| Vincent Scordo is an Italian American who writes all about Italian food and life. He believes in the Italian Life for Everyone! >> |
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To say that the sea is important to the Province of Calabria would be a considerable understatement. In fact, the sea is probably the single most important geographical attribute in all of southern Italy where, in some places, it’s a little over 30 miles from one side of the peninsula to the other; e.g., from the Tyhrrenian to the Ionian in Calabria. [...]
Stuffed Squid (Seppie o Calamari Ripieni) are prepared and served all over southern Italy. Travel to Sicilia and you’ll find squid stuffed with raisins, black olives, and pine nuts. Cross the Straight of Messina (Stretto di Messina) into mainland Calabria and most of the stuffings will include crumbled dried red chilies. Our version of Stuffed Squid (Seppie o Calamari Ripieni) is prepared in the traditional [...]
The micro-regionality of Italian life is mind blowing. Take for example, regional dialects which until recently varied drastically every few kilometers and often divided villages. In the southewestern region of Calabria near Bagnara Calabra a handful of regional dialects are still spoken and while the 4-5 villages comprising the Comune di Bagnara Calabra (RC) are separated by only 3-5 kilometers you’d be hard pressed to [...]
Italian Holiday and Winter Food Treats: Cherry Panettone, Cerignola Bomba Pugliese (Spicey Spread), Fig Syrup, and Frantoi Cutrera Extra Virgin Olive Oils The Christmas season is a wonderful time to celebrate food in Italy. In fact, almost every region of Italy produces holiday specific delicacies from special stuffed pastas to incredible desserts such as Panettone, Paneforte, and Torrone. One of our favorite holiday [...]
Canned pears or pere sciroppate used to be a mainstay in most rural villages in Calabria (one of the southern most provinces in Italy) as were canned and preserved peaches and other fruits. These days, you’re more likely to find supermarket canned fruit in the cupboards of most southern Italian kitchens, especially during the winter months when there is a lack of [...]
Friselle bread, at times referred to as freselle, frisedde, fresedde, frise, are made from durum wheat. Friselle are baked twice and usually have a rough side and smooth side. Friselle are found throughout all of Italy but especially popular in southern Italy (Apulia, Calabria, Campania, etc.). Friselle have a very long shelf life and were especially popular during difficult, economic, [...]
The Italian mafia is over 3,000 years old and much of the available literature on the logic behind why the Italian mafia formed is centered on numerous periods of invasion and exploitation by conquering states and armies in Italy. Thereafter, Italians became “clannish” and started to rely on “familial ties for safety, protection, justice, and survival”, according the FBI. Four Large Mafia [...]
Head to Bagnara Calabra, located on a tiny sliver of the Tyrrhenian coast, during the month of July and you’ll encounter the swordfish sagra (or festival of the swordfish) to honor local fisherman. The Bagnarese fishermen have been catching swordfish for over 2000 years and recently with illegal nets (as opposed to traditional spears) which has cast a negative shadow over the art [...]
Travel to any home in Southern Italy during the summer months and one dish will stand out as universal; namely, the mighty, yet simple, tomato salad. During our extended stay in Calabria we consumed tomato salad after tomato salad and never tired of the ripe tomatoes (grown from heirloom seeds), sweet basil, Cipolle di Tropea (famous red onions from Tropea), and [...]
The Prickly Pears, or Fichi d’India, of Calabria I’ve traveled to Calabria on many occasions (both as a child and adult) and the landscape continually amazes me. The startling changes in elevation, for example, travelling on the numerous, via Nazionale, switchbacks from Bagnara Calabra on the coast to Pellegrina in the hills is mind blowing. And One’s line of vision is intersected [...]
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