Modern pasta factories use Teflon dies to extrude pasta shapes, which makes the pasta slick, allowing sauce to slide off rather than adhere. Another popular and interesting fish dish is ‘Aqua Pazza’ (meaning ‘crazy water’) which is fresh white fish poached with olive oil, cherry tomatoes, sometimes capers and, of course, a little white wine. But the local water and the pride in Campania’s pasta culture and history combine to offer a product which has no equal in the north. Bubbly, wood-oven cooked pizza; pasta tossed with freshly caught shellfish and fresh, still-warm mozzarella are just a few of the have-to-try dishes which just won’t taste the same anywhere else! ), Busiate pasta with Trapanese pesto from Trapani, Roasted Red Pepper Pesto with Casarecce Pasta. American GI’s are credited for increasing the awareness of pizza, but pasta is a different story. Gragnano has several artisan pasta factories that you can tour to experience first hand the hot and humid environment necessary for making excellent pasta. New harvest extra virgin olive oil from Tuscany. I had never tried pasta with lemon until coming to live in Italy. When it comes to pasta, there is a great variety in Campania. Tuscan Gnudi (ricotta and spinach gnocchi). What are everyone’s two favorite Italian foods??!! Creamy Linguine Pasta al Limone from Campania. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Friday 11am – 10pm This dish was apparently ‘invented’ by the Neopolitan fishermen who used to ‘poach’ the fish they caught in seawater with tomatoes and olive oil. While Campania is a major exporter of wine, olive oil, pasta, and tomatoes, some of the most spectacular food of the region can only be experienced when you’re there. The fertile valley of Vesuvius, with its volcanic soil, was ideal for growing durum wheat, and the fresh water from the mountains combined to produce the perfect pasta. Northern regions like Tuscany, Lombardy and the Veneto have always relied on bread, polenta and rice for their starches, with fresh egg pasta made on Sundays and holidays. Fusilli Bucati Corti (short hollow fusilli), Garganelli pasta from Romagna (Emilia-Romagna), Gomiti Elbow Pasta, a pasta with many names, Italian Gnocchi; Potato gnocchi and family, Canederli: Italian Bread Dumplings from South Tirol, Lombrichelli, hand rolled pasta from Lazio, Maccheroncini di Campofilone from Le Marche. Cjarsons ravioli from Friuli Venezia Giulia. The artisan method utilizied in Gragnano uses original bronze dies which are inherently rough, catching the dough and texturing it, which makes the pasta hold onto its sauce better. Large pasta companies like Barilla and DeCecco, among others, opened massive factories in the north to keep up with the demand. But the local water and the pride in Campania’s pasta culture and history combine to offer a product which has no equal in the north. It is considered the mozzarella for Caprese salad and pizza Margherita. Pappardelle pasta with walnut sauce and black truffle shavings, Pesto Pasta Liguria with Potatoes and Green Beans, Tuscan pici pasta all’etrusca with asparagus, Cinnamon Butter Gnocchi: Recipe from Veneto, Lasagna bianca with mushrooms and burrata, Spaghetti al limone with ricotta, basil and lemon, Spaghetti/Maccheroni alla Chitarra with 4 meat ragu Abruzzese, Stuffed Lumaconi (Lumache) snail shell pasta, Pasta al forno (pasta bake the Italian way), Tagliolini with Taleggio and Black Truffle, Agriturismo Il Romitorio, Tuscania, Lazio, Restaurant Dei Cantoni, Longiano, Emilia-Romagna, The Best Italian Pasta Ever: Pastificio dei Campi. In modern factories, where time is money, pasta is dried in large ovens for 2-4 hours, depending on the shape and thickness. Thanks! Located on the eastern side of the Bay of Naples under the shadow of a volcano, the constant sea breezes and humidity were ideal for drying pasta. But the local water and the pride in Campania’s pasta culture and history combine to offer a product which has no equal in the north. Fusilli pasta with black olive pesto and tuna. The other important difference is the drying time. But if you truly want to understand pasta, you must go south to the area around the Bay of Naples. Campania is, in fact, the centre of Italian mozzarella production, The more expensive and finer mozzarella is ‘mozzarella di bufala’, or water buffalo milk mozzarella. Any pasta or risotto called ‘alla pescatora’ (fisherman’s style) or ‘ai frutti di mare’ (fruits of the sea) is made with an assortment of seafood, such as mussels, clams, oysters, squid, octopus, shrimps, prawns, sea urchins and others. The Campania region of Italy lies south of Rome along the Tyrrhenian Sea on the west coast of the Italian peninsula. When it comes to pasta, there is a great variety in Campania. I really love your informative site! Where two generations ago few Italians north of Rome ate dried pasta, now Italians everywhere don’t feel complete unless they’ve had at least one plate of pasta a day. Campania is agriculturally rich: Tomatoes, chestnuts, figs, beans, peppers, spring onions, onions, artichokes, potatoes, fennel oranges, lemons, and apples flourish in the rich volcanic soil under Mount Vesuvius. Among the most typical and well known pasta dishes from this region is ‘spaghetti con le vongole’ (one of my absolute favourites!) #cozze #mussels extravaganza! Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Obviously it depends where you live, but you can also find candle/candele pasta online for example on Amazon. I’m originally a Londoner but in 2003 life’s journey brought me to the beautiful Veneto region of Italy where… Read More, 3rd place in Top 50 Italian Food Blogs Awards by Feedspot, Copyright © 2020 The Pasta Project on the Brunch Pro Theme, Aosta Valley (Valle d’Aosta or Val d’Aosta). Required fields are marked *. Interestingly, pasta with vegetables is often prepared with pasta mista (‘pasta ammescata’ in the local dialect), which is now produced industrially as a distinct variety of pasta, but which was once made up of broken pieces of different kinds of pasta and sold cheaply. ingredients. Your email address will not be published. I am sure you are going to enjoy our journey through the pasta of Campania! As southern Italians moved north to find jobs in factories after WWII and brought their favorite food staple of dried semolina-based pasta with them, it began to be sold and eaten in the homes of northern Italians as well. Using time honored methods for extruding and drying the pasta, the pasta of Gragnano differs dramatically from modern industrially produced pasta in two important ways: adherence of the sauce and chewiness. Stir in the cooked pasta and simmer for a further minute. In fact, although I’d heard of it, I … My name is Jacqui. Alla Mediterranea (Mediterranean sauce and celebrations! Lightly breaded eggplant rolled and stuffed with mozzarella and ham topped with melted mozzarella in marinara sauce. Buon giorno and welcome to my pasta project! The most popular types of pasta, besides spaghetti and linguine, are mafalde, scialiatielli, lagane, paccheri and ziti and candele, both long pipe-shaped pasta, broken by hand before cooking and usually topped with Neapolitan ragù or meatsauce. The main ingredient is durum wheat, which is harder than the softer wheat found in Northern Italy, so industrial pasta production was initially more successful in the South than in northern Italy, where home-made pasta was and is more popular. The valley of Vesuvius is no longer used to grow wheat, they turn to vast fields in Canada for that. Another widely available company make that produces this pasta is Garofalo. This is produced on farms along the Cliento coast near Paestum and served in restaurants around the region and throughout Italy. Home » Italy's Regions » Campania » Campania. Eggplant Rollatine. Sagne Pasta from Abruzzo, Molise and Lazio. Quick! Linguine al limone con panna. It’s a more hygienic operation these days with the pasta being made and dried indoors, but on an artisan scale. Moka, drip, press- anyway you make it. The region, which includes famous travel destinations such as Pompeii, the Amalfi coast and the islands of Capri and Ischia, is also famous for its food (well, which part of Italy isn’t!) Log in, « Taralli – the pretzel of southern Italy. Dried pasta has long been a staple of southern Italy but is a fairly new addition to the northern Italian diet. One of the best types of dried pasta on the market is made in Gragnano, a short distance from Naples. It was yesterday. There are many old photos from the early 20th century showing racks and racks of long spaghetti lining the streets and balconies, drying in the open air. What is your experience with fusilli in Campania? For travelling foodies Campania is a must-visit destination. The valley of Vesuvius is no longer used to grow wheat, they turn to vast fields in Canada for that. Drying times can be anywhere from 10 hours to 7 days. Spaghetti with lemons, la calamarata (pasta shaped like calamari rings) with calamari, ‘pasta cacio e pepe ‘(pasta with caciocavallo cheese and pepper, also popular in Lazio); ‘spaghetti alla puttanesca’ (spaghetti with olives, chilli, garlic and tomato sauce), ‘spaghetti con alici e finocchietto selvatico’ (spaghetti with anchovies and wild fennel) and ‘linguine ai ricci di mare’ (linguine with sea urchins) are other delicious pasta recipes from Campania which I plan to cook and post recipes for. Were can I find the real candle pasta from Italy. Gragnano, along with the neighboring town of Torre Annunziata, has been a pasta-making center since the late 1800’s and was designed with pasta in mind. Some crops grow to really large proportions and in great abundance like the Amalfi and Sorrento lemons, which are used to make limoncello, granita, ice-cream and, of course, pasta with lemons!. Gragnano is known as the birthplace of industrially produced dried pasta. Monday 11am – 9pm . Love these in #puglia and #lemarche since we can’t be there, enjoying them here. I suggest you search online or speak to a local Italian food shop. October 2, 2012 by Gina Stipo Leave a Comment. I hear you, I hear you shouting “PIZZA AND PASTA!!!”. Gragnano is known as the birthplace of industrially produced dried pasta. Since Campania is mainly coastal, some of its best cuisine is based on seafood. Required fields are marked *. #coffeeday, Fresh seafood and shellfish are the star performers in #puglia. The valley of Vesuvius is no longer used to grow wheat, they turn to vast fields in Canada for that. In Gragnano they understand that long, slow drying results in denser, more elastic pasta, which when cooked has a satisfying chewiness. On the banks of a river lined with mills for grinding durum wheat into semolina flour, the streets lie perpendicular to the Sorrento coast to take advantage of the constant sea breezes that were used to dry the strands of pasta. Well you can thank the Napolitani for that, because both pizza and pasta originate in Naples and weren’t widely known, eaten or cooked outside of the south until after World War II. Fusilli Pasta; long, short, homemade and hollow. Caccavelle Giant Pasta Shells from Gragnano, Naples. of flour, 50g of yeast, 3 boiled eggs, 100g of Parmesan cheese roughly cut, 150g of slightly spicy Provolone cheese, 150g of sliced Pancetta or bacon, 150g of both sweet and spicy salami, 250g of lard, ground pepper.