QUALITALY 139

May 2024 XIV MAGAZINE AT PAGE 46 ON THE ROAD Calabria, flagship of Italian cuisine THE QUALITALY CULINARY TOUR IS READY TO REACH A NEW DESTINATION. THIS TIME WE GO SOUTH, TO CALABRIA TO DISCOVER A UNIQUE AND PRECIOUS FOOD AND WINE HERITAGE by Alessandro Vergallo We have just left the North-East, Friuli Venezia Giulia, to land, after having travelled the entire peninsula, in Calabria, once a colony of Magna Graecia, whose civilisation has left indelible marks throughout the region. A crossroads of peoples and cultures. A land of diverse morphology and climates, this region has the sea, mountains, hills and plains. Elements that make it unique for its cuisine and traditional dishes. To better narrate such a colourful land, we wanted a special guide, a chef from Sila doc, Antonio Biafora , captain of the brigade of Hyle, a restaurant in San Giovanni in Fiore (Cosenza) that boasts a Michelin star obtained in 2021. An extraordinary person who likes to experiment in the kitchen by focusing on culture and the ingredients offered by the land. Simple but studied, his dishes capture the taste buds for their genuineness and freshness: ‘I want to make my guests eat and ‘see’ Sila through my dishes,’ says Antonio Biafora, ‘showing them what I have in the garden and using what good things the suppliers offer me. It is in the Hyle kitchen that the chef has rediscovered the via della pece, a singular route that starts in the hills by the sea and arrives at the summit of the mountains. A short route that, surrounded by fertile land and raw materials, together with the chef’s experience, draw the map of territorial excellence where farmers, breeders and producers are the protagonists. Unlike Emilia Romagna, Piedmont and Apulia, regions with an ancient tradition of both egg and filled pasta, Calabria produces very few varieties. The best known are lagane and stroncatura, both simply kneaded with flour and water. Stroncatura is whole and rough, with a pronounced acidity and typical of the Palmi and Gioia Tauro areas. It is traditionally seasoned with a meat and sausage ragout, enriched with fresh tomatoes and Mediterranean herbs. Lagane , on the other hand, a typical winter first course, is a long, wide pasta that Calabrians often accompany with chickpeas and local herbs. Vegetable-based soups are widespread on tables throughout the region: with native leaf vegetables, broad bean and potato soup, chicory and soups with pulses. On the Hyle’s menu, among the various courses, talli (a kind of pumpkin flower) and potatoes , a first course that reflects the concept of the soup that accompanies the gastronomic tradition of the Silan mountains. Biafora respecting the memory of the dish dares to revisit it and modernise it, using ingredients such as the olive emulsion of its flowers and wild oregano leaves that balance the pot full of talli sauce. LEGUMES&CO. In Calabria, pulses represent a true regional heritage. They have been the basis of the local diet for centuries, both for their nutritional and socio-cultural value. There are many varieties including lentils, beans and chickpeas. Beans, more than other crops, provide different types of high quality such as the white poverello bean , which, during the Kingdom of Naples, was already quoted on the agricultural exchange of the time due to its importance; the Caria bean or sujaca , which is cooked in different ways but only and exclusively in terracotta pignatte (typical saucepan); the Cortale beans , produced in the Catanzaro area and processed exclusively using traditional methods; the Reventino beans , which have been included in Slow Food’s Ark of Taste. Also worth mentioning are the merulla bean from the Silan plateau, the Sant’Angelo di Cetraro bean , the sickle bean , so called because of its curved shape, the extremely rare capomacchia , excellent for pasta and beans, the pappaluni from Aspromonte and finally, the quarantino from Tortora . The Mormanno lentil, with its small, colourful shape, is another excellence recovered a few years ago in the Pollino region. Housewives mainly use it to make soups and purées. Other historical ppulses of the Calabrian peninsula are Pollino chickpeas and roasted chickpeas , called Calia . Among peas, on the other hand, there is an ancient variety called U’ Verdone or Fulminante , also included among the Slow Food Ark of Taste products. Vegetables include the cardoon and the potato, the latter being present in many dishes in the province of Cosenza. The dish that most characterises the area is the ‘ mpacchiuse’ potatoes , so called because, once cooked, they stick to each other. They are yellow potatoes, preferably of the Agria variety (from the Sila region) and are perfect for preparing this plate. The forests scattered all over Calabria also offer different varieties of mushrooms. Porcini can be found almost all year round.