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Campania Food:
Pizza Margherita - Photo © panduh
The fertile volcanic soil of Campania combines with a perfect climate to produce the best fruit and vegetables in Italy. The pomodoro San Marzano is famous worldwide. The Romans were quick to appreciate the richness of the Soil, the beauty of the landscape, the dry soft climate and the warmth of the inhabitants. Campania became their vast vegetable garden and their orchard, as well as the playground of the wealthy.
On the whole the local cooking is quick and brief. This is exemplified in the fritto misto a dish aptly described in Neapolitan dialect by the expression frienno magnanno, meaning frying and eating. The food must be eaten straight after it comes out of the frying pan.
The cheese which immediately
comes to mind when speaking of Naples is mozzarella, which, in union with
the tomato, has found its apotheosis in the pizza. But many other cheeses
are produced in Campania, both from cow's and sheep's milk: scamorza,
provolone, caciocavallo and pecorino, all of which can
be fresh or aged and are equally excellent. They are an everyday component
of a Neapolitan meal, as is the sublime local fruit. It is only on special
occasions that sweets arrive at the table, usually rich and elaborate,
reminiscent of Arab cooking, and related to religious feasts.
From: Gastronomy of Italy Anna Del Conte Prentice Hall Press
Specialty Foods of Campania
Among the Campania food, Mozzarella di bufala Campana, or buffalo mozzarella, is the most celebrated and prized of mozzarella cheeses, made exclusively from whole buffalo milk. A cheese of very ancient origin, mozzarella takes its name from a very special part of the production cycle, when the curd, after being stretched, is mozzata (an Italian term meaning “lopped off”) to obtain pieces of a suitable size. Italian buffalo have always been concentrated in the Southern region of Campania; most of the herds are in the province of Caserta. The mozzarella production chain is so inextricably tied to this area that buffalo mozzarella of the Campania region obtained the DOP (Denominazione dOrigine Protetta -Protected Designation of Origin) mark in 1996, guaranteeing maximum quality for the consumer.
Born
in Naples more than 300 years ago, pizza is
often thought of as “genuine Italian food” by non-Italians,
but this beloved food was little known in Italy (outside of Naples) until
the 1970s. Pizza came to the United States early in the 20th century during
the great migration of Italians from Southern Italy.
Today, pizza is enormously popular the world over, even if it sometimes hardly resembles the authentic Neapolitan dish. To preserve the original Campania food heritage, in 2004, Italy drew up a series of rules that must be followed to make a true Neapolitan pizza: the dough must rise for at least six hours and must be kneaded and shaped by hand; the pizza must be round and no more than 13.7 inches in diameter; and it must be cooked in a wood-fired oven. And only three versions are permitted: Marinara with garlic and oregano; Margherita with basil, tomatoes and cheese from the southern Apennine mountains; and the “Extra Margherita” which must include buffalo mozzarella from the Campania region.
When is a lemon more than just a lemon? When it’s a Sorrento Ovale, also known as the Massa Lubrense lemon, which is produced and sold under the protection of the European Union. This high quality, highly perfumed medium-to-large fruit is identified by its sweet, juicy flesh and few seeds. Even the cultivation of this special Campania food is special: the precious fruit is hand-picked to prevent it falling to the ground, and is typically ripened under pagliarelle, straw mats attached to wooden poles (preferably made of chestnut), which help protect it from the elements. This method also allows for longer ripening times, making the lemons available for a longer season.
The most famous Campania food product made from Sorrento lemons is limoncello (or limunciel, as the Campanians call it), a delicious liqueur that is the result of an infusion of lemon peel in the purest alcohol. This traditional recipe has been handed down through generations. The herbal liqueur strega, which is enjoyed throughout Italy, is produced in the capital town of Benevento from a secret recipe that has been closely guarded by the Alberti family for almost 140 years.
Articles of Campania food:
The History of Pizza and Focaccia
© 1997-2010 Enrico Massetti
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