If you have never tried these Calabrian specialities, get ready for a intense journey which will surprise you with the smells, tastes and unique products.
The particularities of Calabrian cooking are so vast that it is impossible to cover them all in one single article… And so we will try to “only” share the most typical aspects of our region, and let ourselves by guided by our taste buds to recommend just 3 things which are worth the trip alone.
The most famous spreadable salami in Italy, loved throughout the world, is produced right here in Spilinga, between the slopes of Monte Poro and the Capo Vaticano.
It is still the same authentic recipe, produced in the same traditional way today: beef, chilli pepper and salt. There is no preservative needed to keep this speciality fresh… Chilli pepper, grown locally, does the job alone!
Amongst the multitude of recipes using ‘nduja there is one we would recommend: ‘Filea’ with tomato sauce and ‘nduja. This is a typical home-made pasta from the Vibo region, created with a simple flour and water mixture and rolled around a “dinaculo” or matweed stick to give it a curved shape.
The red gold of Calabria, which will leave you speechless: crisp, fresh and delicious. Red Onions from Tropea are famous the world over for their deliciousness.
There is nowhere else you can find this bulb: the microclimate on the Capo Vaticano headland and the Tyrrhenian coastline are essential for their sweetness and fragrance. This relationship with the environment, the proximity to the sea, the length of the days, the temperature, humidity and even the warm sea breeze which blows constantly over our fields are the magical and essential elements for this delicious flavour!
In addition to their distinctive taste, Tropea red onions also offer many beneficial effects on the body. Aphrodisiac, antiseptic, anaesthetic – it’s a cure-all for rheumatic pains, head-aches and it is even used to prevent flu – in short, it’s amazing!
From the rich Calabrian land to the sea. Amongst the varieties of fish which you can try, there’s one not to be missed: Surice
This is a type of fish which can only be found in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea, in the Ionian Sea and the Sicilian channel. Its common name in English is ‘pearly razorfish’, given its distinctive flat shape.
It is predominantly fished in the summer months and while delicious, tastes even better when fried!
