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Calabria food & Cuisine:
Peperoncino Cancariello,
pipariellu, pipazzu, pipi vruscente: these are just some of the local
names for peperoncino, the most important ingredient in the culinary
heritage of Calabria food. Whether long or round, red, orange, yellow
or green, fresh, dried, or crushed: it’s difficult to find a local
specialty here that doesn’t contain chili pepper.
Originally from the Americas, chili pepper found its ideal habitat in Calabria, although it may seem a paradox that there is relatively little commercial cultivation of this crop here: everybody grows it at home, either in the garden or in a pot, and everyone has a string of chili peppers hanging on a door or at a window.
The name melanzane alla parmigiana, or eggplant parmesan, sounds like this popular dish (eggplant that is fried, then baked in the oven with tomato and cheese) is a specialty of Parma. But it was invented in Calabria (and is a typical Calabria food as well as of much of the Italian south), where the eggplant has been the queen of vegetables for centuries.
Calabria’s dry climate, high temperatures, and nearly calcium-free soil are ideal for growing eggplants because they prevent a build-up of the fruit’s bitter juices and concentrate its sweet flavor. The name melanzana derives from the Latin malum insanum, which translates as “the fruit which makes one crazy”! Perhaps this is why until the late 19th century, the eggplant was viewed with great suspicion in central and northern Italy. Today, it is enjoyed throughout the country.
Most Italians consider breakfast to be a brioche and a steaming cappuccino, but the Calabrians insist on a cooked breakfast called murseddu. It consists of a ragu made from pig and calf’s liver that are cooked slowly in tomatoes, herbs and hot red pepper, and then stuffed in the local pitta bread.
Despite numerous attempts to export Calabria food production to other areas in Italy and the world, bergametto, or bergamot oranges, thrive only in Calabria. Bergamot oranges have a smooth, thin peel, an acidic flavor, and an intense scent. They look like an orange, but their color ranges from green to yellow, depending on how ripe they are. Their essential oil is used not only to flavor liqueurs, tea (such as Earl Grey), sweets and drinks, but also in perfumery and cosmetics.
© 1997-2010 Enrico Massetti
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