Campania, 10 dishes to taste so as not to miss a taste once on holiday in the beautiful Italian region. Here are our 10 favorites and the most "famous" in Campania.
Campania Felix: never a name was more appropriate!
Felix in Roman times meant the opulence and productivity of this region, due to the climate, the fertility of the volcanic soil and, I add, the industriousness of its population.
A winning combination of factors that has resulted in a unique kitchen of its kind. It is no coincidence that the most global and most consumed food in the world, pizza, comes precisely from this land that has scenic beauties such as the Amalfi Coast and as many beauties on the plate!
Let's draw up a top ten together on a gastronomic journey aimed at getting to know the Campania in 10 dishes to taste.
1. Pizza
In the first place she could not fail to rank Pizza: Queen in name and, in fact, of tables and street food around the world. Born to please the Queen Margherita at the end of the 1800s, the original Campana pizza is strictly wood-fired, has a very pronounced cornice, well-formed dough and seasoned with tomato, basil and mozzarella.
2. Caprese
For continuity of sorts in second place is the Caprese (mozzarella cheese, tomato, basil), whose protagonist is strictly buffalo milk mozzarella. Fresh, summery dish and, with captivating colors, Caprese is nothing more than a cut of mozzarella served with tomatoes and seasoned with olive oil, salt and oregano. A must to be enjoyed on the Amalfi coast which makes its simplicity its winning weapon.
3. Spaghetti with anchovy sauce
- spaghetti with anchovy sauce are a delicacy of Cetara, a small fishing village in the middle of the Amalfi Coast: here the anchovy sauce is literally obtained by pressing salted anchovies. What is obtained is an oil with shades of amber, with a strong and decisive flavor. The spaghetti seasoned with anchovy sauce has rightfully entered the great classics of Campania cuisine, to be enjoyed in joy with friends.
4. Paccheri allo scoglio
I Paccheri allo scoglio they are an authentic delight to look at and taste, especially if the paccheri (special pasta extruder in the shape of giant macaroni) are typical of Gragnano. Here too simple ingredients: shellfish, seafood such as clams, mussels and cherry tomatoes. This dish expertly combines all the flavor of fish with the genuineness of typical Campania pasta.
5. Poached octopus
Il Poached octopus already presupposes, from the evocative name, the presence of a “generous” and tasty sauce. It is prepared with a long and laborious process but, the final result ensures numerous requests for encores! The octopus is literally drowned in a tomato sauce that acquires all its moods and colors. A curiosity: while cooking the octopus two corks must be immersed in the saucepan. Incredibly, their presence guarantees very soft meats with a perfect texture!
6. Spaghetti omelette
La Spaghetti Frittata it is the typical preparation used in "picnics" in the open air. Very scenic, it looks like a real omelette with fried spaghetti together with provola, eggs, cheese, ham cubes and everything that your imagination (or hunger) suggests you to insert! Served either cold or just removed from the stove, this typical Campania dish should be enjoyed absolutely without remorse and traditionally wrapped in aluminum foil!
7. Sausage and Friarielli
La sausage with broccoli is another delicious dish that belongs to the Campania culinary tradition. Broccoli are a vegetable very similar to turnip greens and the sausage is strictly pork. This second dish lends itself to countless themed variations: it can be inserted in a fried panzerotto, in a rustic cake or in a homemade and delicious toasted bread!
8. Peppered mussels
THEpeppered mussels is another great classic of simplicity in the kitchen: once the mussels have been opened in a large saucepan, they are flavored with parsley, pepper and oil. The "death" of the mussel pepper is to taste it with bread bruschetta with which to dip the sauce.
9. Husbanded soup
Can a dish become a wedding? In Campania yes, with the Maritata soup: literally a combined marriage of flavors that we can define as the "soup of soups", prepared thanks to the combination of pork and different types of vegetables. The Campania tradition has it that this dish is eaten on Boxing Day and during the Easter holidays.
10. Baba
Baba. We end this excursus in Campania dishes with this dessert, perhaps the most representative. With its long leavening and skilful and delicate processing, the babà is the very re-enactment of Naples and the sweet Campania. Served simply with a splash of rum or, for the most demanding palates, with cream, strawberries or chocolate, baba is known to be addictive.
