Neapolitan cuisine

Neapolitan cuisinehas ancient historical roots that date back to theGreco-Romanperiod, which was enriched over the centuries by the influence of the different cultures that controlledNaplesand itskingdoms, such as that ofAragonandFrance.
Since Naples was the capital of theKingdom of Naples, its cuisine took much from the culinary traditions of all theCampaniaregion, reaching a balance between dishes based on rural ingredients (pasta, vegetables,cheese) and seafood dishes (fish,crustaceans,mollusks). A vast variety of recipes is influenced by the local aristocratic cuisine, such astimballoand thesartù di riso, pasta or rice dishes with very elaborate preparation, and dishes from popular traditions prepared with inexpensive but nutritionally healthy ingredients, likepasta e fagioli(lit.'pasta and beans') and other pasta dishes with vegetables.
Naples has a history that goes back many centuries: the city itself predates many others in that area of the world, includingRome. It has endured theGreeks,Romans, theGoths, theByzantines, and dozens of successions of kings fromFranceandSpain. Each culture left a mark on the way food is prepared in Naples and Campania itself.
Finding the connections between modern and Greco-Roman culinary traditions is not always easy. Among the traces of classical culinary tastes, plates from the period of Greek rule found inMagna Graecia(southern Italy) depict fishes and mollusks, an indication that seafood was appreciated during that period. Frescoes fromPompeiidepict fruit baskets filled withfigsandpomegranates. An excavation atOplontisin theVilla Poppaeashows a fresco of a cake, the ingredients of which are not yet known.
The Romangarumis the ancient sauce most similar to that used for the moderncolatura di alici, typical ofCetara. It can be traced back to the sweet-sour taste typical of the Roman cooking described byApicius, along with the use ofraisinsin salty dishes, like thepizza di scarola(endivepie), or thebracioleal ragù(meat rolls inragùsauce). The use ofwheatin the modernpastieracake, typical ofEaster, could have had originally a symbolic meaning, related to cults ofArtemis,CybeleandCeresand pagan rituals of fertility, celebrated around theSpring equinox. The namestruffoli, a Christmas cake, comes from the Greek word στρόγγυλος (stróngylos, meaning 'round-shaped').
The Spanish and French sovereignty in Naples initiated the difference between the cuisine of the aristocrats and that of the poorer classes. The former was characterized by elaborate, more cosmopolitan, dishes, and a greater number of expensive ingredients, including meat. The poor used foods that were cheaper and could be grown locally (that is, cereals and vegetables). These were embellished over the centuries and came into contact with the influence of the aristocratic cuisine, so that today traditional recipes of the poorer classes have often acquired great quality and taste, while preserving the original simple ingredients.
One of the most famous chefs from the nobles' courts in Naples wasVincenzo Corrado[it].
There is a great variety of Neapolitanpastas. Pasta was not invented in Naples, but one of the best grades available is found quite close by, inGragnano, and inTorre Annunziata, a few kilometers from the capital. It was here also that the industrial production of pasta started, with the techniques to dry and preserve it. The main ingredient isdurum wheat, harder to manipulate thansoft wheat, so the industrial production had greater success than innorthern Italy, where home-made pasta is more popular. Traditionally in Naples pasta must be cookedal dente, while soft pasta is not tolerated.
The most popular variety of pasta, besides the classicspaghettiandlinguine, are thepaccheriand theziti, long pipe-shaped pasta, broken by hand before cooking and usually topped withNeapolitan ragù. Pasta with vegetables is usually also prepared withpasta mista(pasta ammescatainNeapolitan language), which is now produced industrially as a distinct variety of pasta, but which was once sold cheaply, made up of broken pieces of different kinds of pasta.
Hand-madegnocchi, prepared withflourand potatoes, have become a popular method of overcoming the Neapolitan disdain for potatoes. In 1949W. H. AudenwroteIgor Stravinskyfrom Forio in Ischia, "Forio thinks us crazy because we eat potatoes, which are to them a mark of abject poverty." In reporting this,Francis Steegmuller, a longtime resident of Naples, remarks on the French-inspiredgattò, in which "the potato complement is nearly overwhelmed by cheese, ham and other ingredients".Some of the more modern varieties of pasta, likescialatielli, are also becoming popular.
