On local tables, you will indeed find spaghetti alla chitarra, also called creoli, lamb with cheese and eggs, or roasted turcinelli. Nevertheless, Molise recipes express their own variations, making the dishes unique, such as seafood risottos, spaghetti with clams, and fish soups with white sauces. Or fusilli with tomato sprinkled generously with chili pepper.
A highlight is the cold cuts, ranging from smoked hams from Rionero Sannitico and Spinete, to capocolli, mulette from Macchiagodena, and soppressate, traditionally sliced “like a bugle’s beak.” Excellent vegetables and legumes are also prevalent, such as the lentils from Capracotta, used in many preparations. Chickpeas, beans, and turnip greens enrich pasta dishes and are the base for aromatic, steaming soups; they are also used in desserts, such as the Christmas “crucione“, whose soft chickpea dough is flavored with Milk, the typical Molise liquor, also present in yellow flour panettone. Regarding wines, Trebbiano and Montepulciano dominate, although there are noteworthy presences of grape varieties like Aglianico and Chardonnay.
Good dining spots include the Vecchia Trattoria da Tonino in Campobasso; Trattoria da Nonna Rosa in Campomarino; Pantagruel and Osteria del Paradiso in Isernia; Spirito di Vino and Osteria dentro le Mura in Termoli.
