Calabria Food

Calabria Food (11)

Our recommendations if you are planning a vacation or visit to Calabria.

  • Calabrian Table Tour
    Join us for our second very special annual culinary tour in Calabria called Calabrian Table Tour. An exclusive culinary adventure meeting chefs, cooks and locals of Calabria. We will take you on a journey into the hidden villages of the mountainous Pollino to the coastal areas of Vibo Valentia to...
  • In Italy Calabria Tours, Tropea
    Contact In Italy Tours for unique and luxury tours of Calabria, Sicily and the Castelli Romani near Rome Designed for small groups and foodies looking to get off the vacation circuit, you will experience authentic daily life as lived by local people and enjoy their food and wine in their company. ...
  • One Day Tropea Cooking Class
    Based in Tropea, the one day Calabria cooking classes of In Italy Tours are perfect for anyone wanting a truly authentic introduction to traditional Calabria recipes and cuisine. You will start learning the secrets with these hands-on cooking lessons located in a family estate of rolling olive grov...
  • Tropea Culinary and Cooking Tours
    The following day long food tours are proposed by In Italy Tours based in Tropea. They should be considered as complementary alternatives to other week long tours and special tours run by Tania in Calabria.   MORNING FISHING EXCURSION IN TROPEA Enjoy sailing the crystal, clear waters of the Tyrr...
  • Culinary Calabria in a Week Tour
    This tour by In Italy Tours based in Tropea is both a gastronomic odyssey and a luxury adventure in Calabria to experience the genuineness of a region rarely visited. Some of the towns and places visited include Tropea, Pizzo, Caria where cooking classes and tastings are planned. The week lo...

 

Delicious local Italian typical products from the region of Calabria. Where to go, what to look out for and when to find them in season. Start with the articles below.

  • Carnival Dishes

    Published in Calabria Food
    To give an idea of the crossover between pagan, Christian and imported rituals, which has been a feature of Italy for millenia, the 'Feste dei Morti' in Calabria is an interesting example. It takes place on the first Saturday of Carnival at the town of San Demetrio Corone in the province of Cosenza and was introduced to limit the excesses of the inhabitants at Carnival time. Of Albanian origin the festival begins with the poor or children collecting alms house by house.
    Last modified on 02 February 2013

Nduja salami from Spilinga

Published in Calabria Food
What is Nduja? Sometimes called 'ndugghia' or 'nnuglia' it is not dissimilar from the tripe salami known in France as 'andouille'. Although available all over Italy it originates from the zone of Monte Poro in Calabria and the hinterland of Capo Vaticano between Nicotera and Tropea. Specifically, Spilinga. It is made from pig's fat or 'lardo', kidney and the lungs of the animal. All the offal is (very) finely chopped and wrapped in an intestine along with a healthy dose of Calabrian peperoncino. It is then matured for 12 months to render the aroma and taste even stronger.
Last modified on 14 January 2013

Bergamots of Calabria

Published in Calabria Food
The bergamot aromatic fruit has been associated almost uniquely with Calabria since 1400. How they first arrived in the region is open to interpretation. Some suggest it was thanks to traders from Berga in Spain or Pergamo in Turkey or even the purchase of a sapling from a Moor in medieval times. Even Christopher Columbus name crops up. What is certain is that the fruit has been grown for its essence since the very beginning. The skin of the bergamot was rubbed with huge sponges which were then squeezed.
Last modified on 14 January 2013

Tropea Red Onions

Published in Calabria Food
These famous red onions are grown in an area which stretches in both directions along the coast from Tropea. The onions belong to the lily family and are of 3 distinct types:
Last modified on 09 January 2013

Five Course Calabrian Meal Menu

Published in Calabria Food
If you travel within the region of Calabria make sure that you are not on diet!. The local cuisine is very tasty and made with local fresh products. With this in mind we  asked the Accademia della Cucina Calabra to highlight for us a typical menu, and this is what they said: 'Firstly, let's start with a mix of local salumi and cheeses such as 'nduja, ...
Last modified on 09 January 2013

History of Sorbet

Published in Calabria Food
A great alternative to ice cream is sorbet, or water ice, which is also called granita and can be flavored with various fruit syrups. It is a fabulous drink which contains no milk or eggs, but just water and sugar and is very refreshing o a hot summer day. In Rome, these water ices are called 'grattachecca' because the ice is scratched from a block of ice. Nevertheless, when you think granita, Sicily tends to come to mind. I know friends from the island who are very severe in judging the quality of a granita which they insist must be…
Last modified on 19 December 2012

Calabria Salami Types

Published in Calabria Food
There are a number of Calabrian salami or salumi which are worth a mention, the most famous are Capocollo and soppressata. Capocollo Calabrese The deboned loin of the pig is used for this product. The meat is salted for at least a week after which herbs are added and it is wrapped for a maturing period of 100 days It has a delicate smoked aroma thanks to black pepper. This gets more pronounced as the maturing period increases.
Last modified on 18 May 2012