Campanian cuisine encompasses the culinary traditions of theSouthern Italian region ofCampania.
Within Campania, culinary practice varies by location, between provinces and sometimes towns. Over small distances, these changes are gradual, but over large distances they become more pronounced, causing the cuisine in some northern areas to more closely resemble the regions they border than those further south within Campania. Some commonalities in dishes andfoodways exist across Campania, and thecuisine of Naples exerts a strong influence, as it has done over Southern Italy for centuries.[1]
Near the city of Naples sitsMount Vesuvius, an active volcano visible across the region. Over thousands of years of eruptions, the volcano's lava flows have produced a black, fertile soil in the surrounding area.[2] For this fertility, the Romans named the part of the region with which they were most familiar, covering from Naples toLazio,Felix Campania ("Fortunate Campania"). In the soils of the plains, they harvested between two and four crops per year, which remains true today despite thousands of years of intervening agricultural use.[3]
Elsewhere in Campania, where the soil is less fertile than it is around Naples, fewer crops are grown. In the northern plains of theProvince of Caserta, crops—fruits, vegetables, chestnuts, and tobacco—are grown intermittently to permit the soil to replenish its nutrients, and in the inland, mountainous provinces ofAvellino andBenevento to the north-east of Naples, cereals and grapes are grown, alongside hazelnuts in Avellino.[4][5] In the plains ofSalerno and Casertawater buffalo are reared, as well as in valleys, made accessible through projects preventing periodic flooding.[3] Inland, little seafood is eaten, and many dishes are based on pasta made without eggs.[4]
Below the city of Naples, the plains give way to an area containing cliffs on which citrus and grapes are grown on terraces.Sorrento, a town in the area, specialises in walnuts. Further down is Salerno, which contains mountains on which olive trees are grown, a bay, and plains situated below the capital city, containing orchards and vegetable gardens.[4][5]
Various foodstuffs and techniques used in Campanian cuisine have been introduced as groups occupied areas ofSouthern Italy. Under the Ancient Greeks, durum wheat, olives, and grapes were planted. From Sicily under Arab rule, almonds, honey, raisins, lemons, oranges, and pine nuts entered the Campanian cuisine, along withorange blossom water and the technique of stuffing vegetables. At times, strong influence came from the Spanish and French.[4] In Benevento, a portion of the population identify as descendants from the ancientItalic people of theSamnites, describing their cuisine ascucina sannita.[6]
The notion that a cooking style could be understood as "Campanian" existed as early as the late 13th century, when the earliest cookbook on Italian cooking,Liber de Coquina, described "small leaves" (likely cabbage), prepared in the "Campanian manner".[7] Vegetables were the foundation of the diet for most Campanians until the mid-16th century, and the people were known internationally asmangiafoglie (leaf-eaters).[8]
Garlic is used in small quantities in Campanian cooking, where it is often simmered in oil to impart flavour before being removed. An exception is seen in the mountainous regions, which permit some browned, crispy garlic as garnish. Few dishes use both garlic and onion, based on perceptions that the two would "cancel each other out".[9]
Marjoram, mint, andoregano grow wild across Campania. The flavours of oregano and marjoram vary dramatically across geography, and are used interchangeably at times when oregano has taken on enough sweetness. Oregano is almost always dried before use. The other major herbs of Campanian cooking are basil and parsley. Cooks prepare these in different ways: basil may be added to dishes whole, sliced, or torn, while parsley is often only run through once with a knife to prevent the release ofaromatic compounds that comes with many cuts. Some herbs are associated with other foods, for instance basil with tomato, and mint with grilled zucchini and fish.[10]
The peaches of Campania are held in high regard across Italy, and marketing in other areas of Italy emphasizes a Campanian origin.[11][12] Locally, themorello cherry is highly valued and expensive.[13] is the main producer of walnuts in Italy, with the harvest taking place from September to March. These are eaten in cooked preparations, as well as uncooked, with fruit, at the end of meals.[14]
Anchovies, sold packed in salt whole with their bones, are used in Campanian cooking to add flavour. Salerno is known for their anchovies, which are eaten locally spread across bread with butter. The juice released from anchovies as they cure (known ascolatura di alici) is also consumed, used to season spaghetti.[15][a]
