Nowhere is Neapolitan fantasy and resourcefulness more evident than in the creation of exquisite, satisying cuisine from a handful of black olives, a pinch of wild origano, two or three cherry tomatoes, a couple of garlic cloves and a few strands of spaghetti cooked “al dente” (or taken from the boil a second before they soften) topped by a sprinking of Pecorino cheese. Accompained by a glass of white wine from the fabulous islands of Ischia or Capri, accross the bay, the wine of Vesuvius or Lacryma Christi (tear of Christ).
Neapolitan invented spaghetti is a dish fit for royalty. The canny Neapolitans may be forgiven for an amused smirk when tourists come to discover the source of the newest fad, “the Mediterranean diet”. Even before the 20-year-long Seven Countries Study – conducted by the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota – revealed that Neapolitans had low levels of cholesterol in the blood and a minimum percentage of heart disease, Neapolitans were aware intrinsically of the physical and psychological well-being produced by a simple plate of pastasciutta al dente. They long ago discovered that pastasciutta eaten in reasonable proportions is non-fattening, digistible and assimilated over a long period. If reports in the popular press are reliable, then even athletes are beginning to recognize the value of a plate of pasta – which ensures calories and gives nourishment over several hours. The Mediterranean diet reportedly helped cyclis Francesco Moser to a record-breaking 51 kilometers in 60 minutes in Mexico last year. What better endorsement could Neapolitan ingenuity ask?

THE TRADITIONAL CUISINE

The Italian cuisine boasts a wide range of regional traditional gastronomic proposals. Each region has its own cuisine. There are not only spaghetti, pizza and gnocchi…
The structure of the country, with its geographic and climatic differences, unterlines the variety of food and the the way people cook it. From the mountain traditions in Valle d’Aosta, Piemonte and Trentino, to the sunny mediterranean cuisine in Campania, Sicilia and Calabria.
But even in each region there are deep differences with gastronomic habits that take their origins in the country and mountain traditions.

MORE LAND THAN SEA

The Italian cuisine is more a land than a sea cuisine. Our cuisin was born in a poverty situation where people used the products of their cattle-breedings and fields. But there was also another rich and fine cuisine that was made in the courts of Turin, Parma and Naples.
Century after century these two cuisines met them-selves giving the basis for the present Italian rich gastronomic tradition.

FIRST COURSES

As everybody know, our cuisine is rich in first courses. There isn’t a region that doesn’t suggest a range of soups, clear soups, tasteful dry first courses: thousands of “risotti” (a rice course) in Piemonte, Lombardia and Veneto, or the very famous “Ravioli” filled with meat, fish, vegetables, cheese and even in a sweet version! We cannot forget the big variety of “Pasta” and the classic “pizza, an Italian icon.

SECOND COURSES

The meat has been for centuries a luxuriant course only for “elite” people. Now everywhere people try to eat and mix it with many vegetables. As for fish, you can find it grilled, fried and in many soups and “brodetti” ( a kind of soup).

GASTRONOMIC WORDS

- ASPIC: meat, fish or shellfish with gelatine. It is aromatized, decorated and served in different moulds.
- BRASATO: ox or cow meat cooked in a closed pot together with many different aromatic herbs, white or red wine and a little water.
- CANAPE’: a soft slice of bread without crust. It is used as base to spread butter or sauces on. It is served hot or cold as hors-d’oeuvre in buffets.
- CAPONATA: Hors-d’oeuvre or middle-course made of onions, tomatoes, celeries, aubergines, olives and capers. All ingredients ar browned in a frying pan with olive oil and vinegar.
- CARPIONE: fried fish marinaded in white wine with vinegar, garlic, onion, pepper and sage.
- FINANZIERA: traditional garnish of Piemontese cuisine. It is made of chicken bowels, thyme, laurel and mushrooms.
- FRICASSEA: a stew of veal, chicken or lamb cooked in a pot where at the the end of cooking people add beated egges and lemon juice.
- FROLLATURA: a natural meat softing proceeding: it is made in a refrigerator at 0° C degrees.
- NAVARIN: in the French cuisine it is a sauce made of lamb meat, onion and small potatoes.
- PILAF: a way to bake rice with butter, onion and little broth.
- PINZIMONIO: sauce made of oil, pepper and salt where people use to dip raw vegetables like celeries, artichokes, fennels and carrots.
- SARTU’: it’s a typical Naples course. It’s a rice timbale covered by breadcrumbs and filled with roasted pork liver, small meatballs, ham, hard-boiled eggs, mushrooms, aromatic herbs, “mozzarella”, peas and sausages.
- SAVARIN: it’s a risen dough cake, it is baked in a crown shaped moul, soaked with rhum and garnished by custard, whipped cream and fruits.
- SCAPECE: it comes from the Spanish “escabeche” and it is a sauce made of garlic, vinegar and oil. People put fried fish inside and leave it there for about 24 hours.