Typical Abruzzese cooking

A holiday in Tortoreto, Abruzzo, offers not only the chance to discover a largely unspoilt region but also to savour the delights of a rich and ancient culinary tradition, generally based on the most typical local produce from the various areas and lovingly revived today in almost every restaurant in the region. Mediterranean in its ingredients and aromas, creative in the variety and originality of its most typical dishes and produce, and rooted in the farming and pastoral traditions of the region, Abruzzo’s cuisine has managed to combine simplicity with refinement, distilling ancient flavours of sumptuous simplicity. Alongside its traditional dishes, Abruzzo offers a selection of typical products that are as refined as they are unusual, just like its wines and olive oils, appreciated by connoisseurs all over the world.

Among the traditional first courses of Abruzzo, maccheroni alla chitarra take pride of place; also worthy of note are scrippelle, a sort of crepe served dry or in broth, sprinkled with pecorino and cinnamon, and timballo. Typical Abruzzo desserts include: the Easter pizza, a leavened focaccia blessed in churches on Easter night; the parrozzo di Pescara, whose name was coined by the poet D’Annunzio; calgiunitti, filled with chickpeas, jam and pine nuts; bocconotti, made from shortcrust pastry; and the delicious confetti from Sulmona. As for wine production, the traditional grape varieties include Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC among the reds (which also includes the Cerasuolo variety, a rosé) and Trebbiano d’Abruzzo DOC among the whites.