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Il "Farro" (Torano spelt)The prosperity that we now enjoy has led to a rich and varied diet which often includes an excess of proteins, fats and sugars and scant quantities of bread, pasta and vegetables. This kind of unbalanced diet is one of the root causes of the classic illnesses of modern society, and today there is a need to return to a more genuine diet, and therefore to reintroduce whole grain unprocessed cereals which are a part of any healthy diet. At the top of the list of whole grain cereals is spelt, the first known cereal in the human diet, widely used and appreciated as far back as the Etruscan, Egyptian and Roman civilizations. The advent of more profitable cereals drove spelt from the market, but the healthy remarkably nutritional cereal has made a comeback. Spelt does not require chemical fertilizers or pesticides since it is a very hardy plant well-adapted to the sunny dry hills of our hinterland. In Abruzzo the most prized spelt is grown in the Torano area. Spelt, or Triticum dicoccum can be used in many different ways. It is mainly used in soups with bran or whole grains, although tasty spelt bread and pasta (spaghetti, linguine, penne etc.) are now being rediscovered. And don't forget that you can also make sweets with spelt flour (cookies, pies etc) to satisfy the most sophisticated palates. |
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Il "Marrone" di Valle Castellana (Chestnuts of Valle Castellana)Il "Marrone" di Valle Castellana (Chestnuts of Valle Castellana) There are large tracts of chestnut forests in the northwestern part of the Laga mountains, including the Castellano Valley. The valley gets its name for the Castellano River (the ancient Elvino River) which runs through the valley into the Tronto River. The care of chestnut trees and the harvesting of chestnuts is an ancient custom in this part of the Abruzzo and there are numerous historical references to this activity dating back to the Franciscan monks in the 13th century. G.F. Nardi, a lawyer from Teramo in the 18th century stated: "I believe that having to replant a forest I would use useful trees such as chestnuts or walnuts. In one part of the Castellana Valley the chestnut trees are immense..." N. Breviglieri (1955) in describing the main varieties of chestnut trees in Italy, among others, cites the chestnuts of the Castellana Valley defining them as "good sized and well proportioned. This chestnut variety of the Castellana Valley is a product of the Castanea sativa L. species." The dark brown achenes with a slight reddish tint have and elliptical oval shape and are good-sized (from 70 to 120 fruit/kg). They can be opened easily and have a good sweet taste. The number of introflections of the episperm is generally low. The percentage of chestnuts is high (above 40%). They are excellent roasted or boiled. The Castellana Valley chestnuts are sweeter than average due to their high content of soluble glucides. Chemical analysis shows that they have medium-high protein content and an energy content of 140 Kcal/100g. |
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L'Olio extravergine di oliva "Colline Teramane" o "Pretuziano" (Extravirgin olive oil from the hills of Teramo or Pretuzi)This olive oil is made from olives harvested in olive groves in the province of Teramo. The seal of approval is only reserved for extra virgin olive oil made using the following kinds of olives: 75% Leccino, Frantoio and Dritta olives and at least 25%Tortiglione, Carbonella and Castiglionese olives. The oil is typically a greenish yellow color, with a medium odor and middle bitter spicy flavor. It scores over 6.5 on the Panel-test and chemically, it must have a maximum acidity of 5%, an oleic acid content over 70% and more than 120ppm of polypheryls. Olives are harvested between December 5 -10 and the maximum oil extract product cannot exceed 20%. |
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Il "Pecorino" teramano(Pecorino cheese from Teramo)Pecorino cheese can certainly be considered the most typical regional dairy product.Indeed the Abruzzo region is widely held to be the land of shepherds who traveled on ancient sheep-tracks with their herds with the changing seasons.Just as the shepherd has come to be associated with traditional Abruzzo, pecorino cheese has also come to characterize the region. There is no standard pecorino cheese, since the traditional methods used to make the cheese leave room for the creative imagination of the dairyman. The single producers, who are often the sheep breeders as well, have acquired cheese making methods which have been passed on over time and belong to the local tradition. The cheese rennet, preparation of the curd, salting and aging of the cheese are the variables which lead to the production of cheeses with very different flavors. Traditional pecorino cheese in oil and Marcetto pecorino, with their unique unmistakable flavors, are other variations of this product. Most pecorino cheese is produced by family run operations and small differences in the preparation of the cheese lead to a wide variety of different flavors.Pecorino in oil is made using pecorino cheese aged 4-5 months. The whole block of cheese or pieces are then soaked in olive oil and seasoned with spices that vary in terms of the types used and the amounts. Marcetto is made from aged pecorino which is soaked in milk in order to start a fermentation process that acidifies the cheese. |
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E' La Porchetta Italica di Campli (Roast sucking pig)As far back as Roman times there was already and interest in porchetta. As a matter of fact, local magistrates of the municipium had the task of dictating how it should be eaten. A member of the collegium was in charge of making sure that the porchetta was cooked properly because if it was not cooked enough it would have ended up producing more for the porchettaro. Nevertheless, the designated taster was forbidden from gorging himself, and was only allowed to eat the minimum necessary. It is difficult to distinguish between myth and reality, but what is historically certain is that in Campli, making porchetta is and ancient art. In fact there are tax statutes from 1575 that mention porchetta. Chapter 26 of "De gabellis" reads as follows: "The butcher's tax collector can require one quatrino for each roll of meat. For roast porchetta he can ask thirteen quatrini and a horse for each porchetta with 10 rolls or less and if it is larger a quatrino for each roll even if it is sold outside our territory." There are also references in literature. In the tenth tale of the sixth day of Boccaccio's Decameron, the braggart Brother Onion says: "and so came to the land of Abruzzo where men and women walk aroun on mountaintops in wooden shoes and dress their pigs in their own guts." We cannot be sure that he is referring to porchetta, though the cited text gives good reason to think so. |
