CAMPANIA CUISINE GUIDE BOOK
TABLE OF CONTENTS ITALIANS AT TABLE ...............................................................
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INTRODUCING CAMPANIA ..................................................
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FOOD IN CAMPANIA ..............................................................
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PIZZA ..........................................................................................
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AN AUTHENTIC ITALIAN MENU .........................................
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WHERE TO GO IN CAMPANIA .............................................
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LABELS .......................................................................................
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THE CAMPANIA CUISINE ITALIANS AT TABLE Food is culture when it is produced, created, prepared, transformed, consumed and when it is chosen. Thus, it should not come as a surprise to discover that when the clock strikes eating time Italy, the country with the most UNESCO heritage in the world, the whole peninsula sits around the table with joy in their hearts and hunger in their stomachs. While people from all over the world have fostered their own recipes and traditions, some of them associated with specific meals (think of the Vietnamese bánh trung thu!), Italians developed a set of habits when it comes to eating. These range from behaviors and superstitions to even the order in which a certain Uomo che mangia spaghetti, Renato Gattuso, 1956 meal should be eaten! Considering this, let’s dive into this Authentic Italian experience starting from the Table! First of all, bread shall be on the table. Not only bread itself is delicious, it is also the perfect way to check if the olive oil and the vinegar that will be present on the table. A mix of olive oil and vinegar is in fact called “pinzimonio” and it where your slice of bread should be dipped before having a taste of it! However, bread is not considered to be the first meal of a proper, Authentic Italian Table. It is the Antipasto, the Appetizer that has the honor of starting the eating. Often times, the antipasto may consist of a charcuterie platter such as salame, mortadella, or prosciutto, served with cheeses and bread; other times, you may find a cold salmon or tuna antipasto, or a bruschetta.
Cold cuts -- 4 --
THE CAMPANIA CUISINE ITALIANS AT TABLE After the Antipasto, the Primo is served. As the name suggests, meaning Primo literally “the first”, this is the first course to usually contain hot food and is often heavier than antipasto dishes. A Primo dish may contain fine and luxurious ingredients, such as truffle or seafood. Risotto, gnocchi, soup, lasagne, pasta, or broth are all common Primi. The first is of course followed by “the second”, Secondo. In this course, you will encounter different meat and seafood options. Depending on the Italian region the menu is based on, you may have chicken, beef, pork, lamb, or turkey prepared in a variety of different ways, from a sausage to a roast to a grilled meat. In terms of seafood, you might find fish, shrimp, lobster, or some other kind of “meaty” seafood. If there are two dishes in the secondi, a sorbet palate cleanser is served between them. Alongside Secondo are sometimes served Contorni dishes, literally side dishes. Common ones are vegetable-based, whether raw or cooked. They are served on a different plate than the meat or seafood of the secondi, so as to not mix on a plate and allow for the preservation of the integrity of flavors.
Risotto with mushrooms, an example of first course
The whole set of meals is consumed while drinking wines, the choice of which will depend on the meal. While at this point you may fill satisfied and full with your meal, an Italian may say to you that, despite having his or her stomach full, there is always some place in there for the Dolce, the Dessert! Options range from tiramisu to cake or pie to panna cotta. You may also consider a sorbetto or gelato for something lighter and more palate-cleansing. In this occasion, you’ll have the chance to try a fresh Macedonia di frutta e gelato alla vaniglia, fruit salad and vanilla gelato!
