Cuisine of Basilicata
The local gastronomy is, for historical-cultural reasons, typically peasant, based on simple recipes and on the culture of reuse, in particular of meat and bread.
[1] Some dishes have undergone variations and enrichments in modern times, losing the connotations of "poor" cooking which characterized them in the past.
Among the most used legumes and cereals there are beans, chickpeas, chickling peas, broad beans, barley and spelt, which are widely used in different recipes such as crapiata and ciaudedda; and used for the production of mischiglio, a mixture of flours dating back to the sixteenth century, used for the preparation of dishes served on the tables of counts, barons, marquises and landowners of Basilicata.
Peperone crusco, a variety of dried bell pepper, is a key element of the regional cooking, so much to be labeled as "the red gold of Basilicata".
A very used aromatic element is horseradish, defined by people from Basilicata as "poor man's truffle", historically common on the tables of labourers because of its accessible costs and its wide spreading in the territory.
[8] Horseradish is a fundamental ingredient of condiments such as ndruppeche, main courses such as rafanata or by mixing it with bread and potatoes to prepare meatballs, as well as to flavor meat.
A condiment frequently found in Lucanian dishes is breadcrumbs which, in the past, was considered the "poor man's cheese", representing an alternative to more expensive dairy products.
[12] Some notable pasta dishes are: Ingredients which stand out in Lucanian second courses are pork and sheep meat, with some exceptions of chicken and fish.
Other bakery products are friselle and taralli, as well as those of arbëreshë origin such as cugliaccio (kulac), a sweet linked to weddings and Easter festivities; and petulla Shën Paljit, a thin crepe with a savory taste stuffed with cheese and cold cuts.
[63] Typical fruits of the region are Pear Lady of Sinni Valley, Pink Fig of Pisticci, strawberries "Sabrosa" and "Candonga", and orange Staccia of Metapontino.
Common types of dried fruits are almonds, pistachios (the ones from Stigliano are well known)[64] and chestnuts, in particular those of Vulture such as the marroncino of Melfi which are a central ingredient of first and second courses, desserts, liqueurs[65] and sought after by the processing industries for the preparation of marron glacé.
Among the most relevant wines there are Aglianico del Vulture, Grottino di Roccanova, Matera and Terre dell'Alta Val d'Agri.
