Tag: Cilento

The ciauredda, the dish par excellence of the summer in Cilento – Italian Cuisine

A dish with vegetables from the garden, which has all the flavors and aromas of a summer in Cilento. Tasty, quick and easy to prepare

There is a dish that more than any other contains the essence of a summer in Cilento: the ciauredda. Finding it the same from one house or country to another is practically impossible, since everyone has their own way of preparing it (and calling it). Basically, however, it is a dish always based on seasonal summer vegetables, usually from one's own garden, now in their full flavor.

The origin according to Renato De Falco

Renato De Falco has reconstructed the origin and history of ciauredda in an exemplary way, as well as many other culinary traditions from Campania. Great Neapolitan writer and philologist, he is the author of numerous texts, including Cu ’Na Bona Salute. 10 curious names of Neapolitan dishes, in which he talks about this dish. There cianfotta, he writes, is a delicious rural dish, very rooted in the south, based on peppers, aubergines, potatoes and tomatoes (and, ad libitum, also carrots and zucchini), flavored with garlic, onion, oregano, basil, parsley, salt and pepper. There is a cianfotta from Faicchio and Morcone, in the Benventano area; one in Procida, where it is called bobba; and then the Cilento one. However, it should not be forgotten, he continues, that the home of cianfotta is southern France, in particular Provence, where it takes the name of ratatouille, or potage aux légumes. Today it is also called ciambotta, confirming that its exact étimo is that of champ potage, as endorsed by the Modern Etymological neapolitan Vocabulary, compiled in 2009 by Dale Erwin and Pierino Bello. Furthermore, adds De Falco, it is unfortunate that none of the last thirty-five compilers of Neapolitan dictionaries have reported this word. Only eleven southern gastronomic manuals, out of about 200 written by qualified professionals from 1976 to 2003, speak of cianfotta, ciambotta or ciauredda.

So what is ciauredda?

Ciauredda is a dish based on vegetables, especially the summer ones found in the garden. Let's not forget that in Cilento a subsistence economy still reigns, where much of what is consumed at the table comes from their land or from the animals that are raised during the year. This is precisely what makes it the undisputed homeland of the Mediterranean diet. And in the summer, when the garden is luxuriant with all its seasonal fruits, such as tomatoes, peppers or aubergines, the ciauredda is prepared. It can be done in many different ways, so much so that it is difficult to eat exactly the same identical dish in two houses, even in the same country. But even the name changes after a few kilometers: at the gates of Cilento between Eboli and Battaglia, for example, it is called ciauliello, while from Agropoli to Casalvelino and Ascea we talk about ciambotta. Further east, in towns like Sapri or Vibonati, we will find ourselves facing the ciaurella, while going inland, to Torre Orsaia, it will be the turn of the donut. In the hinterland further north, between Campora, Felitto, Roscigno and Bellosguardo, ciambotta returns, while in Caselle in Pittari, where our recipe comes from, it is called ciauredda. What never changes is the way we eat traditionally: between two slices of bread, in the country side.

The recipe of Filomena Marcieddu di Caselle in Pittari

As you may have understood by now, there are countless versions of this dish, also depending on the vegetables available. Basically there are almost always aubergines, peppers and tomatoes, but then there are those who also add potatoes, green beans, courgettes, friggitelli, as well as garlic or onion. The one that the lady prepares Filomena Marcieddu of Caselle in Pittari remains one of the best ever tried, which is why we asked her for her precious recipe.

Ingredients

2 eggplants
5 peppers
500 g tomatoes
to taste basil and salt
to taste extra virgin olive oil

Method

Cut aubergines, peppers and tomatoes into the desired shape, whether it is into cubes, slices or strips.
Heat a little oil in a pan (in Cilento there is plenty, you can opt for a lighter version) and start cooking the vegetables, preferably separately. Alternatively, better in order of cooking: first the aubergines, then the peppers and finally the tomatoes. Then add them together and sauté everything in the pan for a few minutes.
Add a few basil leaves for an extra summer touch, mix and serve warm or even cold.
Alternatively, place the ciauredda between two slices of bread: the longer you wait, the better it will be because it will have absorbed all the flavor of the vegetables. Ask a few farmers in Cilento for a bit comi sapi u pani 'ciauredda wave!

The maracuoccio of Lentiscosa, an ancient Cilento legume – Italian Cuisine

The Maracuoccio di Lentiscosa, an ancient legume found only in a restricted area of Cilento. It is a poor, nutritious and delicious local dish

In that cradle of biodiversity which is Cilento, a rare, ancient legume, different from all, which is found only here, could not be missing: the Maracuoccio di LentiscosaSlow Food Presidium since 2016. In fact, in Cilento houses, the maracuoccio has always been there; the ladies of the area remember it well, who for years, especially in the most difficult periods, have eaten in quantity, even for days in a row, as it is extremely nutritious. The most common dish that is made with this legume is the maracucciata, which also gave its name to a restaurant all in his honor in Marina di Camerota. But over time, both its production and consumption has recovered, there to remind us of the power of the hinterland, also and especially on the coast.

