The Figs of Calabria One of the nicest aspects of visiting Calabria during the summer and early Fall is the abundance of fresh fruit available and the ease of securing it.   Consider, for example, that if you’re lucky enough to own a small parcel of land, and the desire to cultivate it, you’ll be guaranteed seculant peaches, pears, grapes, plums, […]

Walk down any street in the seacoast town of Bagnara Calabra during the summer months and you’ll encounter women dressed in black screaming their lungs out!  No, the ladies aren’t auditioning for a new Jean-Paul Sartre play about existential angst, rather they’re selling fish.  The ladies set up shop early in the morning, usually during outdoor “market day” on Tuesday and […]

  (photo: small block of Pecorino “Monte Poro” from Calabria)Sit down for a meal at any restaurant or home in Calabria and you’ll most likely encounter some variation of sheep’s milk cheese; specifically, Pecorino.  During our recent trip to Calabria, for example, we ate Pecorino 4-5x per week and often mixed in a platter with local salumi and olives.

One of the interesting culinary tidbits in Calabria is that most home cooks do not use their oven during the summer months given the intense weather.  The logic makes sense, however what does the dedicated cook do when s/he has a desire to make a baked dish?  Well, how about using your stovetop? Zia Giovanna used her stovetop to prepare a […]

Driving on the A3 autostrada from the Reggio Calabria airport to the village of Pellegrina (a tiny Comune di Bagnara Calabra) my mood changes instantly.  I’m greeted by a penetrating sun, flowing sea breezes, and intoxicating smells of earth.  The greeting has come courtesy of Calabria, the terra of my parents and the very foundation of my soul. Yes, I’ve been […]

  (photo: Bagnara, located in the Province of Calabria) We’ll be taking a break from writing about the Italian life over the next few weeks.  Please enjoy our current content, search the site, and utilize our A-Z index! Enjoy the remainder of the summer! Vince

(photo: the “wheat harvest”; taken in Calabria and including Latella and Scordo family members) The above photo is a favorite from my mother’s collection and was taken on the Latella family wheat field in southwestern Calabria (just outside of Bagnara) during the late summer harvest, most likely in the late 1950’s / early 1960’s.  The photo includes my Grandfather (Vincenzo Scordo), […]

Did you know that as of about 10 years ago Italy was the 4th largest exporter of strawberries?  Areas like Campania, Basilicata, Veneto, Piedmont, Emilia Romagna, and Lazio all grow strawberries but the most famous area is just outside of Roma in Lago di Nemi. Lago di Nemi is a crater lake located in the Alban hills and folks say that […]

(photo: fried potatoes with flat romano beans, garlic, and tomato paste) You may think that there’s not much of a connection between McDonald’s and rural Italian cuisine but the two modes of eating, however far apart, are connected by the fried potato.  While McDonald’s fried potatoes (or french fries) are comprised of: potatoes, vegetable oil (canola oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, natural beef […]

(photo: basil, parsley, and Japanese eggplant from our Italian garden in New Jersey) Back in August of last year we posted some photos of our Italian American garden and we thought we’d share an updated series of photos from our current garden.  We recently harvested Japanese eggplant, flat green beans, basil, parsley, arugula, and chili peppers.     With the basil […]