Folklore and Traditions,  Festivals and  Typical Products

Wherever there is a religious or traditional festival in Calabria, you will not fail to see the “giants”: they are a cheerful yet frightening presence with their movements and dances, to the traditional tune of bass drum and drum, pleasing children and adults alike. Where did the giants tradition come from? Many towns in the region, especially near Vibo  (Joppolo, San Costantino, Zungri, Nicotera, Vena) have their own giants, but they are also very common in other Mediterranean countries. It is thrilling to see them for the first time, parading with their sinuous dance, and pretending to kiss one another. They are usually a duo: Grifone and Mata, with their puffed up faces and red cheeks made from papier-maché, gaudy clothing; the persons inside the costume make the giant seem like real persons in flesh and blood.

Typical Calabrian Products

‘Nduja of Spilinga

A creamy, very spicy sausage, it is made in the zone of Spilinga in the province of Vibo Valentia. A product made from pig meat, using the less prized parts, mixed with fat and a lot of chilli pepper and dried, ground pepper. The various meats, coming from the shoulder and head, are shredded using a knife or machine, and knowingly mixed by the nduja craftsmen of Spilinga and surrounding area with other ingredients, chilli pepper, salt and flavourings. The resulting mix is very creamy (nduja is indeed “spreadable”), and packed into pig casings to obtain the classic salami, or in a larger casing called in Calabrian dialect “orba”, which keeps it creamy and tasty. Some firms sell this product in glass jars too. Nduja has become one of the products that tourists visiting our shores buy most. The “Sacra di Spilinga” festival is famous, and this product is undoubtedly the main attraction.

Tropea Red Onion

   The Tropea Red Onion is one of the best known products of Calabria in Italy and indeed in the world. It has recently been granted the prestigious IGP label. What distinguishes the Tropea red onion from others is its particularly sweet flavour, delicate aroma and properties that render it very useful for a number of uses: vitamins C and E, iron, selenium, iodine, zinc and magnesium. The Tropea red onion can be used in many ways, raw, in a tomato salad, as a dressing, in soups, as a side dish for main courses of fish or meat, and even as a tasty jam.

Consisting of white concentric rings, with characteristic red casing, it has been grown in the Tropea area for over 2,000 years. Today it makes a significant contribution to the development of local tourism in the Tropea region. The properties of the Tropea onion are due to the local climate, which is very mild even in the winter.

Composta da “tuniche” concentriche bianche, con involucro rosso caratteristico, viene coltivata nella zona di Tropea da oltre 2000 anni. Oggi, abbinata al turismo locale, contribuisce in modo molto significativo allo sviluppo turistico della zona di Tropea. Le caratteristiche della cipolla di Tropea sono favorite dal particolare clima della zona, molto mite anche in inverno.

Bread

In Calabria the art of baking bread goes back to before records were kept. “u pani i casa” is still made by many families in the time-honoured way, in very old ovens. It is genuine, crusty and very tasty straight out of the oven. Of the hundreds of bread varieties, Calabrian bread is one of the tastiest and most genuine. The ingredients are the basic ones: flour, water and culture yeast (brewer’s yeast), forming the dough that is then put in a wood-fired oven for about an hour, when it turns golden and acquires an even crust. Traditionally the culture yeast was kept and shared by families that had to leaven the dough. In villages a freshly baked loaf, “u pani friscu”, would be given away to relatives and close friends.  Different flours give different characteristics; flour can also be mixed with bran, endowing the bread with its characteristic dark colour. Bread with fennel seeds is also popular in some parts of Calabria. The shapes also vary, from round to long and ring-shaped Variations on the theme are “pitta china”, which is bread filled with tomatoes, anchovies and flavourings, and bread with fennel seeds.

Cured meats 

Calabrian cured meats are well liked all over the world. Many producers export their produce to Europe and the rest of the world. The making of salami and sausages is a very old tradition in Calabria, and the preparation of pig meat is a custom, a rite even, that has been practised for a very long time. “Butchering the pig” is a rite that is still practised in Calabria, in which all family members take part. Each member is responsible for single phases of the process to prepare some excellent salami: soppressata, nduja, capocollo and other types of cured meat. Naturally industrial production is responsible for the lion’s share of local production, but it retains many of the characteristics of craft production

Cheese

Cheese and dairy production plays a very important part of typical Calabria production. Calabrian cheese is much sought after and of excellent quality.  Made throughout Calabria, especially in the mountainous regions of Sila and Aspromonte, where Caciocavallo Silano is made, cheeses include mozzarella and Butirro, a very characteristic product: unsalted butter, contained within a pasta filata cheese casing.

Chili Pepper

La cultura gastronomica calabrese è direttamente collegata al peperoncino: è raro trovare un piatto tipico calabrese dove non è presente, in dosi modiche o elevate come ad esempio nella famosa nduja, tipico insaccato calabrese. La Calabria è la regione d’Italia dove questo ingrediente è più utilizzato in svariati usi: fresco, essiccato e macinato, sott’olio, arrostito ecc. Anche la commercializzazione si è sbizzarrita nel creare prodotti che si incrociano con quelli della tradizione. Di forma allungata o arrotondata, diventa rosso maturando, ma, al contrario del peperone, non si addolcisce mai, anzi… Tra i salumi più pregiati della Calabria, la nduja di spilinga, prodotta prevalentemente utilizzando tantissimo peperoncino, e tra le più conosciute ed apprezzate. A Catanzaro invece il “morsello” è un’altra specialità che utilizza il peperoncino. Viene utilizzato anche per preparare alimenti a base di pesce, come ad esempio la “mustuca” sulla costa Ionica: neonata di pesce salata cruda con peperoncino, chiamata anche “caviale del Sud”.

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