Tomatoesentered the Neapolitan cuisine during the 18th century.
The industry of preserving tomatoes originated in 19th-century Naples, resulting in the export to all parts of the world of the famouspelati(peeled tomatoes) and theconcentrato(tomato paste). There are traditionally several ways of preparing home-made tomato preserves, either bottled tomato juice, or chopped into pieces. The famousconserva(sun dried concentrated juice) tomato is cooked for a long time and becomes a dark red cream with a velvety texture.
Some Campanian dishes using vegetables, like theparmigiana di melanzane(auberginepie) orpeperoni ripieni(stuffedpeppers) can become real stars of the table. Some of the most typical products arefriarielli(a local variety ofBrassica rapa),Cichorium endivia, smooth or curly (two varieties ofendive), several types ofbroccoli, verza (Savoy cabbage, a variety ofBrassica oleracea sabauda) and others, used to prepare theminestra maritata. Different types ofbeans,chickpeasand otherlegumesare very popular.
Zucchiniare widely used; the largest ones are fried withvinegarand freshmint(a scapece). The male flowers of zucchini can be fried in a salty dough (sciurilli[it]).
Regular red and yellow peppers are widely used, and a local variety of small green peppers (not spicy),peperoncini verdi, are usually fried.
Saladis a side dish of many dishes, especially seafood ones.Lettuce, and more often theincappucciata(a local variety of theiceberg lettuce), more crispy, is mixed withcarrots,fennel,rucola(some time ago it spontaneously grew in landfields, and was sold in the streets together with the less noblepucchiacchella),radishes, traditionally the long and spicy ones, which today are more and more rare, almost completely replaced by the round and sweeter ones.
Blackolivesused in Neapolitan cooking are always the ones fromGaeta.
During theSecond World War, it was not rare, in the poorest families, to use less appealing ingredients. Recipes have been reported of pasta cooked with empty pods offava beansorpeas.
Cheeses, both soft and aged, are an important part of the Italian diet and also have their place in Neapolitan cooking: some recipes are descended from very old Roman traditions.
Starting from the freshest ones, the most used are:
Neapolitan cooking has always used an abundance of all kinds of seafood from theTyrrhenian Sea. Dr Johnson's friendHester Thralewas enthusiastic for "the most excellent, the most incomparable fish I ever ate;red mulletslarge as our mackerel, and of singularly high flavour; besidecalamaroor ink-fish, a dainty worth of imperial luxury".In 1759, whenFerdinando Galianiwas sent as secretary to the Neapolitan ambassador in Paris, he pined for familiar foods; he found "no fruit, no cheese, no good seafood— everything here does violence to the Neapolitan temperament".Recipes use either less expensive fishes, in particularanchovies, and other fishes, like the ones used to prepare thezuppa:scorfano(Scorpaena scrofa),tracina(Trachinus draco),cuoccio(Triglia lanterna), or fishes of medium and large size, likespigola(European seabass) andorate(gilt-head bream), presently sold mainly from fish farms, or likedentice(Dentex dentex),sarago(Diplodus sargus) andpezzogna(Pagellus bogaraveo). Fishes of very small size are also used:
Thebaccalà(cod) andstockfish, imported fromnorthern Europeseas, are either fried or cooked with potatoes and tomatoes.
Mostcephalopodsare employed (octopus,squid,cuttlefish), as well ascrustacea(mainlyshrimp).
Shellfishcozze(mussels),vongole(clams),cannolicchi(Ensis siliqua,taratufi,telline(Donax trunculus),sconcigli(Haustellum brandaris) are employed in many seafood meals, and sometimes are eaten raw, but this happens more and more seldom nowadays. Clams require a special note. Thevongola veraceisVenerupis decussata, not to be confused with the Philippines clam (Venerupis philippinarum), very frequently found on the markets, and often calledveracein northern Italy's markets), and thelupino(Dosinia exoleta).
It is now forbidden by law to sell and eat thesea dates(datteri di mare,Lithophaga lithophaga), as their fishing seriously damages coastline rocks, mainly in theSorrentopeninsula.
