Know Your Food: Calabria
We've been snacking on Calabrian food we bought home with us from our friends that run SaporeVero. (By the way, get your store online please, we need a lifetime supply of sundried tomatoes. Seriously, these are life changing and I hate tomatoes.) We meant to post this food roundup while we were in Italy, but we were too busy eating. Check out some Calabrian specialities below.
Maccarruni
This is the Calabrian name for maccheroni, a particular type of pasta with a distinct shape. It is possible to serve with any sauce, but the most used is pomodoro e melanzane (tomato and eggplant) products local to the south of Italy.
Purpette 'i mulanciani
This is the way Calabrians call polpette di melanzane or eggplant meatballs. They are made with eggplants, prosciutto, pecorino and breadcrumbs. Then fried or baked in the oven. Simple and delicious!
Turdiddri
A word from Calabrian dialect that has no translation and to be able to pronounce this dessert, you have to be calabresi. They are a typical dessert of the province of Cosenza and are made with dough and soaked in honey or mosto cotto.
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My nonna, who is from Cosenza always used to make Tordilli (what you named Turdiddri). It must be pronounced differently depending on what Street you lived on!!
A very funny story though, my nonna is now 101 years old. Last Christmas, I promised her I would make her some Tordilli, and she was very excited to try them. On Christmas day, I brought her a tin full of them, and as she anxiously tried to shove the little ball into her mouth, and chew and chew and chew... I waited patiently.
When she was done the first cookie, I ask her if she liked them. After pausing so long I thought she had either not heard me, or fallen asleep (she's 101 remember!), she said, "I taste Nothing!!"
My sisters had a good laugh out of that, and I know they tasted exactly as she had taught me to make them, but it'll be a funny memory I have of her forever.
I loved this story about your Tordilli, nobody is a better critic than a grandmother. You're lucky yours let you cook for her, I don't think mine would have ever allowed it! :) Thanks for sharing it!
Ohh.. I though those sundried tomatoes were chilis being dried up in the sun.. seems tasty... nahh.. i'm not a tomato lover.. :D
Oh, those are chilis, which I consider the Calabrian food mascot. :) I unfortunately didn't have a great photo of the tasty tomatoes.
Oh I knew it was chilis after all.. hehehe =)
Is it possible pleaaaaaase to get the recipe for the tordilli? I haven't had any for 10 years and I love them! Please!!!
Nicole
My zia in Saracena, CS, and calls these chichile