Abruzzo
Abruzzo is a mountainous region on the Adriatic coast, bordering Le Marche to the north, Lazio to the west (with Rome a scant fifty miles away), and Molise to the southeast. Its terrain varies from snowcapped mountain peaks (including Corno Grande, highest peak of the Apennines chain), to high plains and meadows, to the rocky coast and beaches. Although it has a fair length of coastline, much of it is rocky and there are few good ports; therefore Abruzzo can be considered more of a central region than a coastal region, the highlands playing a far greater role in its cuisine than the sea.
The varied terrain and climate gave rise to an age-old movement of shepherds and their sheep and lambs called the transumanza. Every year the shepherds would move their herds from summer mountain pastures to winter lowlands and back again. This constant movement spread ideas and recipes across the region, and played a large role in the creation of an Abruzzo cuisine. Today this migration is done by truck, and there are fewer numbers of sheep moved around, but the influence of the transumanza is still felt in the region’s cuisine.
Lamb and pork are the most common meats in the cooking of Abruzzo. They are both roasted and braised, often in wine and tomato sauce and flavored with garlic and peperoncino, and are sometimes served with polenta. The meats are also flavored with saffron, Abruzzo being the only Italian region to grow it.
Rabbit and hare are also common, and traditionally were braised in a terra-cotta pot, a preparation known as al coccio. The rabbit would be seared in olive oil with garlic and rosemary, then braised in white wine and tomato sauce, with olives sometimes added at the end. This was the main way the Abruzzo cooks prepared rabbit until they learned the lean animal could be roasted, if protected from drying out by a layer of prosciutto, pancetta, or, in one recipe, cabbage leaves.
The classic pasta of Aburrzo is called maccheroni alla chitarra, and is a rough, rustic string noodle made from semolina flour and eggs, and cut on a wooden box with six wires. The pasta is often served with a wild boar ragu.
In terms of dairy, Abruzzo is known in particular for one cheese, called scamorza. It is a semifresh cow’s milk cheese similar to mozzarella. It is sometimes charred over a wood fire, giving it a smoky, browned skin, and a hot, creamy inside.
