Abruzzo

Abruzzo's pastoral land, beautiful mountains and abundant rainfall are evident in the delicious vegetables, flavorful cheeses, and hearty hams and sausages that are typical of the area. The majority of the dishes from this region are simple and rustic, prepared with basic ingredients. Food specialties range from delicate calamari salads to hearty skewers of grilled lamb and many dishes are based upon ancient peasant combinations of ingredients.

What sets Abruzzo's cuisine apart from the rest is its "devilish" quality, so called because of the high quantity of hot red pepper used in many Abruzzese dishes. Perhaps this comes from the occult leanings of many of Abruzzo's native inhabitants. It is said that many visitors to Abruzzo gasp for a cooling drink once they take a forkful of a typically fiery dish. What usually ends up happening however, is that they take a gulp of Centerbe, an Abruzzese liqueur supposedly made from 100 herbs and packing a punch just as spicy as any food on the table.

Abruzzo is also home to the chitarra, which is a device used to cut fresh pasta dough into long noodles. These noodles cling to whatever sauce they are served with.