South Italian Cooking

Campania boasts one of Italy's most elegant and refined cuisines. It's also one of the best-known worldwide, thanks to the tremendous number of Neapolitans who emigrated in the last century. Pizza, arguably the most popular food on the planet, is Neapolitan, as are many kinds of durum wheat pasta including spaghetti, and the red sauces (marinara, puttanesca, genovese, and so on) so many people put over them. Campania has also given us lasagna with ricotta, eggplant Parmesan, wedding soup, zesty carne alla pizzaiola, Christmas's struffoli, the Easter pastiera, and has contributed greatly to the popularity of the Seven Fish dinner on Christmas Eve.

In terms of produce the region is singularly blessed, with the slopes of Mount Vesuvius producing the San Marzano plum tomatoes that give the red sauces their richness, and there's much more too, from cauliflower through broccoli raab and greens to eggplant, peppers, and zucchini. In terms of meats, though there is some beef, the lamb and pork are better, and inland you'll also find water buffalo -- the animals are raised primarily for their milk, which gives Mozzarella a tangy richness cow's milk mozzarella simply lacks. Not into cheese or meat? The fish you'll find along the coast is superb, as are the walnuts from Sorrento, and when you want to relax, what could be better than a glass of well-chilled limoncello?

Campanian Recipes on Site