The Neapolitan Pantry

Ingredients & Seasonings

A Sorrento Street “Pantry”

Beyond bread, dried pasta, fresh vegetables, fish, cheese and meat, it doesn’t take much to make a dish taste Neapolitan. Following are the ingredients, the seasonings – condimenti  in Italian – that you need to keep on hand for la cucina napoletana. All except the fresh herbs and garlic can be stored for months, if not years.

Anchovies (Acciughe)

In Southern Italy, anchovies are eaten marinated, fresh and salted. All three kinds are eaten for their own sake, but only salted are used for flavouring.

Basil (Basilico)

Fresh basil is used mainly to season tomato sauces and dish with tomatoes. Indeed this herb is often grown alongside tomatoes as it keeps pests from attacking the precious vegetable.

Black Pepper (Pepe Nero)

Some Neapolitans will say they do not often use black pepper, if not only for seasoning. It is better to grind it fresh at the table where you can appreciate its fragrance.

Bread crumbs (Pangrattato)

Bread is an important ingredient in the Neapolitan cooking and it is never wasted. After being enjoyed as fresh bread, when stale it is turned into cubes and fried to garnish soup (zuppa) or then grated into bread crumbs (pangrattato) when thoroughly dried out.

Capers (Capperi)

Capers grow in Campania, but there seems total consensus in the region that the best capers are from Pantelleria, a small island south Sicily. No matter where the capers come from, they are always salted capers; they are cured in sea salt to draw out its moisture then packed in salt for long storage.

Garlic (Aglio)

Neapolitan people make a big point of how they use garlic. Often garlic is lightly smashed with the heel of the hand or cut in half, then gently cooked.  But there are dishes where garlic is meant to be a powerful flavour, so it is finely minced raw.

Hot Red Pepper (Peperoncino)

Neapolitan food is known in the rest of the world as “spicy” food, but that would be a news to a Neapolitan. J Red pepper (peperoncino) may be used fresh, dried or in flakes.

Marjoram (Maggiorana)

Marjoram is a milder, sweeter-smelling version of oregano, and it grows wild all over Southern Italy.  Capri Island is noted for it.

Mint (Menta)

Mint, several varieties of which grow wild all over Italy, is much appreciated. It is sometimes used instead of basil, which is a close relative.

Olives (Olive)

Gaeta, (named for the port city from which they travel the world) are the main table and cooking olive of Campania, they are a medium roundish size olive. When fully ripe, they are blackish purple, when picked early they are brownish green. The less mature olives are firmer, but both are equally excellent.

Olive Oil (Olio d’oliva)

Campania region produces large quantity of olive oil. It’s not as green as the peppery Tuscan oil or as light as the Ligurian oil. It is a golden oil with a pleasant fruity flavour. Extra virgin Olive Oil is used for all cooking purposes, including some deep frying.

Oregano (Origano)

Oregano has different flavours, depending on where it is from. Sometimes it is a very assertive taste, at times mild as marjoram, almost always used dried.

Parsley (Prezzemolo)

Parsley is a flavour, not merely a garnish. Neapolitans, cut parsley very finely drawing the knife through the herb only once as its flavour is extremely volatile, the more it is cut the more that flavour is lost.

Pine nuts (Pinoli)

Pine nuts are used in meatballs, meat rolls, stuffed vegetables and desserts of course. If bought fresh, will keep well for up to a year in a tightly closed container in the refrigerator, and even longer in the freezer.

Raisins (Uvette)

Neapolitans mainly use Sultans, large golden raising, but any raising will do in their recipes.

Cured meat (Salumi e insaccati)

All kind of cured meat and sausages are among the most cherished products of the region. There are too many to list. Coppa or Capocollo, is pork shoulder, cured like prosciutto, sweet or hot when coated with grounded red pepper, then Salame and Sopressata sausages.

Tomato – Canned (Pomodori  pelati)

When fresh tomatoes are not in season, Neapolitans use homemade canned tomatoes.

Vinegar (Aceto di Vino)

White wine vinegar is used much more than red in Campania, and it is a must for making pickled vegetables. Red wine would change the colour of the pickles.

Thank you for following, enjoy!

Mic