5 Traditional Foods
You Have To Try in Campobasso

One of the very bases of traditional Italian cuisine, minestrone is a thick, chunky soup made with whichever vegetables are in season. Historically, being a poor man's food dating as far back as the year 30 CE, this peasant-style soup was made with a mashed bean or spelt base and leftovers from various contorni (side dishes) and other meals. Today, even though there's not a set recipe for this dish and every region has its own version, the most common ingredients include stock, onions, tomatoes, celery, carrots, and legumes. The vegetables are cut-up and simmered for quite a long time, but they must not turn mushy. Lastly, pasta or rice can be added to round-up this inexpensive, yet filling dish. Depending on the method of cooking, these flavorful soups are divided into two main categories: minestrone a crudo and minestrone col soffritto. While the first version uses raw vegetables and often garlic-flavored olive oil added towards the end of cooking, minestrone col soffritto is made with vegetables which are first sautéed in butter, oil, pork fat or lard, together with pancetta (bacon) and pork rind. The perfect comfort food to warm a cold day, minestrone is even better when made in advance and served reheated, as it takes some time for the flavors to fuse and deepen.Expand

Found throughout southern Italy, parmigiana di melanzane is a type of gratinated vegetable casserole traditionally made of fried or grilled slices of eggplant layered with basil-flavored tomato sauce and topped with one or more cheeses, such as mozzarella, pecorino Siciliano, scamorza, and caciocavallo Silano. Contrary to popular belief, parmigiana has nothing to do with parmigiano Reggiano cheese, even though it is used in many recipes as it makes for a crunchier crust. Nor, in fact, does it have any connection with the city of Parma whatsoever. In fact, the name of this scrumptious summer dish supposedly stems from parmisciana, the word for “Persian” in the Sicilian dialect, and it is often suggested that the word is rooted in the Arabic badhnajan or Turkish patlıcan, both of which mean “eggplant”. Although the eggplant was introduced to Italy by the Arabs as early as the 8th century, the parmigiana we know today may have originated in Sicily at around the 16th century, when tomatoes were first brought to Italy from the New World by the Spaniards. Later, the eggplant casserole spread across the country, taking on a version of its own in each region. Regardless of its true origins and the many different takes on the classic recipe, parmigiana di melanzane remains Southern Italian comfort food at its best, and is one of the most popular Italian dishes today.Expand

Ciambotta or cianfotta is a traditional dish originating from Naples. The French say that the dish is a simplified ratatouille, while the Italians claim that ratatouille is a complicated ciambotta. This vegetable stew is usually prepared with a combination of onions, garlic, potatoes, bell peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, zucchini, olive oil, basil, and salt. The vegetables are cooked until they become tender and fully cooked, and the dish is then served warm or chilled. It's said that ciambotta tastes even better if reheated the next day. The dish is especially popular during the summer.Expand

Scattone is a unique Italian soup originating from Molise. It's made with a combination of water from cooking pasta, red wine, and a pinch of pepper or a chopped diavolillo chili pepper. The pasta variety that's cooked in the water for this soup should be sagne or taccozze, and the water is poured into a separate cup once the pasta is about half cooked. Red wine is then added to the cup, along with a pinch of pepper. The soup is always served piping hot. The red wine used for the soup should preferably be Molise's Tintilia wine. Scattone was invented as a simple relief against winter chills, and nowadays it even has its own festival called La Sagra dello Scattone, held each year in August in the towns of Bagnoli del Trigno and Torella del Sannio.Expand

Pane cotto or pancotto is a traditional soup that spans almost every region in the country, but it's especially popular in Veneto. The name means cooked bread, referring to the key ingredient – stale bread. Other ingredients include fresh herbs, garlic, beans, water or stock, chili peppers, grated cheese, and vegetables such as zucchini, carrots, celery, and onions. This simple and comforting peasant dish was originally prepared only with stale bread cooked in water with garlic, but over time, as new ingredients such as tomatoes became available, the soup transformed, and nowadays it incorporates local staples such as seasonal vegetables and cheeses. Pancotto is served hot, and it's also good to eat for the next few days, whether cold or reheated.Expand