Food and History
You may not realize that you’re already rather acquainted with Campania — well, at least its most famous dishes. Indeed, Campania is the capital of emblematic Italian food such as spaghetti, maccheroni, and, of course, pizza, glorious pizza! But to reduce it to these internationally famous dishes would be tragic, so let’s dig our forks in a little deeper.
Once ruled over by cultures ranging from the Greeks to the Romans, Goths, Normans Spaniards, Bourbons and others, Campania now has the second largest population in Italy, and is the country’s most densely populated region. Pizza reigns here, especially in the capital city of Naples, and so does its partner in crime, tomato sauce, which is often made from the great San Marzano tomato that grows in the fertile soils of the still-active Mount Vesuvius volcano.
You won’t just want to sample pizza here, though: roll out the napkin for pizza fritta, ricotta-filled calzone, eggplant-based parmigiana di melanzane, and the savory Easter pie casatiello. Then, of course, there are other regionally popular pastas such as fusilli, paccheri, perciatelli, rigatoni, vermicelli and ziti.
Though the aforementioned carb-heavy dishes get a lot of love, Campanians are also well known for their passion for produce, so much so that they are called mangiafoglie, or leaf eaters. Think fruits and veggies such as eggplant, zucchini, peppers, peaches, figs, apricots, and those famously thick-skinned Sorrento lemons, which are used to make the ever-popular liqueur limoncello.
Nuts like almonds, chestnuts and hazelnuts all make the grade, as do loads of seafood dishes ranging from cuttlefish to clams, octopus and anchovies. Meanwhile, cheese including burrata, and mozzarella di bufala campana are perennial favorites. And rounding out any meal are regional sweets like the layered pastry sfogliatelle, fried and honey-dipped struffoli, and perhaps some gelato too for good measure.
Over the past 10 years, no other Italian region has grown in terms of quality quite like Campania; everyone is talking about its wines, both white and red.
Fiano di Avellino and Greco di Tufo are the most important among whites. You can count on the former to be refined with scents of apple, pear, hazelnut and honey; aromas supported by a vibrant acidity that places it among the most long-lived wines in Italy. The Greco di Tufo, on the other hand, smells of quince and almond, which are complemented by a great depth of taste.
As for reds, Taurasi is the most important in southern Italy. It is produced from the popular Campanian Aglianico grape, making it a powerful and elegant wine with aromas of violet, cherry jam, cloves and tobacco. Ideal for consumption many years after harvest, Taurasi offers great structure and a unique freshness. Another popular red option is Aglianico del Taburno, a red wine produced near the city of Benevento.
Food and History
You may not realize that you’re already rather acquainted with Campania — well, at least its most famous dishes. Indeed, Campania is the capital of emblematic Italian food such as spaghetti, maccheroni, and, of course, pizza, glorious pizza! But to reduce it to these internationally famous dishes would be tragic, so let’s dig our forks in a little deeper.
Once ruled over by cultures ranging from the Greeks to the Romans, Goths, Normans Spaniards, Bourbons and others, Campania now has the second largest population in Italy, and is the country’s most densely populated region. Pizza reigns here, especially in the capital city of Naples, and so does its partner in crime, tomato sauce, which is often made from the great San Marzano tomato that grows in the fertile soils of the still-active Mount Vesuvius volcano.
You won’t just want to sample pizza here, though: roll out the napkin for pizza fritta, ricotta-filled calzone, eggplant-based parmigiana di melanzane, and the savory Easter pie casatiello. Then, of course, there are other regionally popular pastas such as fusilli, paccheri, perciatelli, rigatoni, vermicelli and ziti.
Though the aforementioned carb-heavy dishes get a lot of love, Campanians are also well known for their passion for produce, so much so that they are called mangiafoglie, or leaf eaters. Think fruits and veggies such as eggplant, zucchini, peppers, peaches, figs, apricots, and those famously thick-skinned Sorrento lemons, which are used to make the ever-popular liqueur limoncello.
Nuts like almonds, chestnuts and hazelnuts all make the grade, as do loads of seafood dishes ranging from cuttlefish to clams, octopus and anchovies. Meanwhile, cheese including burrata, and mozzarella di bufala campana are perennial favorites. And rounding out any meal are regional sweets like the layered pastry sfogliatelle, fried and honey-dipped struffoli, and perhaps some gelato too for good measure.
Over the past 10 years, no other Italian region has grown in terms of quality quite like Campania; everyone is talking about its wines, both white and red.
Fiano di Avellino and Greco di Tufo are the most important among whites. You can count on the former to be refined with scents of apple, pear, hazelnut and honey; aromas supported by a vibrant acidity that places it among the most long-lived wines in Italy. The Greco di Tufo, on the other hand, smells of quince and almond, which are complemented by a great depth of taste.
As for reds, Taurasi is the most important in southern Italy. It is produced from the popular Campanian Aglianico grape, making it a powerful and elegant wine with aromas of violet, cherry jam, cloves and tobacco. Ideal for consumption many years after harvest, Taurasi offers great structure and a unique freshness. Another popular red option is Aglianico del Taburno, a red wine produced near the city of Benevento.