Meat is not used as frequently in Neapolitan cooking as in the cuisine of Northern Italy. The most common kinds of meat used in Neapolitan cooking are:
The most popularbreadispane cafoneprepared with naturalyeast, cooked in awood-fired ovenwith hard crust and large holes inside. Also used aresfilatini, somewhat similar to a Frenchbaguette, but shorter and thicker.Rosettarolls and other varieties are also present.
From the classicpummaròla(lit.'tomato sauce') to the simplestaglio e uoglio(lit.'garlicandoil'), down to a wide variety of sauces, with vegetables or seafood, up to theragù, southern Italy's creativity enhances itspastadishes.
Cuisine traditionally attributed to the poor often mixes pasta withlegumes. The most popular are:pasta e fagioli(pasta withbeans), sometimes enriched withpork rind(cotiche),pasta e ceci(lit.'pasta andchickpeas'),pasta e lenticchie(lit.'pasta andlentils'),pasta e piselli(lit.'pasta andpeas'). Nowadayscicerchie(Lathyrus sativus) have become very rare. Similarly tolegumes, other vegetables are associated with pasta, likepasta e patate(lit.'pasta andpotatoes'),pasta e cavolfiore(lit.'pasta andcauliflower'),pasta e zucca(lit.'pasta andpumpkin'). The most traditional cooking method consists in cooking the condiments first, for instance,pan frygarlicwithoil, then add steamed beans, or fryonionandcelery, then add potatoes cut into little dices; then, after frying, water is added, brought to boiling temperature, salted, and pasta is added and stirred frequently. While cooking with all the other ingredients, pasta does not lose itsstarch, which would have been lost if cooked separately in salty water and then drained. Cooking pasta together with vegetables makes the sauce creamier (azzeccato), and is a way of preparing pasta distinct from the tradition of "noble" cuisine, which prepares similar dishes in a way more similar to broth or soups, adding pasta after cooking it separately. One more hearty dish in the cuisine of the poor is pasta simply cooked with cheese and eggsstracciatella(pasta caso e ova).
Spaghetti, dressed with tomato sauce, black olives fromGaetaandcapersare calledspaghetti alla puttanesca. An imaginative recipe was created on the tables of the poor, where the expensive shellfishes were missing: spaghetti, dressed withcherry tomatoessauce, garlic, oil and parsley are calledspaghetti alle vongole fujute, where clams are present only in the imagination of the people eating the dish.
Thefrittatacan be prepared with pasta leftovers, either with tomato sauce or white. Pasta, cookedal denteis mixed with raw scrambled egg and cheese, then pan fried. It can be enriched with many different ingredients. Must be cooked on both sides, flipped with the help of a plate. If well cooked, it is compact, and can be cut into slices. It can be eaten during outdoor lunches.
The aristocratic cuisine used pasta for elaborate recipes, like thetimballi, rarely used in everyday food.
Richer sauces, more elaborate than the vegetable pasta dishes mentioned above, that are frequently used to dress pasta include:
With theNeapolitan ragùthe most traditionally used pasta are theziti, long macaroni, that are broken into shorter pieces by hand before cooking. The Neapolitan ragù is also used, together withfior di latte, to dress thegnocchi alla sorrentina[it], then cooked in oven in a small single-portion clay pot (pignatiello).
Spaghetti with Clamsat the Wikibooks Cookbook subproject
Spaghetti,linguineandpaccherimatch very well with fish and seafood. From this union come the dishes typical of important lunches or dinners (weddings, in particular). The most typical ones are:
There are many more varieties, for instance spaghetti with a white sauce of Mediterraneancod.
Sometimes the traditional dishes of pasta with legumes can be mixed with seafood, so there are, for instance,pasta e fagioli con le cozze(lit.'pasta and beans with mussels'), or other more modern variations, like pasta with zucchini andclams, that lose any traditional connotation.
The most famous rice dish is thesartù di riso, a sort oftimballomade with rice, stuffed with chicken livers,sausage, littlemeatballs,fior di latteorprovola,peas,mushrooms, and with Neapolitan ragù, or, in the white version (in bianco) withbéchamel sauce.
In the cuisine of the poor, rice is also cooked asriso e verza(lit.'rice andcabbage'), flavored with little pieces ofParmesan cheesecrusts that slightly melt while cooking.
