Cuisine of Abruzzo

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Montepulciano DOCG and Trebbiano d'Abruzzo DOC are considered amongst the world's finest wines. Trebbiano d'Abruzzo.jpg
Montepulciano DOCG and Trebbiano d'Abruzzo DOC are considered amongst the world's finest wines.

The traditional cuisine of Abruzzo is eclectic, drawing on pastoral, mountain, and coastal cuisine. Staples of Abruzzo cuisine include bread, pasta, meat, fish, cheese, and wine. The isolation which has characterized the region for centuries has ensured the independence of its culinary tradition from those of nearby regions. [2] [3] Local cuisine was widely appreciated in a 2013 survey among foreign tourists. [4]

Contents

Overview

Pasta, meat, and vegetables are central to the cuisine of Abruzzo. Chili peppers (Italian: peperoncini ) are typical of Abruzzo, where they are called diavoletti (lit.'little devils') for their spicy heat. Due to the long history of shepherding in Abruzzo, lamb dishes are common. Lamb meat is often paired with pasta. [5] Mushrooms (usually wild mushrooms), rosemary, and garlic are also extensively used in Abruzzese cuisine.

Best-known is the extra virgin olive oil produced in the local farms on the hills of the region, marked by the quality level DOP and considered one of the best in the country. [6] Renowned wines such as Montepulciano DOCG and Trebbiano d'Abruzzo DOC are considered amongst the world's finest wines. [1] In 2012, a bottle of Trebbiano d'Abruzzo Colline Teramane ranked No. 1 in the top 50 Italian wine award. [7] Centerbe is a strong (72% alcohol), spicy herbal liqueur drunk by the locals. Another liqueur is genziana , a soft distillate of gentian roots.

The best-known dish from Abruzzo is arrosticini , little pieces of castrated lamb on a wooden stick and cooked on coals. The chitarra (lit.'guitar') is a fine stringed tool that pasta dough is pressed through for cutting. In the province of Teramo, famous local dishes include the virtù soup (made with legumes, vegetables, and pork meat), the timballo (pasta sheets filled with meat, vegetables or rice), and the mazzarelle (lamb intestines filled with garlic, marjoram, lettuce, and various spices). The popularity of saffron, grown in the province of L'Aquila, has waned in recent years. [5]

Seafood is also an important part of Abruzzo cuisine, with fish products such as brodetti , [8] scapece alla vastese , [9] baccalà all'abruzzese , [10] cozze allo zafferano , classic cooked mussels prepared with parsley, onion, bay leaf, white wine, and olive oil, and seasoned with L'Aquila saffron sauce, [11] and coregone di Campotosto , [12] [13] typical lake fish.

Ingredients

L'Aquila saffron Zafferano dell'Aquila.jpg
L'Aquila saffron

Abruzzese cuisine is known for the following ingredients:

Dishes

Starters

Bruschetta with chopped tomatoes and basil Bruschetta.jpg
Bruschetta with chopped tomatoes and basil

Abruzzese starters (Italian : antipasti ) include:

Pasta

Maccheroni alla chitarra Spaghettoni alla chitarra e ragu.JPG
Maccheroni alla chitarra

Popular pasta dishes are:

Bucatini with amatriciana sauce. It is a condiment originating from the Amatrice area which until 1927 was included in the province of L'Aquila, which subsequently became a typical dish of Roman cuisine Bucatini allamatriciana.jpg
Bucatini with amatriciana sauce. It is a condiment originating from the Amatrice area which until 1927 was included in the province of L'Aquila, which subsequently became a typical dish of Roman cuisine

Meat

Arrosticini Campo Imperatore 2009 -Ristoro Mucciante Arrosticini- by RaBoe 014.jpg
Arrosticini

Seafood

Seafood also plays an important role in the cuisine of Abruzzo, especially areas near the coast. [43] [44] The main fish dishes of Abruzzo are:

Brodetto Foto brodetto .jpg
Brodetto

Breads and pizzas

Fiadone Corsican fiadone.jpg
Fiadone

Rustic pizzas are also common:

Salumi

Salumi (sg.: salume) is an Italian term describing the preparation of cured meat products made predominantly from pork.

Mortadella di Campotosto Mortadella di Campotosto.jpg
Mortadella di Campotosto

Spreadable sausage flavored with nutmeg and liver sausage with garlic and spices are hallmarks of Teramo cuisine. 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 encased in dried pig stomach. [51]

Mortadella di Campotosto (well known in Abruzzo) is an oval, dark-red mortadella with a white column of fat and containing chili pepper. It is generally sold in pairs, tied together. Another name for the mortadella is coglioni di mulo ("donkey's balls"). It is made from shoulder and loin meat, prosciutto trimmings and fat. It is 80 percent lean meat; 25 percent is prosciutto (ham), and 20 percent is pancetta. The meat is minced and mixed with salt, pepper and white wine. [52]

Ventricina vastese Ventricina vastese.jpg
Ventricina vastese

Other salumi of this region are:

Cheeses

The region's principal cheeses are:

Caprino abruzzese Caprino.jpg
Caprino abruzzese

Atri and Rivisondoli are known for their cheeses. Mozzarella (fresh or seasoned) is typically made from ewe's milk; many lesser-known cheeses are found throughout Abruzzo and Molise.

Desserts and sweets

Pizzelle shaped into a cannoli and filled with an orange-almond creme Pizzelle filled with orange-almond creme, April 2011.jpg
Pizzelle shaped into a cannoli and filled with an orange-almond creme

Abruzzo's sweets are well-known:

Fruits

The region's principal fruits are:

Mela della valle giovenco Mele della valle del Giovenco.jpg
Mela della valle giovenco

Olive oil

Olive trees in Tocco da Casauria Uliveto toccolano.jpg
Olive trees in Tocco da Casauria

The use of oil in regional mountain and sea dishes is important; among the most common oil products we find the Aprutino Pescarese, the Pretuziano delle Colline Teramane, l'Olio extra vergine di oliva delle Valli Aquilane and Colline Teatine. [68]

The list of Abruzzo olive cultivars:

Wines and liquors

Genziana liqueur L'ivresse des sommets Musee dauphinois 2020 abc56.jpg
Genziana liqueur

Renowned wines like Montepulciano DOCG, Trebbiano d'Abruzzo DOC and Controguerra DOC are judged to be amongst the world's finest. [69] In 2012, a bottle of Trebbiano d'Abruzzo ranked No. 1 in the top 50 Italian wine awards. [7]

The region's principal wines are:

Liqueurs include:

IGT wines are Alto Tirino, Colli Aprutini, Colli del Sangro, Colline Frentane, Colline Pescaresi, Colline Teatine, Del Vastese (or Histonium), Terre di Chieti, and Valle Peligna. [71]

See also

References

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Bibliography

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