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
When vegetables become delicious dishes
Just think of three typical dishes of the Calabrian tradition to get your mouth watering: peppers and amolicate tomatoes (Reggio “pipi and pumaroru chini”), dried tomatoes preserved in oil, and the unmistakable stuffed aubergines. These are recipes that make you feel the entire aroma of the Mediterr [...]
Bivongi, the elixir for a long life
Bivongi is a DOC (Controlled Denomination of Origin) wine and is produced in a hilly area near the Calabrian Ionian coast between Reggio Calabria and Catanzaro. It is a special wine born from a specific blend of native grapes, produced by a few expert hands.
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Greco di Bianco: the passito wine of the gods
IThe Greco di Bianco wine was recognised as a DOC wine (Denomination of Controlled Origin) only in 1980. Although it is produced in limited quantities due to the limited production area, chosen and maintained due to the characteristics of the soil and the microclimate, this passito wine is certainly [...]
Mantonico, the wine of the prophets
Mantonico represents a small patrimony in the territory of the Calabrian Ionian coast that only in recent years has been rediscovered by producers and consumers. Its grapes are grown mainly in the province of Reggio Calabria in a hilly area, with soil rich in white clay.
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Palizzi, a wine with intense flavour
Calabria brings eternal aromas and flavours: the southern flavour is concentrated in Palizzi, capable of expressing all the strong and decisive characters of the land in which the grapes come from. The delicious wine from the Grecanic area has made the town of Palizzi famous with the name “Palizzi, [...]
More than a fruit, it is an institution
What can we expect from a product that traditionally grows only in this area of the world? A unique opportunity to meet in this land master perfumers, experts on natural remedies, and a great variety of traditions that have produced sweets, liqueurs, natural tinctures, oils, essential oils, and mass [...]