A seafood rice dish is therisotto alla pescatora(lit.'fisherman'srisotto'), prepared with various mollusks (different types of clams, squid and cuttlefish), shrimps and a broth made from the boiling of seafood shells.
Arancini(palle 'e riso), more typical ofSicilian cuisine, are also frequently eaten in Naples.
Pizzais the most popular and best known creation of all Neapolitan cuisine. It soon became very popular among the people as well as barons or princes: it was present in theBourboncourt.King Ferdinand Iexperienced cooking pizza inCapodimonte's porcelain ovens. AfterItalian unification, the new kings were also attracted by this southern food. ThepizzaioloRaffaele Espositois often credited with popularising a particular variety of Neapolitan pizza. In 1889 he prepared in honor of queenMargherita of Savoya nationalistic pizza, where the colours of theItalian flagwere represented by themozzarella(white),tomato(red) andbasil(green). Since then this pizza is called thepizza Margherita.Pizza can be cheap and nutritious, so it had great success very quickly. Sometimes pizza is made in home ovens, but the real Neapolitan pizza must be cooked in awood-fired oven, hand-made by an ablepizzaiolowho makes the dough disk thinner in the center and thicker in the outer part; the ingredients and olive oil are rapidly spread on the disk, and with a quick movement the pizza is put on the shovel and then slid in the oven where it is turned around a few times for uniform cooking.
One of the most famous main courses is a seafood dish recipe coming from the quarter "Santa Lucia":polpi alla lucìana,octopuscooked withchili pepperand tomato. Octopus is also simply steamed, and prepared as salad with lemon juice,parsleyand green olives. A richer seafood salad can be prepared also mixingsquid,cuttlefishandprawns.
Medium size fishes are cookedall'acqua pazza, with tomato, garlic and parsley; the larger ones are simply grilled, accompanied, in the most important meals, with king size prawns.
Musselsare prepared in different ways: rapidly steamed withblack pepper(all'impepata), and dressed with a few drops of lemon juice each; also cookedalgratin. Clams and other shellfishes are also cookedsauté, rapidly passed in a large pan with olive oil, garlic, and served on crust breads.
Cheap fish can also produce very tasty recipes. The most popular one isanchovy.
The best recipes are:
Cicenielli, the tiny baby fishes, are either steamed and dressed with oil and lemon, or deep-fried in a light dough, which is also used to deep-fry little pieces of some sea algae.
Thefrittura di paranza(deep-fried fishes) is usually done with small-sized local fishes, likecod,goatfish, anchovies and others. It should be eaten very hot, right after being fried (frijenno magnanno). Baby shrimps, sold alive, are fried with no flour, unlike theparanza.
Vegetable dishes can become very rich and elaborated. The most famous are:
Fried fish was already mentioned above in the text; many vegetables are deep-fried with flour and egg (dorate e fritte):artichoke, zucchini,cauliflower. The richest versions add pieces of liver,ricottaand, in the past, cow's brain.Mozzarellacan be prepareddorata e frittaas well and alsoin carrozza, passed in flour and egg together with two bread slices softened inmilk, to form a small sandwich. Typical Neapolitan fried food are also thecrocchè, stuffed potato balls passed inbreadcrumbsand deep fried, or also thesciurilli[it], zucchini's male flowers fried in a dough, that can also be bought on the streets of Naples historical center in typical fried food shops, calledfriggitoria, together withscagliozzi[it](fried slices ofpolenta),pastacresciute[it](fried bread dough balls) andaubergineslices.
Onions, fried up to a golden color, are the base for the famousfrittatadi cipolle(onionomelette).
After pasta, the main second-course meals are frequently accompanied by side dishes.
The most popular ones are:
Savory pies are convenient for outdoor food. The most popular savory pies are:
Neapolitan cuisine has a large variety of cakes and desserts. The most famous ones are:
Ice creams are famous as well. The most traditional are thecoviglie[it]and thespumoni.
Holiday recipes deserve a dedicated section because of their variety and richness.
