Last January, Matera officially became the European Capital of Culture 2019. This was the right award for a city that still isn’t as well known as it should be – not even by Italians – a city that has an incredible story, right up to the middle of last century, with its stone houses built right into the caves where people have been living for more than 9,000 years. As a matter of fact, the Sassi and the Park of the Rupestrian Churches of Matera are on the Unesco World Heritage List. As expected, the city rose to the occasion: last year, there was a clear resurgence in the restaurant scene, with some new places opened by the town’s younger generation alongside traditional trattorias.
Basilicata cuisine
Basilicata (or Lucana) cuisine is “peasant” food, based on the products of the earth, the meat and dairy products deriving from sheep, and pork. Among the pork products, the most famous since the times of ancient Rome is the sausage (or lucanica) from the local pigs, which are usually lean because they graze in the mountains along with sheep and lambs. Another essential element of Lucana gastronomy is the bread made with semolina flour, a key part of the majority of dishes such as lagane (a fresh pasta similar to tagliatelle) or strascinati (ear-shaped, but larger than orecchiette). And meats such as pork ventresca and pezzente salami. Cheeses such as canestrato and Pecorino di Filiano are also worth trying. And Senise Cruschi peppers, bitter tomatoes, and Rotonda white beans stand out among vegetables.