: a fresh pasta like fettuccelle alte, produced with bran, carob flour, rye and water, traditionally seasoned with anchovies, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil and chili pepper. The name comes from struncaturi, which in dialect indicates the flour and bran scraps resulting from the grain milling that remained on the ground, which is also why it was even forbidden for a period. The “Struncatura De Gustibus” version in Palmi is a must-try.
Stocco di Mammola
Stockfish with tomato, onion, capers, olives, chili pepper and potatoes is a must in Mammola, which is also worth a visit for the MuSaBa. It is a unique artistic park in the world, with multi-colored works of art and monuments created by the artists Nik Spatari and Hiske Maas (a film is currently being shot about them). It seems that stockfish has become a typical dish in the region. According to the legend, after a terrible earthquake, a Norwegian ship arrived loaded with stockfish, which the northern sailors decided to donate to the land in difficulty. And from that moment on they never abandoned this tradition.
Scilla and Reggio Calabria: not just fish
Both in Scilla and in Reggio Calabria there are two different traditional types of seafood cuisine (taste them at Taverna Kekira in Bagnara Calabra), in particular with mussels and swordfish, which are historically fished in the nearby Strait of Messina. But this is not actually true: the cuisine of Reggio also includes meat, especially pork. For the feast of the Madonna held in the second week of September, frittole are prepared: pork is cooked in its fat for eight whole hours with all its parts, including innards. Once cooked, all the unidentified bits at the bottom of the pan, called the “curcuci,” are then cooked with a beaten egg.
In Aspromonte: maccaruni and cheeses, figs and bergamot
We at La Cucina Italiana have never hidden our love for Aspromonte, a spectacular land, where a true, authentic atmosphere still reigns, which has something original not only from Calabria, but from all over Italy. Here, in fact, in some villages ancient Greek is still spoken and simple homemade pasta is prepared, with tomato sauce, like maccaruni (try them at Trattoria Nizia Paleo di Gallicianò). And for some time now, thanks to the work of some enlightened people, they are taking land away from construction and other, to give them back to pasture and animals, with a renewed production of cheeses such as Caciocavallo di Ciminà; as well as to orchards of figs and bergamot.
Finally, let’s not forget that excellent wines are produced throughout the region, starting from local vines such as Gaglioppo or Magliocco for red wines and Mantonico and Greco for whites.