Christmas Eve dinner is usually the time when all family members join. It is typically done withspaghetti alle vongole, followed bycapitonefrittoandbaccalà fritto(deep friedeelandstockfish); as a side-dish there is theinsalata di rinforzo[it], a salad made with steamedcauliflower,giardiniera, spicy and sweet peppers (pupaccelle), olives andanchovies, all dressed with oil andvinegar.
Christmas cakes are:
Christmas Eve dinner is completed with theciociole, which are dried fruits (walnuts,hazelnutsandalmonds), driedfigsand thecastagne del prete, bakedchestnuts.
Christmas lunch has typically theminestra maritataor hand-made pasta with chicken broth.
The mainEasterdishes are thecasatielloortortano, a salty pie made with bread dough stuffed with various types of salami and cheese, also used the day after Easter for outdoor lunches. Typical of Easter lunches and dinners is thefellata, a banquet ofsalamiandcapocolloand saltyricotta. Typical dishes are alsolamborgoatbaked with potatoes and peas. Easter cake is thepastiera.
Carnivalhas the Neapolitan version oflasagna, that has nobéchamel sauce, unlike other Italian versions. As dessert, there is thesanguinaccio dolcewithsavoiardibiscuits, or also thechiacchiere, diffused all over Italy with different names.
2 November (All Souls' Day) cake is thetorrone dei morti, which, unlike the usualtorroneis not made withhoneyandalmonds, but withcocoaand a variety of stuffings, likehazelnuts, dried and candy fruits or alsocoffeeand more.
Fruit is often present at the end of a meal. Local production is abundant, one of the most popular local products is theannurcaapple, a local type ofapplewhose origins are old indeed: it is believed to have first been planted by the Romans. Slices ofwatermelon('o mellone) were in old times sold in little street shops (mellunari), nowadays disappeared. The sweet and tasty yellowpeach('o percuoco c' 'o pizzo, inNeapolitan) is also sometimes used, chopped in pieces to add flavor to red wine coming fromMonte di Procida, cold and somewhat similar to Spanishsangria.
ManywinesfromCampaniamatch very well to the local cuisine. Among white wines the most famous areGreco di Tufo,Falanghina,Fiano di Avellinoand Asprinio di Aversa, while the most famous red wines are Aglianico del Taburno,Taurasi, Campi Flegrei Piedirosso, also known aspere 'e palummo,SolopacaandLacryma ChristifromVesuvius, that is produced both white and red.
The most abundant lunches or dinners end withcoffeeandliqueur.Limoncellois now world-famous, but once upon a time the most preferred one was theliquore ai quattro frutti, withlemon,orange,tangerineandlimo(not to be confused withlime),
which is a local variation ofbergamot orange, now very rare.Nocinois also very popular all over Italy, and is the most appreciated bitter liqueur.
In Naples, the use of buying and eating food in the streets dates to very ancient times. The origins probably date back to Romanthermopoliaor maybe earlier. Typical fried food can still today be bought in little shops, likepastacresciute[it](deep fried bread dough balls),scagliozzi[it](deep friedpolentaslices) andsciurilli[it](deep fried malezucchiniflowers), or deep friedaubergines.Pizzais also prepared in small sizes to be eaten in the street, the so-calledpizza a libretto, still found in Naples pizzerias in Via dei Tribunali, Port'Alba and Piazza Cavour. In Via Pignasecca, in the historical center, there are still somecarnacuttarishops, selling various types oftripe,'O pere e 'o musso(pork's foot and cow's nose) or the oldzuppa 'e carnacotta(tripe soup).
FromMergellinato Via Caracciolo there are still several little shops sellingtarallinzogna e pepe(salty biscuits with pork's fat and black pepper). Nowadays the old typical'o broro 'e purpo(octopusbroth) has become extremely rare to find.
A few decades ago, street shops sold 'o spassatiempo, a mix of bakedhazelnuts,pumpkinseeds, toastedchickpeasandlupinsunderbrine.
Many Neapolitan cookery books report classic recipes, but also re-interpretations in Neapolitan style of other recipes. So, it is not unusual to find recipes likecotolettaalla milanese,carne alla genovese,sugo alla bolognese, and other. Books with both classic and revisited recipes are:
The oldest Neapolitan cuisine is reported in the books of classic authors, including: