Hard wheat pasta such as paccheri from Gragnano find a worthy seasoning in veracious clams, baby octopuses, sea truffles; or in tasty garden vegetables, such as Vesuvian cherry tomatoes and chickling vetch. Rich and delicious are also the soups, such as fava bean soup, and the “minestra maritata,” based on chicory.
From the coasts come fish and crustaceans of many varieties: turbot, sea bass, gilt-head bream, common pandora, and “pezzogna,” typical of the Gulf of Naples and the Amalfi Coast, which go into grilled, oven-baked, or “acqua pazza” (crazy water) cooking methods. Regarding meats, the most traditional are goat kid, lamb, and pork; while from the pastures come smoked Scamorza, Podolian Caciocavallo, buffalo mozzarella, and snowy ricotta cheeses. Also sumptuous are the pastries and desserts section, with specialties echoing the Bourbon splendors: babà, pastiera, and sfogliatelle.
Among wines, worthy of mention are regional DOCs like Greco di Tufo, Cilento, Fiano di Avellino, Costa d’Amalfi, or Campi Flegrei. Addresses not to miss are finally: Amici Miei, A Fenestella, Ciro a Santa Brigida, La Sacrestia di Napoli, Mimì Alla Ferrovia, in Naples; Il Principe in Pompei (Naples); Buca di Bacco, Il Capitano, La Sponda of the Hotel Sirenuse, in Positano (Salerno); Marina Grande, Da Maria, La Caravella, in Amalfi (Salerno); Antica Trattoria Martella and La Maschera Locanda d’Autore, in Avellino; Da Paolino, in Capri-Marina Grande; Alberto, in Ischia Porto, La Favorita ‘O Parrucchiano, in Sorrento.
