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. Local cuisine was widely appreciated in a 2013 survey among foreign tourists.
Overview
Pasta, meat, and vegetables are central to the cuisine of Abruzzo. Chili peppers (Italian: ) are typical of Abruzzo, where they are called () for their spicy heat. Due to the long history of shepherding in Abruzzo, lamb dishes are common. Lamb meat is often paired with pasta. 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. Renowned wines such as Montepulciano DOCG and Trebbiano d'Abruzzo DOC are considered amongst the world's finest wines. In 2012, a bottle of Trebbiano d'Abruzzo Colline Teramane ranked No. 1 in the top 50 Italian wine award. is a strong (72% alcohol), spicy herbal liqueur drunk by the locals. Another liqueur is , a soft distillate of gentian roots.
The best-known dish from Abruzzo is , little pieces of castrated lamb on a wooden stick and cooked on coals. The () is a variety of egg pasta, with a square cross section about 2–3 mm thick. In the province of Teramo, famous local dishes include the soup (made with legumes, vegetables, and pork meat), the (pasta sheets filled with meat, vegetables or rice), and the (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.
Seafood is also an important part of Abruzzo cuisine, with fish products such as , , , , classic cooked mussels prepared with parsley, onion, bay leaf, white wine, and olive oil, and seasoned with L'Aquila saffron sauce, and coregone di Campotosto, typical lake fish.
Ingredients
Abruzzese cuisine is known for the following ingredients: L'Aquila saffron, cultivated primarily in Navelli and L'Aquila Olive oil, produced in Colline Teramane (the Teramo hills), marked by the quality level DOP and considered some of Italy's best Liquorice of Atri, primarily produced in Abruzzo Lamb and mutton and goat meat, especially in the mountains. Sheep's milk (or ricotta) is an important source of Abruzzese cheese, and sheep intestines are used as sausage casing or for stuffed meat rolls. "Mountain goat" or chamois meat is also occasionally consumed in Abruzzo in mountainous areas. Truffles and mushrooms, particularly wild mushrooms from the forests and hills Red Sulmona Garlic, typical zone red garlic Rosemary Diavoletto d'Abruzzo, hot chili pepper, or peperoncini, regionally known as diavolilli, are very common in Abruzzese cuisine and often used to add spice or "heat" to dishes. Basil Vegetables, such as lentils, chickpeas, grasspeas and other legumes; as well as artichoke, eggplant, rapini, and cauliflower Fish, in the coast zone and lakes.
Dishes
Starters
Abruzzese starters () include: Bruschetta: bread spread with salt and oil, sausage, or vegetables such as tomato or zucchini with mozzarella Antipasto di fegatini: appetizer from Teramo consisting of chicken livers, onion, peppers, vinegar, sugar, dry wine, pepper, salt and oil Mussels of Vasto: mussels stuffed with a mixture of breadcrumbs, garlic and parsley, olive oil, lemon juice, and tomato sauce Mussels with saffron: steamed mussels prepared with parsley, onion, bay leaf, white wine, olive oil, and saffron sauce Baccalà or "salt cod": cod cooked in a pan with potatoes, tomatoes, oil, garlic, parsley, onion, red pepper, salt, and black olives Salsa all'aquilana: beef marrow with saffron, eggs, cream and butter Ancient Abruzzo sauce: it is a sauce made with parsley, basil, sage, celery, rosemary, carrots and salt; it is used as a condiment for meats, roasts, sauces and soups. Orange appetizer: they are slices of oranges with anchovy fillets, extra-virgin olive oil and salt. Spur anchovies: anchovies fried with flour, eggs, oil, white vinegar, parsley and salt. Cazzimperio: Abruzzo version of the classic pinzimonio with caciocavallo cheese, whole milk, butter, egg yolks, flour, salt, pepper, slices of stale bread. Pizza con le sfrigole: it is a white pizza with mass dough, lard, salt and precisely the "sfrigole", or the crunchy flakes of fat and connective tissues that remained in the pan when lard was once prepared at home. Sulmona garlic-flavoured bruschetta: classic bruschetta spread with garlic, salt and oil. Liver sausage bruschetta: classic bruschetta with liver sausages, homemade bread, oil and salt to taste. Marinara appetizer: mixed fish appetizer with squid, clams and scampi dressed with a sauce made up of anchovies, tuna, capers, vinegar, garlic, and parsley. Crostini alla chietina: homemade triangular slices of bread dipped in beaten egg and fried in a pan, preferably with olive oil, garnished with anchovies, capers and butter. L'Aquila sauce: mixture of ox marrow with saffron from Abruzzo, eggs, cooking cream, butter. Baked chickpea croquettes: these are croquettes made with chickpeas, water, tomato, carrots, chilli pepper, bay leaf, onion, garlic, salt, chopped parsley and oil.
