This region, which is divided between the sea and the mountains, has produced an interesting combination of flavours and colours; only grain products are lacking in abundance due to the shortage of the flat plains that are necessary to ensure sustainable cultivation. The only plains are that of Gioia Tauro, where citrus fruit and olive trees are traditionally planted. In recounting the food and wine tradition of this corner of Calabria, it is impossible not to mention olive oil, together with table olives produced by the Saracen olive trees from Locri. The meats are of equal importance: goat, wild boar, and above all, prized pork, which gives rise to the delicious capocollo of Ferruzzano and Pietrapennata, aged in catoji, in cellars made of rock.
Then there is the sea, which in addition to the traditional catches made of anchovies, garfish, saury fish, sardines, surici fish, scabbard fish, and swordfish that mainly come from the Bagnara and Scilla areas, there is also “stocco” (typically known as stockfish).
Finally, the typical sweets: from artisanal gelato (ice cream), to mostaccioli, susumelle, and stomatico, a true triumph of sugar for the palate.
Food and Wine in numbers
Susumelle: the chocolate Christmas dessert
Born in ancient Greece as a gift to Demeter and Core, both goddesses, the susumelle hide in their name the mystery of their origin, as the two hypotheses are controversial. First is the hypothesis that “susumelle” is the union between sesamum and mel, meaning sesame and honey, although sesame does n [...]
The different almond pastes
Almond paste, due to the high cost of raw materials, was first prepared only during special occasions such as weddings and births. Today these biscuits, in their various forms and decorated with candied fruit, go beautifully with tea and are considered delicious desserts.
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The prince of Reggio street food: the sandwich cu satizzu (with sausage)
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 sau [...]
The scent of fried food
Crispelle, in Calabria, are prepared for the Immaculate Conception on December 8th, as well as Christmas and New Year’s Eve dinner. There are no festivities in the month of December that do not include these small, leavened dough fritters that are brought to the table as hot and fragrant, which are [...]
Traditional delights: “Satizzu” and broccoli (Sausage and broccoli)
Sausage and broccoli are included among the irreplaceable ones on the Reggio table. They are considered wild cards used to satisfy every culinary need: from a succulent second course with side dishes, to variations used in the sandwich format, up to and including the dishes that make up traditional [...]
When stew becomes "U Suffrittu"
In the rest of the peninsula, the word “soffritto” (“fried”) brings to mind the mix of vegetables and smells that form the basis of many sauces, but if you are in Reggio Calabria, “U Suffrittu” means another thing: an exquisite pork stew with fatty and more lean parts mixed with the interiors of the [...]