Food and Wine
With the famous Tropea red onions
Regarding Calabrian cuisine, there is so much to say. Both Calabrian and Sicilian cuisines are some of my favorites, but for different reasons. I will stick to the description of the Calabrian for now, but read more about Sicilian in the link above. First off, Calabrian food is known for being the spiciest of all regional cuisines. This is principally because of the Calabrian chili (pepperoncino calabrese) used in many dishes, and also in the celebrated ‘nduja, which is a spicy spreadable sausage (now having a moment on anglophone menus as well; it is everywhere in the US). In Calabria, you will find it on bruschetta, pizza and pasta. The most famous type of pasta from the region is fileja, a tube-like shape, and you will often find it with ‘nduja and provolone. The city of Tropea, itself, is famous for red onions; strange, I know. However, once you commit this fact to memory, you will also see the cipolla rossa di Tropea pop up on menus around the world. These onions are delicately sweet and delicious when lightly coated in breadcrumbs and served as a starter.
A pistacchio flavored tartufo
This region, and specifically the seaside town of Pizzo, has claim to a dessert beloved all around the Italian peninsula: the Tartufo. The Tartufo di Pizzo was named because of the resemblance to the round ‘truffles’ found in the damp forested regions of central Italy (Umbria, Tuscany, namely). This ‘truffle’ on the other hand, is larger and completely made of multilayered chocolate and hazelnut rounded into a ball of ice cream and dusted with coco powder. Pizzo is, in fact, known as Italy’s gelato capital and the Tartufo was invented by Giuseppe De Maria in 1952; find out more about the origin story here. You will find ‘Tartuferia’ (like a gelateria, but specializing in this delectable ice cream ball) all around the region.
To conclude, if you like an amaro, that is, a digestive liqueur very popular with Italians at the end of meals, you should definitely try the Vecchio Amaro Del Capo. This is one of the most popular ‘amari’ found all over Italy, but it originates from Calabria. (I sometimes forget to include a references to the ever popular ‘digestivi’ ; although they are incredibly popular all over Italy, I am not a great fan.)
Wine
With a delicious bottle of Ciro Rosato and ruddy skin from long lazy beach days
The wine I am recommending for this region is Ciro. We drank a delicious bottle of rose overlooking the harbor of Tropea at the restaurant 3 Nodi. Ciro has been hailed as “Calabria's flagship wine”. This DOC protected wine and growing area are located on the southeast coast of Calabria on the Ionian coast. The red wine produced, Ciro Rosso, is more famous, but white and rose wines are produced as well. According to Wine Searcher, in Red Ciro about 95% should be the Gaglioppo grape “ with the remaining 5% from the white varieties Greco Bianco and Trebbiano Toscano”. For the DOC designation, the gaglioppo grade must make up at least 80% of the Ciro Rosso. The regional wine making tradition is ancient albeit not one of the best known in Italy now. Pliny the Elder, in the 1st century CE, identified Calabrian wine as a “quality Italian wine” in his listings.