When you decide to take a trip to Basilicata you are usually driven by the desire to live unique emotions and incredible experiences: you immerse yourself, in fact, in silent places characterized by colors, inimitable fragrance and flavors that allow you to disconnect from the daily routine and relax mind and body.
To contribute to this atmosphere nothing short of paradise contributes the Lucanian food and wine, distinctly genuine and tasty, a real strength of the entire region. What to enjoy, then, once you arrive at your destination?
Mangled
What can never be missing on the tables of Basilicata is bread, which takes on the most varied and delicious forms, such as the typical doughnut of the Strazzata. Made from a mixture of wheat flour, durum wheat semolina, salt, sourdough and a generous dose of pepper, this focaccia is eaten “torn” (strazzata, in fact) with your hands and not cut with a knife.
In addition, it can be seasoned as desired: cheese, ham, salami, doughnut (stew) of peppers, eggplant and zucchini, peppers bran. I mean, so on and so forth!
Waffle
Remaining in the bread area here is the wafer, made with stale bread literally drowned (cunzato) in the seasonings. It can be enjoyed in combination with what you like, including soups, eggs, vegetables (especially turnip tops), fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and onions. Try it with the sp’nzal broad beans and eggs, a typical spring dish made of shelled broad beans, spring onions and boiled eggs.
Artichoke
Unlike other varieties of bread, artichoke is an unleavened focaccia made from corn semolina. It is the unleavened bread of Avigliano, originally the “bread of the poor”, with a very simple cooking and a more than modest price. In the past, the mixture of water and corn flour was baked directly on the grill tramine la r’ticula, a circular grid with a central pin that allowed you to cook the focaccia without moving it from the fire.
Today, the artichoke is Traditional Food Product and Ark of Taste Slow Food and it is recommended to enjoy it together with soups and soups with beans, turnips, chicory and potatoes.
Raphanata
The rafanata is the typical lucana omelette with the secret ingredient, that is the horseradish, a spicy root of Norman origin. Unlike traditional omelettes, the rafanata is not cooked in a pan, but in the oven or on the grill: first you mix horseradish, eggs and pecorino cheese and then the dough is poured into the earthenware earthenware and then placed on the fire.
Calzones
We move on to the first courses with stuffed calzones, also called pastizz or falagone, prepared especially for Easter. They have the shape of a crescent and are made with a sheet of hard wheat stuffed with pork meat combined with eggs, parsley, oil and cheese. In Lucania you can find different variants of calzones, such as cauzunciedd, that is, ricotta and cinnamon ravioli, or calzoncelli, proposed on the occasion of Christmas with their chestnut cream filling.
Foto: Unsplash
Lucanica
Lucanica is nothing more than the lucana sausage: specifically, the Lucanica di Picerno IGP is all based on pork, from the filling to the casing, has a typical U-shape and can be flavored with peppers and wild fennel. The discourse changes, however, for the lucanica of Cancellara, which has a chain-dangling disposition.
Sauce alla potentina
The sauce alla potentina is among the most tasty delicacies not only of Basilicata, but of all Italy: this typical sauce is prepared with the so-called “snags”, that is pieces of lamb, sheep, pork or veal. Not only that, because the sauce is also enriched with Lucan salami, which is browned with meat along with garlic and oil and then simmer in tomato sauce for a few hours. At the end, it should be served with a dusting of fresh horseradish and with the addition of fried chili.
Cod to the aviglianese
The ways in which cod can be cooked are really many and the aviglianese deserves a special mention: the secret of its inimitable flavor lies in the presence of the Crusco pepper, that is the pepper of Senise IGP naturally dried in the air, passed in the oven to become crispy and browned in a pan with garlic and oil. After desalinating and boiling the cod, just pour over the browned peppers and add garlic, parsley and fresh chilies.
Pignata
The meat is certainly the undisputed protagonist of the tables of Basilicata, but to be 100% must be cooked inside the pignata, that is, the two-handled terracotta pot. Usually, we choose sheep or lamb meat to be cut into pieces and cook together with potatoes, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, tubers and wild onions. Before serving, a little oil, chilli, parsley, bay leaf and wild fennel are added.
Cutturiddi
The cutturiddi is, instead, the stewed lamb stew categorically cooked in a saucepan together with celery, tomato, bay leaf, onion and rosemary. It is a typical Easter dish and, on the same occasion, it also prepares the vr’detto, that is the Lucan broth that consists of lamb stew with asparagus, chicory, eggs and wild fennel.
Crapiata
The crapiata of Matera, also known as crapiet, is a soup of summer legumes and cereals, usually prepared on August 1 at the end of the harvest festival. It is usually made from spelt, wheat, chickpeas, chickpeas, peas, broad beans and lentils and, who wants, can add carrots, onions, new potatoes, garlic, cherry tomatoes and hammer (similar to mint).
Spumette, nocetti, scorzette
A look at the desserts is definitely due: here are three types of biscuits for tea that have common names-caressing, that is, spumette, scorzette and nocetti The first are soft biscuits made with chopped almonds; the second are prepared with egg, sugar and hazelnuts and covered with dark chocolate; the third, instead, are based on eggs, sugar and nuts and covered with a lemon icing.
Copertina: Unsplash