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Il Porcino (Boletus Mushrooms)The Boletus mushroom, belonging to the boletaceae, could not be neglected as one of our typical local products. The mountains of Teramo are particularly rich in boletus and there are no less than three important production centres: the Bosco della Martese wood (in the commune of Rocca Santa Maria), Piano Roseto (in the commune of Cortino) and the territory of the commune of Fano Adriano. The boletus mushrooms found in the province of Teramo prosper in the zone occupied by beech woods, one of the territory's most widespread and important varieties of plant life. There are three types of boletus mushroom: Boletus aedulis, Boletus aereus and Boletus pinicola. This precious fungus can be picked freely and many enthusiasts are involved since there neither professional figures nor a mycology centre. As with the truffle, we should also consider the boletus mushroom to be a resource, to exploit and valorise in economic terms. To this end there has been a commitment made over recent years by local authorities and a number of associations, most noticeably AMENA (Abruzzo Association of Mycology and Nature). Each year its members organize a mycological show (entitled "Funghi dal vero" - Real Mushrooms) where all mushrooms picked are exhibited in order to improve knowledge of this product. |
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Il "Salsicciotto" di Torano (Little sausage of Torano)The Torano sausage is perhaps among the most well-known, although many other comuni in Abruzzo can boast variations of the same sausage, a product of local peasant traditions. These little sausages are made using leaner parts of the pig than are generally used to make sausages. The fillet and silverside (the "long" and the "lummiell"), the ideal parts of the pig for making the sausage, are minced and fat and pepper are added. It is then encased in the largest intestines of the pig. Traditionally, a part of the curing process (which lasts about a month on average) should take place where there is a fireplace, which gives the sausage a particular flavor and dries it slowly. The curing process is completed in a cellar. The custom in some areas is to put the already cured sausage in oil in order to make it softer. |
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Il "Tartufo Bianco" teramano (White Teramo's truffle)It is commonly thought that the white truffle is found chiefly in Piemonte, in the area around Alba. In point of fact not many people know that the province of Teramo is a promised land for the white truffle (Tuber magnatum and the " Bianchetto"-Tuber borschi). From a geographical standpoint this precious subterranean fungus proliferates abundantly in Laga Mountains territory, known to many for its natural features. The first and most important attempts at truffle cultivation coincided with the commitment made by local authorities and a number of associations, most noticeably AMENA (Abruzzo Association of Mycology and Nature), to ensure that this product was not considered simply a precious ingredient for the kitchen, but rather a vast economic resource for the territory, to be exploited in a rational manner that respects and safeguards the environment where it is produced |
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Il "Tartufo Nero" teramano (Black Teramo truffles)It is commonly held that black truffles are found in Umbria, in the lucky areas of Spoleto. Unfortunately, very few people know that Abruzzo is prime truffle country. From its vast forests of the Aquila province to its coastal pinewoods, the region hosts the spawn of this precious culinary delight among the roots of numerous tree species. Prized black truffles constitute about a third of the entire production (Tuber melanosporum vitt and Black truffles summery-Tuber aestivum) and are particularly widespread in the province of Teramo. From a geographical standpoint this precious subterranean fungus proliferates abundantly in Laga Mountains territory, known to many for its natural features. The first and most important attempts at truffle cultivation coincided with the commitment made by local authorities and a number of associations, most noticeably AMENA (Abruzzo Association of Mycology and Nature), to ensure that this product was not considered simply a precious ingredient for the kitchen, but rather a vast economic resource for the territory, to be exploited in a rational manner that respects and safeguards the environment where it is produced. |
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La "Ventricina di Crognaleto" o "Teramana" (Ventricina of Crognaleto or Teramo)Ventricina includes sausages which vary in terms of their shape, consistency and flavor, and are one of the most traditional creations of Abruzzo cuisine. Fine grained and mildly spicy, the Ventricina of Teramo or Crognaleto is characterized by a mixture of finely ground pork parts, which cannot be used otherwise, mixed with pieces of prosciutto and richly spiced. Other ingredients include salt, white and black pepper, sweet hot pepper and spicy hot pepper, garlic, paste made from peppers, fennel seeds, rosemary, orange peels . The soft mixture is then encased in the pig stomach which preserves it longer and gives it an excellent flavor. The rich flavors hidden in this are comparable to the aromatic herbs of the Abruzzo mountains. These flavors are brought out even more if spread on bruschetta, so that the heat of the toasted bread melts the fat. The sausages are encased in intestines of various sizes or placed in glass- jars. The product is left in cold storage for two days. It should be consumed within 4 months. |
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