Can you feel THE HEAT?
Of the colours of the Tricolore, red is the one that best sums up Calabria. Not through any political bent, but because of the glossy red of the peperoncino calabrese. Long, thin, sinuous – this chilli pepper is the dominant flavour of this sun-baked southern Italian region. It’s found everywhere, this so-called droga dei poveri (drug of the poor). In lean times – and these were quite frequent in Calabria’s long history – chilli peppers worked as an appetite suppressant when food was scarce. Nowadays, of course, they leave you wanting more, especially as the Calabrese also call peperoncini the Viagra dei poveri (tongue slightly in cheek).
Go anywhere in Italy’s toe and you find everywhere, even in . Unlike other chillies, however, these bring a delicious warmth rather than mind-blowing heat. Follow your nose to a deli and you’ll see vividly red , whose bright colour hints at just how much chilli is found within. , an air-cured, whose added dose of fennel unites two evocative flavours of Italy.
