Basilicata: we leave for a tour where wild ingredients and authentic dishes stand out, just like this land.
From the wild horseradish, also known as “poor man’s truffle” to the red aubergine of Rotonda, spicy and bitter, excellent in oil, fried, grilled, to the exquisitely spicy Moliterno canestrato cheese. The pastas are rich, tasty and sunny: strascinate (pasta with turnip tops from Matera and cruschi peppers), gnummareddi (rolls of lamb entrails, liver, lung, heart and sweetbreads tied by a thin natural casing), cod with cruschi peppers, cutturiddi (lamb with onions, tomatoes, bay leaf and rosemary), pignata (mutton or mutton seasoned in terracotta with spicy salami, pecorino, chilli and many vegetables).
Dinner thus becomes an interactive culinary experience offering the spectacle of a gourmet kitchen brigade immersed in their fascinating work, with suggestive plays of light that accompany the preparations and mise en place, from appetizers to desserts.
We leave Lavello and head towards the incredible. Are you ready? Close your eyes and now reopen them … we are in Matera!
The unspeakable charm of a city whose photos, drawings or videos do not do the least justice to the wonderful impact and the superlative beauty that surrounds us.
MATERA MUST BE REACHED, VISITED, LIVED AND… TASTED
Many gourmet travelers have long known this unique mountain town, dotted with caves, ancient dwellings carved into the rock, its poor Sassi inhabited by families and cattle, stories, legends and art. Matera, long isolated from the rest of Italy, remains one of the last true bastions of poor cuisine. Authentic peasant recipes composed of very poor ingredients that give life to a delicious, healthy and nutritious dish, such as the spectacular soups of local legumes and those with black chickpeas. not to mention the bread of Matera, famous all over the world
The indisputable legend of Matera cuisine is the sweet crusco pepper, which is first dried in the sun and then fried to turn into a crunchy and tasty explosion of taste, delicious in all seasons. Starting from August 1st, between dances, songs and laid tables, the crapiata (traditional convivial dish with wheat, spelled, lentils, chickpeas, beans, broad beans, potatoes and peas) will be celebrated.
Matera, Ristorante Vitantonio Lombardo (Stella Michelin)
Vitantonio Lombardo is originally from Basilicata. His was a journey with illustrious masters such as Paolo Teverini, Gianfranco Vissani and Fabio Barbaglini. Lover of his territory, he wanted to revive an abandoned cave to propose two menus: “Fragments, cuisine of our history and” Battiti, dishes in continuous evolution
ll Terrazzino
View, ambiance, real food, rich menu, moderate prices and … did I mention the view? Welcome to Il Terrazzino di Matera, one of the oldest terrace restaurants in the Sassi Eustachio Persia welcomed me with a plate of local cured meats, including my favorite lampascioni, bulbs of a common wildflower in southern Italy, then I ordered the lamb, and … surprise! It came wrapped in yellow straw paper.
Baccus
Located in the Sassi area, simple but elegant, known for its Chef Carlo Pozzuoli who loves to reinterpret in a modern key the typical local dishes and the flavors and traditions of the past, such as the minestrone with tagliolini with white and black chickpeas, considered ideal for pregnant women, as it contains a lot of iron. The menu devotes careful research of local herbs, such as chicory, sivone used in salads, soups, as a filling for ravioli and pansotti or simply boiled with oil and lemon.
Final surprise with a taste of a sweet heart-shaped sporcamuss, a dessert filled with hot custard that will inevitably end up all over your face. a.
Da Mario
‘We represent tradition. My family has been running this restaurant since the 1950s, ‘Anna, owner of Ristorante Pizzeria Da Mario, tells me. ‘Since then we have always been loved by the people of Matera and by the whole world. Many celebrities have eaten here: Richard Gere, Mel Gibson just to name a few “Among his main dishes: the tasty orecchiette with turnips with anchovies and toasted breadcrumbs and his famous homemade strascinati with cardoncelli mushrooms and garnished with the typical crunchy pepper fried crusco.face.
Chosen for you
La Locandiera, Bernalda
La Villa, Melfi
Luna Rossa, Terranova di Pollino
Forentum, Lavello
Al Baliaggio, L’ Incanto, Venosa
Al becco della Civetta, Castelmezzano
Ego, Le Bubbole, Matera
Fandango, Scalera
Cibò, Massimo Carleo Home Restaurant , Potenza
Pezzolla, Accettura(MT)
Gagliardi, Avigliano (PZ)
Da Beppe, La Rotonda (PZ)
La mangiatoia, Rotondella (MT)
By the sea
Basilicata is bathed by the Tyrrhenian and Ionian and its sea is considered one of the cleanest in Italy. In the localities of Maratea, Acquafredda, Spiaggia di Mezzanotte, Cersuta, Fiumicello, Spiaggia Nera, le Secche, Castrocucco and many others, you will find long sandy beaches, hidden coves, picturesque caves and above all a crystalline sea. Not to mention the excellent fish dishes …
Selected for you
La Locanda di Nettuno, Ohana, Taverna Rovita, Il Sacello , Maratea
L’approdo, Catrocucco
Hemingway, Bell’agio Bistrò, La Lampara Jonica, Scanzano Jonico
Essenza, Policoro
Le Vele, Acquafredda
Imperiale, Nova Siri
Discovering Aliano
Destination unknown to many, Aliano is a small village in the province of Matera, awarded the recognition of Italian Literary Parks and located in one of the most unusual, scenic, magical and spiritual places in Basilicata. The surrounding clayey landscape is characterized by species of canyons, called badlands.
Loneliness, abandonment, misery, poverty and the lunar scenery were the crucial source of literary inspiration for “Christ stopped at Eboli” Carlo Levi’s memoir of 1944 on his long exile in this area.
But at the table …. the Lucanian cuisine is not sad at all, on the contrary …
Here you will discover the typical crusco pepper, which is served dried and crunchy. They call it “Appuntito”, Tronco ”and“ Hook ”, it is planted between February and March and harvested in August Sweet, subtle, rich in vitamins A, E, C, K, in short, a tasty cure-all!
It is the absolute protagonist of a typical Lucanian dish: it is fried in boiling and salty oil becoming “crusco”, perfect for pasta (Rasccatell cu Zifft), red meats, cod but also cheeses and fresh vegetables, such as broad beans or salads. The local stockfish (stockfish) is then seasoned with the frying oil, but also fried, fried or scrambled eggs to which you can add the sausizz (sausage).
Scelti per voi in Aliano
Chosen for you in Aliano
Sisina Contadina Peasant Sisine
Simple dishes that respect the Alianese culinary tradition, from tasty cured meats to abundant fresh vegetable soups, lamb or typical ferrizzuoli with fried breadcrumbs and seasoned with crusco.
La locanda con gli occhi The inn with the eyes
Lucanian delights served in the inn inspired by the iconic house with small windows, perhaps a little mysterious, especially at night … …
INFO
Parco Letterario Carlo Levi
Basilicata Turistica