A fairly simple and balanced menu is typical for Calabria; holidaymakers would be pleasantly surprised with impressive restaurant servings; that’s another distinctive feature of the local cuisine. The region has a lot of unusual culinary features. Ciro wine is produced there; thousand years ago, it was given as a gift to winners of the Olympic Games. A very important place in the national menu is occupied by seafood. Local chefs are good in cooking swordfish, cod and tuna; fans of more savory treats will be able to enjoy delicious mussels, scallops and shrimp.
It’s simply impossible to imagine culinary traditions of this Italian region without olives. They are used not only for high quality oil; olives can be served as a separate dish. They can be stuffed with meat, seafood and herbs; sometimes olives are just flavored with oil and pepper – you won’t find a better complement to treats and local wine.
A typical national dish is pasta. Despite the fact that it is common in all regions of the country, Calabrian pasta is cooked in a special way. The main secret of local homemade pasta is unique sauces; experienced cooks keep their recipes private. The basis for most of classical sauces is vegetable broth; pasta is often seasoned with tomato paste.
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