“Panna cotta”, a typical dessert
Ravioli -- 5 --
THE CAMPANIA CUISINE INTRODUCING CAMPANIA The Campania region, located in southern Italy, extends along the side of the Tyrrhenian Sea, from the high mountains of the Appennines to the azure Gulf of Policastro. The sweetness of the climate, the beauty of the coasts, the richness of art and history, the love for cooking make Campania a land to be experienced. Vesuvio Volcano and the Gulf of Napoli
While almost every Italian region can be proud of its snowy peaks or its crystal clear waters, not only Campania can do both, but it can vaunt about Italy’s most famous volcano: Vesuvio. Dark and mysterious, it is also thanks to it that Campania enjoys its diverse and heterogenic fauna and flora, enriching the Italian gastronomy with dozens of ingredients and recipes. Even in ancient times, the region was well known and loved. For instance, the romans, arguably one of the greatest ancient civilizations in world history, used to go here for their holidays! Roman villas in places like Pompei, Ercolano or Capri are famous worldwide and still visited today! That is why they used to call this region Campania Felix, “Lucky or happy countryside”, as it has always been a precious gem to relax and enjoy life in. This region is characterized by a rich Mediterranean vegetation in which villages rich in history, art and traditions are set, where you can spend an unforgettable stay. Music, sea, fun and nature, but also history and culture.
Roman Frescos in Pompei and Ercolano -- 6 --
THE CAMPANIA CUISINE INTRODUCING CAMPANIA With 8,195 species and subspecies, of which 1,708 endemic (i.e. exclusive to the Italian territory) and 26 probably extinct, Italy ranks first in Europe for the number of native plant entities. The flora of Campania is made up of 2,845 species and subspecies, with an endemic rate of 5.4%. 13 Important Plant Areas have been identified in the region (Strumia and Santangelo, 2010), confirming the biogeographical importance of Campania. Campania, however, is not only rich in flora and fauna. Its territory is, in fact, among the ones with highest number of UNESCO heritage in Italy, which is already the country with the highest number of heritages in the entire world. Altogether there are 10 Unesco sites in Campania. The list includes 6 places and 4 intangibles. The places are located in very large areas of the region, including within them various archaeological sites, villas, churches, monumental complexes.
Amalfi’s Duomo
Among these are the The historic center of Naples, which covers an area of 17 square kilometers, almost 15% of the entire urban area., making it the largest historic center in Europe, together with the historic ruins of Pompey and Ercolano, the Monumental Complex of Caserta or the Certosa of Padula.. One of the most famous is surely the Amalfi Coast, the perfect place for your next honeymoon!
Positano, the gem of the Amalfi Coast -- 7 --
THE CAMPANIA CUISINE FOOD IN CAMPANIA The cuisine in Campania is just like his inhabitants; fresh and happy! It is a recurring joke for Campanians to be proud of “their sun and their sea”, and it is thanks to these that their cuisine can enjoy some of the tastiest ingredients you can find in the whole world! Neapolitan tomatoes are the juiciest, perfect for a traditional pizza, a calzone or Gnocchi alla Sorrentina, and Campanian wheat are divers and make for great pasta. Pasta alla Nerano or Pasta alle Patate, made right inside the Cheese block, are just some of the many pasta recipes that you should try in this region!
Pasta alle Patate
Alongside the obvious rich variety of seafood, topnotch is the production of dairy food! Renowned around the globe is the Campanian Buffalo Mozzarella, especially the one made in Mondragone, Battipaglia, Capua and Eboli. Not only mozzarella though, think of Caciocavallo cheese or of the light Ricotta that Campanians use to prepare their famous desserts such as Pastiera and Sfogliatella!
Mozzarella with pesto and tomatoes
Sfogliatella Riccia -- 8 --
THE CAMPANIA CUISINE FOOD IN CAMPANIA
Lemons in Sorrento
Everyone also know how big and colorful are lemons in Sorrento, essential to make the famous Limoncello di Sorrento, and the production of alcoholic beverages does not stop here! Taurasi all’Aglianico, Greco di Tufo, Asprino d’Aversa, Lacrima Christi, Fiano and Solopaca are some of the names of Campanian wines that you can serve together with your Authentic Italian Dish! Imagine sipping one of these while eating some Linguine allo Scoglio on a terrace by the Amalfi Coast, a candle lit on the table, while the song Torna a Surrient’ plays on the background.
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THE CAMPANIA CUISINE PIZZA We have mentioned briefly the many dishes that make Campania so divers, but we have yet to talk about its most famous one. We are talking about a meal that in 2017, when the Art of Neapolitan “Pizzaiuoli” became inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, received the ultimate recognition for a meal that is indeed a culinary heritage for the whole world: Pizza! The story of its origin are connected with the region and with its capital, Napoli. The year is 1889. On a day of June, the city of Napoli welcomes the King Umberto I and his wife, Margherita. The Queen was hungry, thus she called the best pizzaiolo in town to prepare something for the royal couple. Raffaele Esposito, the best pizzamaker in the whole Peninsula, knew how to satisfy his queen. On a flat disc of bread he decided to recreate the Italian flag, symbol of the country. Basil for Green, Mozzarella for White and tomatoes for Red. However, it was not only the look that made quite the impression. The meal prepared by Esposito tasted so delicious, that the Queen decided to publicly promote and celebrate the pizzaiolo and its delicious Pizza. Thankful, Esposito nominated the new dish he just made Pizza Margherita, after all Italians’ Queen. History was made. This historical event cemented the legacy of Pizza in Italy, making the meal popular among both the plebe and the royals. Nonetheless, the 1889 event has not to be confused with the invention of pizza! The very first pizzeria dates back to 1738 in the Port’Alba neighborhood of Napoli, while the creation of pizza can be located way back in time! However, Pizza is not just Margherita! Just like with pasta, Italians love to play and experiment with their traditions. You like spicy food? Have a Pizza Diavola! Missing the seaside? Have a Pizza ai frutti di mare! Or you miss both the seaside AND the countryside? Try Pizza Mari & Monti or 4 Stagioni! We are sure some of you have made their own version of Italian pizza with some toppings that we have yet to see!
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THE CAMPANIA CUISINE AN AUTHENTIC ITALIAN MENU After this brief introduction about Campania, it is finally time to fill your stomach with some delicacies! Today’s menu, brought you by Chef Nico Ceccomoro, is based completely on Campania’s traditions! The first recipe Chef Nico proposes you is called mozzarella in carrozza, a famous Neapolitan antipasto. Want to make it yourself at home? That is what you’ll need to do! Put some oil seeds in a pan to make sure it becomes hot enough to fry later. Put two slices of white bread together in the same position on your chopping board and trim the edges. Cut the mozzarella cheese into slices, not too thin not too thick. If you can, cut the cheese in slices of the size of the bread. For two slices of white bread, four slices of mozzarella cheese are enough. Fill the bread uniformly with cheese and anchovies. Be very careful in the choice of this last ingredients, make sure you buy Italian quality. Moreover, don’t put too much of it because anchovies can be very salty. To conclude this first step, put the other slide of white bread on the top and press it gently. Take an empty bowl, open one or two eggs, beat them with a fork and add some salt and pepper. By using a silicone brush, wet the bread with the milk. Make sure not to put too much of it. Turn the bread gently and repeat the same procedure on the other side. Open the flour, take the bread, and put it there. Cover all the edges and the slices of bread. then remove the excess of flour by using your hands. Wet the bread with eggs and then cover it with breadcrumbs. Mozzarella in Carrozza By now, your mozzarella in carrozza should Ingredients for 4 portions look well pressed and stuck together. Fry at • White bread 8 slices (140g) • Breadcrumbs 180°. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can use • Whole milk • Anchovies 16 fillets • Salt & pepper the left-over of the bread to check the oil. To do so, • Mozzarella cheese 200g • Flour A little bit of basil for the put the edge of the slice of the bread into the oil. • Medium eggs 4 garnish When it starts to boil all around it means that the temperature is perfect. Use a spoon to make sure the oil goes on the top. When it starts to become crispy on the bottom, you turn it over. When the color is vibrant golden, take out the mozzarella in carrozza and let it rest on some paper so that the oil drains out. Plating: cut it in two triangles and add some basil to make it colorful. If the cheese is melted, it means that the recipe was a success.
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THE CAMPANIA CUISINE AN AUTHENTIC ITALIAN MENU
Spaghetti alla Nerano Ingredients for 4 portions • Garlic 1 clove • Zucchini 700g • Provola cheese 150g • Basil • Salt & pepper • Spaghetti 320g • Extra-virgin olive oil
For our first course, primo, we propose you Spaghetti alla Nerano, a delicious first course, relatively easy to cook, which has also the perk of being a tasty vegetarian dish. It is part of the Neapolitan tradition, and we believe it to be perfect for the today’s event. Of course, you are free to cook it also by yourself in your house, due to the simplicity of the recipe. When all the main ingredients are ready, you can start with boiling water in a pan. After that, pour extra virgin oil into another pan and lit it with a low flame, in order to later bring it to slight-frying capacity. Take the zucchini and start cutting them in a round shape, after chopping off the top. Make sure to cut it safely and nicely, at about 4 millimeters of wideness, in order to guarantee faster even cooking. After the oil starts boiling, place the zucchini gently inside the pan. You will know when it is cooked once the zucchini are golden-colored. Place a sheet of paper on a plate, with torn basil in it, in order to let the fried zucchini rest on it and absorb its flavor. Now it’s the turn of cooking pasta. In Italy, pasta is usually prepared ‘al dente’, preserving the ‘crunchiness’ of pasta. On the side of the pasta box, you will find the required cooking time, and in order to make our pasta al dente, the cooking time should be reduced by 30 seconds. Pour a palm of salt into the pan, and as soon as the water boils, pour the pasta. Pour some of the oil you just used inside another pan. Then take one cloth of garlic and place it inside the pan (decide if you just want the flavor, by crushing it, or to eat it, by cutting it finely). Tear some more basil and place it in the pan with garlic. Then grate some provola cheese inside a plate. Creaminess is an essential feature of a pasta dish. Italians do not use cream in order to achieve creaminess (which is kind of funny to say). Italian chefs use the pasta’s starch in order to add this special flavor. Pour some water used to cook pasta in the pan with garlic and oil. Pour pasta inside the garlic and basil pan, and start mixing it. Keep sautee the pasta and after some time add some water from the pan where we cooked pasta. Lastly, turn off the stove, and pour the provola cheese inside the pan, and continue to sautee the pasta. Finally, by using fork and spoon, roll it and serve it on a plate! -- 12 --
THE CAMPANIA CUISINE AN AUTHENTIC ITALIAN MENU For Secondo, Chef Nico proposes you Saltimbocca alla Sorrentina, a traditional Campanian recipe named after the famous and beautiful city of Sorrento, situated along the Amalfi Coast. Although this recipe should be with veal meat, we will use beef meat since the first is hard to find in Vietnam. As regarding the beef, this recipe is not an expensive one, so you can choose either a primary or secondary cut based on your willingness. Let’s start cooking. Finely chop parsley, hammer the beef to flat it up, open the tomato sauce and cut into Saltimbocca alla Sorrentina pieces the peeled tomatoes. Make the pan hot, put a Ingredients for 4 portions bit of olive oil and a little bit of parsley; when oil is • Grana Padano cheese 50g • Butter 80g hot add the cut tomatoes, season with salt and pepper. • Peeled tomatoes 250g • Beef striploin 600g Cook until the sauce is reduced and thicker: since • White wine ½ glasses • Parma ham 300g peeled tomatoes are already cooked, it will take a short • Dry oregano, Parsley • Extra virgin olive oil time. Heat the pan and add olive oil, in the meanwhile • Cherry mozzarella 80g • Salt/Pepper season the beef with salt and pepper. In order to seal the meat and its juices inside, add the beef only the oil is boiling. Now that the tomato sauce is reduced, add some more parsley and some dry oregano, lower the heat at the minimum: the sauce is ready! Flip the meat to the other side, then add a slice of Parma ham over it, then add cherries mozzarella lightly shredded with your hand over it and some grated Grana Padano cheese. Therefore, after creating the “filling”, flip the meat and close it like a sandwich: let it cook and add the white wine, turn the meat to let it cook from both sides well and wait until wine is completely evaporated. Only after you can add butter, more or less a spoon for each slice of meat, hence two spoons. Now you can start the process of cooking the meat with its released juices and butter: with the help of a spoon and with the pan slightly inclined, pour it on top of the meat, to help the cooking and to give it flavour. Plating: add some tomato sauce on the bottom, lean the meat over it and finish the dish by adding the remaining sauce over it. Enjoy!
