8 Traditional Foods
You Have To Try in Termoli

Brodetto, boreto or broéto is a tomato-based seafood stew prepared in many regions along the Italian coast. This comforting dish was traditionally prepared by fishermen with the catch they could not sell, so it is no surprise that the key ingredient of every local version of boreto is a fish, crustacean, or squid most commonly caught in the area. Flavored with garlic, rosemary, onions, bay leaves, salt, and pepper, boreto is usually served with polenta, although a simple slice of bread to soak up the delicious sauce is an even simpler, yet equally satisfying accompaniment.Expand

Brodetto alla termolese is a traditional version of a brodetto originating from Termoli. This stew is prepared with local fish and seafood, and it was originally prepared as a peasant dish of Termoli's fishermen who used fish and seafood that they were unable to sell. This brodetto is made with olive oil, garlic, parsley, tomatoes, tomato paste, red peppers, and a variety of fish and seafood such as squid, monkfish, shrimps, clams, and mussels. The stew is simmered until everything is fully cooked, and it's then usually served with a glass of dry white wine on the side.Expand

Calamari ripieni is a flavorful Italian seafood dish consisting of stuffed calamari. The calamari are stuffed with a variety of ingredients including garlic, breadcrumbs, capers, pine nuts, parsley, and onions. It is recommended to use only the freshest calamari, which is also the trickiest part of the dish, as cleaning and preparing it is a lengthy process. Stuffed calamari are often paired with tomato sauce, sometimes with the addition of anchovies, and the whole concoction is then baked in an oven until tender.Expand

Polpi in purgatorio (lit. octopus in purgatory) is a delicious Molisan dish made with baby octopus that is slowly stewed in a delicious spicy sauce enriched with onion slices. Octopus ink gives this dish a creamy texture and typical color, while peperoncino, the spicy chili pepper, gives it an extra kick. Polpi in purgatorio taste the best when served with toasted bread and a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.Expand

One of Sicilian favorites, this seemingly simple pasta dish of supposedly Arabic origins is an amazing combination of flavors and textures, and represents a perfect example of Sicily’s diverse culinary heritage. The sauce for pasta chî sàrdi is delicately flavored with saffron and made with the freshest possible sardines, wild fennel, pine nuts, and sultanas. As for the pasta itself, bucatini are the classic choice, but some prefer a thicker type of pasta like bigoli or perciatelli. Pasta with sardines is often associated with Palermo, although it is found all across the island in its many regional varieties. However, the dish should only be consumed between March and September, when wild fennel is in season.Expand

Stuffed cuttlefish, often replaced with the smaller and more available squid, is a traditional dish whose origins are claimed by many Italian regions, including Liguria, Campania, Apulia, and Sicily. Following this, many regional recipes have been created that use a different combination of ingredients to create various flavorful fillings. However, all of them employ Italian and Mediterranean classics such as various herbs, garlic, prosciutto, capers, pine nuts, and ricotta, parmesan, or pecorino cheese. When filled, the cuttlefish is usually pan-fried, grilled, or baked and finished off with the addition of white wine. The first written recipe for this classic is found in the De re coquinaria, an ancient collection of Roman recipes that was collected around the 4th and 5th century.Expand

Bruschetta is a traditional appetizer that's nowadays popular throughout the world. In its simplest form known as fettunta, this classic appetizer consists of a grilled slice of bread rubbed with garlic and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. According to Marcella Hazan, a cookery writer and one of the foremost authorities on Italian cuisine, the history of bruschetta dates back to ancient Rome – its name stems from the old Latin bruscare (meaning “to roast over coals”). Once merely a snack of Italian farmers and olive pickers, the versatile bruschetta has grown into one of the most delicious antipasti Italian cuisine has to offer. Nowadays, bruschetta comes in virtually infinite varieties: spread with bell pepper, mushroom, eggplant, or zucchini pâtés, and topped with small chunks of eggplant, figs, scamorza cheese, mozzarella, or even anchovies, prosciutto, or various types of salami. However, even though it might seem that there isn’t much to this simple grilled bread appetizer, the secret to a perfect bruschetta is in its simplicity.Expand

Quick and easy to prepare, yet packing some serious flavor, spaghetti alle vongole is a traditional Neapolitan dish consisting of only two key ingredients: vongole clams and pasta. However, there is a heated debate considering secondary ingredients, primarily the tomatoes. Purists adore the original dish, made without tomatoes, known as bianco version, while the others prefer a version with crushed tomatoes, or a version with a tomato sauce, known as spaghetti alle vongole con la salsa di pomodoro. Similar issues arise regarding the addition or omission of peperoncino and pepper in the dish. Regardless of these issues, everyone agrees that the pasta should be cooked al dente. Although the dish is best in the summer, when all of the ingredients are as fresh as they might be, it is also one of the most important meals of the traditional Neapolitan Christmas Eve dinner, known as Cena della vigilia di Natale.Expand