Pasta
Popular pasta dishes are:
Maccheroni alla chitarra. The pasta is prepared by pressing dough through a chitarra, creating long, thin noodles similar to spaghetti. It is served with a tomato-based sauce, often flavored with chili peppers, pork, goose or lamb Sagne e fagioli (flavored with tomatoes, garlic, oil, and peperoncini) Gnocchi carrati, flavored with bacon and pecorino cheese Pastuccia (polenta with sausage, eggs, and cheese) Maccheroni alla molinara: are an uneven type of thick, hand-made pasta or spaghetti, 4-6mm, using just flour, semolina and water. Often served with tomato sauce and chili peppers (or peperoncini) Fettuccine all'abruzzese: pasta with bacon, pecorino and Parmesan 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 and widespread throughout the Sabine area of Abruzzo and especially in L'Aquila and Cicolano. The main ingredients are bacon, pecorino and tomato. Rintrocele o Rintrocilo o i'ntrucioloni: rintrocele is a long pasta (poor dough without eggs, only durum wheat and water) typical of the Lanciano area. Generally it is made with sheep's sauce or with the typical lamb sauce. Pasta allo sparone: sparone in dialect means "rag"; in fact this fresh pasta (filled with spinach, ricotta and grated cheese) is cooked all wrapped up in a white cloth. After boiling, the sparone is removed and the pasta is cut into rounds and seasoned with tomato sauce, then browned in the oven. Maltagliati or tajulini: pasta to be accompanied, for example, with bean soup. Pasta alla mugnaia: egg pasta resulting from a mix of flours, which is characterized by its elongated and irregular shape and particular consistency, usually seasoned with a very rich meat sauce. It is typical of Elice where the homonymous festival is also celebrated every year.
Sagne e fagioli (fasciule): pasta made with water, salt and flour, with a characteristic strip shape, accompanied by a tomato sauce and very moist beans. Ceppe: homemade pasta. It is formed from egg-free dough, and has the characteristic shape obtained by passing a strip of dough about 3-4 centimeters long and 1 centimeter wide around a log. It is excellent with wild boar meat ragù. Typical of the Civitella del Tronto area, in the Teramo area. Ndurciulline: this pasta is characteristic of the area crossed by the ancient L'Aquila-Foggia sheep track, also called Tratturo Magno, in the section between Lanciano and Cupello. It is a fresh handmade pasta, made from durum wheat semolina and soft wheat flour, of an opaque ivory color, cut into long thin spaghetti with a rectangular section. To be able to fully enjoy the 'ndurcciullune they must be seasoned with a sauce based on sheep (with which rolls are prepared with a filling made up of chopped aromatic herbs, garlic, parsley, pork bacon or lard) tomato pieces, extra virgin olive oil and various aromatic spices. This dish was born from the encounter between the peasant culture and the pastoral one, which took place during the transhumance.
Meat
The region features several types of roast lamb and sheep, including: Arrosticini: skewered lamb or sheep Pecora alla callara: lamb or sheep stuffed with mountain herbs and cooked in a copper pot Lamb cooked whole in a bread oven Agnello cacio e ovo: a lamb-based fricassee Mazzerelle: lamb intestines stuffed with lamb, garlic, marjoram, lettuce, and various spices Non-sheep meat dishes Le virtù: a soup from Teramo with legumes, vegetables and pork, usually eaten in the spring at celebrations Timballo abruzzese: lasagna-like dish with pasta sheets (scrippelle) layered with meat, vegetables and rice; often served for Christmas and Easter Porchetta abruzzese: moist boneless-pork roast, slow-roasted with rosemary, garlic, and black pepper or chili pepper, sometimes along with other spices. It was brought by Abruzzese immigrants to the northeastern United States (particularly Philadelphia), where it is known as "Italian roast pork" or "roast pork". Turkey alla canzanese: typical dish of Canzano, a small town near Teramo, the turkey is served cold, together with the jelly obtained by letting the cooking broth rest and cool. 'Ndocca 'ndocca: it is the classic poor peasant dish in which all the parts of the pig are used (ears, snout, rind, feet, ribs) which cannot become hams or cured meats. Typical of the Teramo area. Coratella: animal entrails where parts such as heart, liver and lungs, kidneys, spleen, windpipe and sweetbreads are used (sometimes uses sheep)https://www.tastefromabruzzo.com/la-pasqua-in -abruzzo-and-even-coratella/
Seafood
Seafood also plays an important role in the cuisine of Abruzzo, especially areas near the coast. The main fish dishes of Abruzzo are:
Brodetto: a fish broth from Vasto, Giulianova and Pescara, is cooked in an earthenware pot and flavored with tomatoes, herbs, and peperoncino. Scapece alla vastese (marinated fish), from Vasto; it is the only dish in Abruzzo to use saffron, one of the region's most important products. The fish (often skate) is cut into pieces, floured and browned in a frying pan. The vinegar-based marinade can preserve the fish for 20 to 30 days in wooden containers which are passed from generation to generation. Baccalà all'abruzzese: another seafood dish of region: is a cod cooked in a pan with potatoes, tomatoes, oil, garlic, parsley, onion, red pepper, salt, and black olives. Coregone di Campotosto: typical fish product of Lake Campotosto, it is cooked roasted on the grill and then marinated in a preparation of vinegar and with oil and chilli pepper.
Mussels with saffron: classic cooked mussels prepared with parsley, onion, bay leaf, white wine, olive oil and seasoned with L'Aquila saffron sauce Marinated anchovies: they are seasoned anchovies marinated with garlic, parsley, oregano, lemon, oil, salt, pepper. Marinara appetizer: mixed fish appetizer with squid, clams and scampi seasoned with a sauce composed of anchovies, tuna, capers, vinegar, garlic, and parsley. Raw squid: typical of Pescara, they are squid boiled in vinegar, and then seasoned with chopped garlic sauce, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, salt and hot pepper. Vastese-style mussels: stuffed mussels with a mixture of breadcrumbs, minced garlic and parsley, oil, a few drops of lemon and a little tomato sauce.