Macedonia Ingredients for 4 portions • Watermelon 1 big slide • Bananas 1 • Apples 1
• Oranges 1 • Pears 1 • Lime • Mint • Sugar 60g
• Rum 30ml • Fresh cream 150ml • Gelato Italia vanilla 4 scoops
Finally, it is time to move to the dessert! Our choice today is a fresh and colorful meal prepared with seasonal fruit, ideal to be served at the end of a meal or for a refreshing snack, especially in summer: Macedonia! The origin of the name “Macedonia” is not certain, some trace it back to the Balkan region where different populations live together: Macedonians, Greeks, Bulgarians, Turks, Albanians, and Serbs. According to others, however, the name derives from the French word macédoine, which means “mixture of different things”. What we can all agree of, however, it is its fresh taste! Here is how to make the one you’re eating today! -- 13 --
THE CAMPANIA CUISINE AN AUTHENTIC ITALIAN MENU After having carefully washed the fruit, take the lime and grate the peel because it is loved and it will be a great flavor to the dish, being careful not to grate the white part otherwise it’s going to be very bitter. Cut the lime in half and squeeze the juice using a colander. Add a little sugar to the lime juice and then take a few mint leaves, add them and roll them up, and cut them and strips, finally add to the lime and sugar mixture. Add one and a half tablespoons of Rum to the mix, stir the mixture. At this point, start preparing the fruit salad, start by cutting the watermelon into more or less thin slices, remove the skin and the white part (usually not very tasty), then cut into medium-large cubes and remove the seeds, add it to the previous preparation. When the orange is ready, cut following the size of the wedges and add it to the rest, use the juice of the remaining part by squeezing it into our fruit salad, finally cut the wedges in half forming smaller wedges. Now start cleaning the Pear by removing the peel, cut the pear, divide it in half again to remove the seeds and the central part, cut it into cubes and insert them into the mixture. Follow the same process for the apple. Then take the banana or other exotic fruits if you prefer, cut it in half, remove the peel and after having cut them into strips add it to the rest of the fruit, and Marinate the fruit together. Now move on to the preparation of fresh cream, using a large container with a jack as a base make sure that the bowl in which the cream is prepared is always fresh, the proximity of the ice will make the job easier. Add a small amount of sugar to the cream and whip it slightly, forming a runny mixture, not too liquid nor too solid, this is the ideal consistency. Leave the fresh cream to rest, always with the ice underneath. Now start plating our fruit salad, take the fruit and mix the ingredients again, place a small portion of fresh cream at the base of the plate with the help of a spoon and place the fruit on top and complete by garnishing with more cream on top. To finish taking the ice cream, make sure that the temperature is not too low and the ice cream too hard, with the help of the spoon create a scoop of ice cream to lay the top of our fruit salad, finally decorate with fresh mint leaves. Our fresh Macedonia is now ready to taste!
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THE CAMPANIA CUISINE WHERE TO GO IN CAMPANIA
Procida Island, Capital of Culture 2022
Now that we got you hooked with Campanian food and its origins, it is time to plan your trip in the region! We have already mentioned some of the most famous places to visit in the region, so we will not spend the rest of the guidebook talking about Napoli, known throughout the world for the intensity and passion of its music which, like the city, mixes cultured and popular, sacred and profane, joyful and melancholy aspects; after all, you may need a whole month to truly experience every single corner, bite, church, museums and panorama offered by the city. Thus, let’s move on to the seaside, which in Campania is amazing everywhere, from the Gulf of Salerno, in which the famous Amalfi Coast is localized, and the Gulf of Napoli, where the three famous islands of Capri, Ischia and Procida are located. We are sure that you’ve heard of the first, but did you know that the last one, Procida, has been nominated Italy’s Capital of Culture of 2022? Another reason to add it to your bucket list!
