The prince of Reggio street food: the sandwich cu satizzu (with sausage)
A tradition of taste
With extremely Mediterranean ingredients, which are few, yet simple, the sandwich in rich in tradition and abundant in taste. It is a recipe that is not too complicated and is behind the best known and most appreciated of the street food products of Reggio: “u paninu cu satizzu” (a sandwich with sausage). A delicacy that preserves a very strong bond with the local gastronomic tradition, specifically the peasant one that historically characterises and identifies the area. A tradition that sees pork as the fulcrum and point of reference both in the houses of Reggio and its restaurants, as well as the popular narratives of rituals, legends, and customs.
The recipe
Caramelized onion, aubergines, peppers, potatoes, cherry tomatoes, all cut into strips and fried separately and then combined in a pan, wrapped around the sausage (which may also be in its spicy variant), exclusively cooked on the grill. The sausage is enclosed between two slices of fragrant bread (usually the classic loaf). An irresistible mix of flavours and smells from the typical Mediterranean trait that can really conquer everyone. The widespread diffusion recorded in recent years has widened the panorama of the menus offered by the various venues with some variations on the original theme that contemplate, for example, the use of “homemade” bread made with flours or special doughs.
The highlight
The “paninu cu satizzu” (“sandwich with sausage”) can be enjoyed all twelve months of the year in Reggio Calabria in many places, including typical pubs, bistros, and with take away. However, if there is a time of year when this product reaches its peak in terms of distribution and consumption, it is unquestionably between the end of August and the first half of September, or when the city and the entire province enter the period of the Marian festivities. These are the days when the centre and the outskirts of Reggio Calabria are full of sales points and tables that are distributed practically in every corner of the city. It is one of the tastiest street foods, and when accompanied by a cold beer, it becomes the most loved companion of the citizens of Reggio and tourists alike in the warm evenings of late summer on the banks of the Straits!
