Campania
The cuisine of Campania and its capital, Napoli, is as diverse as the groups that invaded the region throughout history. The Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Saracens, Normans, Angevins, Aragonese, and Bourbons all occupied the region at some point, and each group left some mark on the cuisine.
Campania is a land of la cucina povera. While its castles entertained various royal appetites, the common folk had very little to eat, and so everything available was used, including the scraps and the less desirable cuts of meat not suitable to serve to the king. Braising, then, is one of the most important cooking techniques in Campania cuisine, as it transforms the scrap cuts into something edible and delicious.
Ever since tomatoes first arrived in Campania in the 16th century, they have played a huge role in the region’s cuisine. The tomatoes are very useful for the region’s braised meals, as their acid helps to tenderize tough meats. Tomatoes and wine are used to braise beef, leg of veal, pork loin, and rabbit, while pancetta, garlic, and herbs are usually used for flavoring.
Tomatoes are also used, of course, to toss dried pasta, a mainstay in Campania. A traditional Campania pasta dish is vermicelli with tomatoes, pancetta, garlic, olive oil, and chile pepper. In Naples, pasta was popularized by street vendors who used to serve it from carts, at a price that even the poorest of the hungry common folk could afford. One of their traditional dishes was a string pasta tossed with a simple, flavorful sauce of olive oil, garlic, oregano, and peperoncino.
Another traditional Neapolitan street vendor, the friggitoro, or fryer of food, sold various fried foods in a kiosk wheeled through side streets and alleys. Their offerings included fried dough drizzled with olive oil, croquettes of rice and cheese, and fritters of broccoli or artichokes.
Ingredients important to the Campania kitchen are sun-dried tomatoes, olives and olive oil, garlic, chile, anchovies, capers, pine nuts, and golden raisins.