Until the 1970s, the primary fat used in Campanian cooking waslard. While it is still used in some dishes, beliefs around health effects have led to its replacement by olive oil and sometimes margarine.[16] The region produces large amounts of olive oil with olives grown elsewhere in Italy. This oil has a fruity flavour, neither as heavy as the oil produced in Tuscany nor as light as that produced in Liguria. Campanians use extra-virgin olive oil in a myriad of cooking applications, opting for vegetable oils to fry when costs make olive oil inaccessible.[17]
Sweets in Campania take the form of baked goods and pastries, frozen desserts, and iced drinks. Egg-richpastry cream, thickened and flavoured, features prominently; used as a base for frozen desserts, as a layer in fruit tarts, and to fill pastries and cakes includingzeppole, cream puffs, sponge cakes, andzuppa inglese.[11] Desserts built fromladyfingers, sponge cake, or cream puffs are known locally asdelizia and often have an element of alcohol dousing the cake, typically rum, brandy, or a liqueur. In areas which produce alcohol, the local beverage is preferred:Strega in Benevento, andlimoncello in Amalfi, Capri and Sorrento.[18]Rum baba, a small, leavened cake soaked in rum and syrup is very popular despite its origin outside the region—food writer Arthur Schwartz describes it as the "king of the cakes" in Naples.[19]
Few desserts in Campania are made at home, and the average home cook has a repertoire limited to simple cakes and puddings, for examplepineapple upside-down cake,baked apple,[b] andtorta caprese. Most pastries and cakes are purchased atpasticceria ('pastry shop').Sfogliatella, a shell-shaped pastry filled withsemolina or ricotta often flavoured withorange blossom water is popular in cafés across Campania in the mornings.[11][20][21] Another widely consumed pastry ispastiera, a tart containing an egg, ricotta, andwhole wheat filling. Although as of the 1970s it was only made during Easter, it is now eaten year-round.[22][23]Torta caprese, associated withCapri but sold across Campania, is made from chocolate and ground almonds, and without flour or leavening. In almost all renditions, a design in sugar is stencilled across the surface.[24]
Several desserts are made during holidays, sometimes having originated as specialties of monasteries.[25]Struffoli, a pyramid of fried dough balls coated in a syrup, is made at Christmas and during the last week ofCarnival, the dough and the syrup flavoured with lemon, honey, orange and spices.[26][27] Abeignet version ofzeppole is eaten duringSaint Joseph's Day, while a heavier, unleavened zeppole that has been dunked in hot honey is popular at Christmas. Also eaten at Christmas are several spiced cookies, including the chocolate-coatedmustacciuoli.[28] During the season ofLent,quaresimali, a type ofbiscotti are eaten. They contain large quantities of whole and ground almonds, and have no fat added in accordance with Lenten obligations.[29] In the middle of the Italian summer during theFeast of the Assumption,melanzane al cioccolato is made in homes along theAmalfi Coast. Cooks layer fried eggplant and melted chocolate, and add fillings such as candied fruits and pine nuts.[30]
Meals are most commonly ended with fresh fruit, often apples, apricots, citrus, cherries, figs, or peaches. Frozen desserts, such assemifreddo,spumoni andgranita, also often feature.[25][26][31]
Local coffee is made using theNeapolitan flip coffee pot, which uses gravity to force water through the grounds. The drink produced has a less intense flavour than that made inmoka pots orespresso machines, which operate using steam and pressure.[25]Limoncello, associated with Amalfi, Capri, and Sorrento, is produced commercially and in homes across Campania. Unlike elsewhere in Italy, Campanians often serve limoncello at room temperature and understand it as an indulgence rather than adigestif. Recipes often include both green and yellow lemons: green for fragrance, yellow for flavour.[32]
Large quantities of wine are produced in the region, with most not held in high regard internationally. An exception is seen in the area around the city ofAvellino, where grapes of theGreco,Fiano, andAglianico varieties are grown. These are used to produce the winesGreco di Tufo andFiano di Avellino [it], both verydry whites, andTaurasi, along-aged red with a strong flavour. Other wines of Campania include those produced on the islands of Capri and Ischia,[25]Sant' Agata dei Goti,[12] andLacryma Christi, made with grapes grown on the slopes of Vesuvius.[25]
Other regional cooking traditions inItalian cuisine:
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