Streets of Napoli -- 15 --
THE CAMPANIA CUISINE WHERE TO GO IN CAMPANIA
Sorrento
And lying on a tuff terrace overlooking the sea, Sorrento. In this glimpse of paradise, jagged and inaccessible coasts alternate with small and hidden beaches that give life to a unique landscape. Here the work of man was great. The most inaccessible areas today are transformed by a series of terraces sloping down to the sea, used to cultivate citrus, olive trees and vines. These are the gardens from which the intoxicating scents of oranges, lemons and orange blossoms exhale. And how can we forget the monument of nature that dominates this land? Vesuvio Volcano, loved for its beauty and feared for its power. A ring of ancient roman cities surrounds the volcano, leaving us with the fascinating ruins of Ercolano and Pompei. Want to go even further in time? The nearby Paestum enjoys two ancient Greek temples, built in the region by the ancient Greek colonizers that were looking for more fertile lands. Still greedy for more place to visit? What about the Royal Palace of Caserta or the Certosa in Padula? Why no visit the Appennines mountains or the national park of Cilento and Vallo di Diano? This region, just like the rest of Italy, is waiting for you to discover every glimpse of it!
Caserta -- 16 --
THE CAMPANIA CUISINE LABELS Considering all the importance that Italy gives to the quality of its agricultural and food products, it is no surprise that the country, alongside the European Union, has acted to protect its articles from counterfeits and copies. Therefore, two different labels were created to ensure the quality and the geographical indication of Italian food. By geographical indication it is meant: “A distinctive sign used to identify a product as originating in the territory of a particular country, region or locality where its quality, reputation or other characteristic is linked to its geographical origin.” PDO, Protected Designation of Origin, and PGI, Protected Geographical Indication, are two certifications synonymous with typical high quality food and wine products. But what exactly do these acronyms mean and what is the difference between them? Let’s say straight away that these are distinctive brands of typical products officially registered and issued by the European Union on a proposal from the Ministry of Agricultural Policies which at the same time commit producers to constant checks by an independent certification body. PDO and PGI are therefore trademarks protected at a European Community level, for the benefit of consumers and against counterfeiting. Recall that Italy is the European country with the highest number of PDO and PGI agri-food products registered by the European Union! 1
PGI, in Italian IGP, IndicazioneGeograficaProtetta, simply means that a product can be traced back to its geographical origin during at least one phase in the production process. Meaning it can be linked to a place or region where it is produced, processed or prepared. Although the ingredients used may not necessarily to come from that geographical area, all PGI products must also adhere to a precise set of specifications and may bear the PGI logo. PDO, in Italian DOP, Denominazione di OrigineProtetta, means “Protected Designation of Origin.” It is the stricter of the two certifications. If a product is labeled PDO, then you can be sure that it has been produced, processed, and prepared in a specific geographical area, using the recognized knowhow of local producers and ingredients from the region concerned. These products, whose characteristics are strictly linked to their geographical origin, must adhere to a precise set of specifications and may bear the PDO logo. 1
European Commission -- 17 --
THE CAMPANIA CUISINE LABELS Therefore, the difference between PDO products and PGI products lies in the fact that, for PDO products, everything concerning the processing and marketing of the product originates in the declared territory; while for the PGI product, the declared territory confers to the product, through some phases or components of its processing, but not all the factors that contribute to obtaining the product come from the declared territory. More simply, the PDO mark certifies only products wholly obtained and packaged in the declared area of origin, while the PGI mark certifies that not all the production process is linked to the declared area of origin, but the most important phases are, i.e. those that give the product its peculiar character. 2 Now that we have reached the end of this journey in Campania, it is time to dive into your Authentic Italian dish and experience what does it meant to eat Italian for real! Thank you for joining us today and Buon appetito!
2
MIPAAF, Ministry of Agricultural, Alimentary and Forestal Policies -- 18 --