What is the maracuoccio

Maracuoccio comes from Tues., which means bitter and Cuoccio, that is pod, therefore bitter pod. Some consider him an ancestor of the cicerchia, very similar to pea, albeit smaller; actually the legume he remembers most is the roveja dei Monti Sibillini, by shape (irregular), color (various tones all on brown) and flavor. What is certain is that the maracuoccio is unique. It is sown only in the area around Lentiscosa, above the wonderful beaches of Marina di Camerota, in the winter between December and March, and is harvested in the summer between June and July, depending on the climate. Do you think it is one of those rare products that does not exceed 5 quintals of production. This is why they worked hard to make it a Slow Food Presidium, which happened in 2016, above all thanks to Gaetano Belluccio, for all Nino, head of the Food Community, to Mimmo Caiazzo, head of the Slow Food Convivium of Camerota and Golfo di Policastro, and to Giuseppe Rivello, aka Jepis, at the time a trustee. Over time, theMaracuoccio Association with Mimmo's daughter (who has returned to work the land, including the maracuoccio), Carmen Caiazzo, and her husband Francesco Esposito, to try to increase in all ways the cultivation of this legume, subject to various problems, not least that of boars. But luckily they are doing a great job and the maracuoccio has spread more and more, in particular the flour obtained from it for the preparation of a dish from the area: the maracucciata, a sort of "Mediterranean polenta".

How the Maracucciata is prepared

The maracucciata is an ancient dish, which for years has fed the poorest families of Camerota, where it was not unusual to eat every day. It is prepared like this: you begin to heat salted water in a large copper pot, the "caurara"; then when it boils slowly add the sifted maracuoccio and wheat flour over low heat. In the past, for necessity, it was also allowed to use flours of other legumes, such as chickpeas, fava beans or cicerchie, indeed it was often done; today, however, it is important to avoid the false maracucciate, or at least 50% must be of maracuoccio flour. Once you are sure that you are starting from the correct basic ingredients, continue to mix the mixture with a long wooden stick, in order to avoid sticking to the pot or lumps. Meanwhile, apart from this, toast bread with oil and onion is browned, as desired also garlic or chilli. Finally, it all comes together and is served hot, better if accompanied by a piece of cheese and a glass of red wine. In recent years there has been a strong recovery of the maracuoccio, so much so that this substantial dish is found in various places, but only between Lentiscosa, Camerota and Marina di Camerota.

Where to find it

The temple of the maracuoccio is the place born in his honor, Maricucciata by Gaetano Belluccio. Here, in fact, you are sure to eat the real maracucciata, prepared precisely with at least 50% maracuoccio. But a few steps away is Davide Mea with his Taverna del Mozzo, where the maracuoccio appears in the breadsticks, in a cuttlefish soup or in the fresella with mozzarella in the mortella and Menaica anchovies, depending on the menu in progress. In the parallel street, however, more towards the square of Marina di Camerota, there are the Cellars of the Marquis, where a little is played on tradition, but it certainly does not blame the authenticity of the dishes (try also the mbuttunate mulignane, that is the stuffed, stuffed aubergines). Finally, a special place: above the Baia degli Infreschi there is theInfreschi Oasis, where you can get there only on foot from the beach or for the more daring directly from the port of Marina di Camerota. In any case, whatever the place of departure, the place of arrival does not change: the atmosphere is that of a true oasis, a place where you can find refreshment and hospitality, eating outdoors among the vegetable garden and olive trees, in a Cilento that, before of being sea, it is always and above all revealed as earth.

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Cilento, free coffee for those who clean the beach – Italian Cuisine

In establishments that use Cilento coffee, just go to the bar with a bag of garbage collected on the beach to receive a glass of coffee in exchange

A "prize" for those who contribute to keeping the beach clean: those who collect waste left on the coast are entitled to a free glass of coffee. It is the initiative, launched for the second consecutive year, by the Coffee Roasting Cilento, active for years in Laurito, in the province of Salerno: the "Clean Cilento" project it was created to sensitize bathers to take care of the beach.

On the other hand, according to the investigation Beachlitter by Legambiente, on every meter of sand of the 93 beaches examined are located almost 10 waste, and plastic alone accounts for 81%. But what is visible to our eyes on the beach is only 15% of the waste entering the marine ecosystem: the remaining 15% float on the surface of the sea and 70% remain suspended in the water column or sink. Among the 10 most found wastes there are pieces of plastic and polystyrene (and it is worrying because they are the "precursors" of microplastics, irreversible and incalculable pollution), the caps and lids of drinks – one for each meter of beach is found -, cigarette butts (the equivalent of 359 packets has been found of cigarettes in just 9 kilometers), cotton swabs (7.4% of all waste monitored) and construction material (with over 4,000 wastes linked to illegal spills on the beach). There are also 45 plastic bottles every 100 meters and 34 plastic dishes such as plates, glasses, cutlery and straws, every 100 meters.

To sensitize all swimmers, Caffè Cilento will distribute i leaflets which indicate how long it takes for the various materials to decompose. In the bathing establishments that use the Caffè Cilento brand, just go at the bar with a garbage bag collected on the beach to receive a glass of coffee in exchange. Which, of course, won't be plastic.