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Italian cuisine
guide
Naples
and its region
Campania
a concise guide
for diners & travelers
The cooking of Campania
has spread globally
To most foreigners "Italian cuisine" is basically Neapolitan cooking because most of the
Italian immigrants to the world came from the Campanian city of Naples and its environs. When this ethnic
group opened restaurants in their new countries, they naturally served the style
of food it loved and knew best: Neapolitan (Campanian) cooking.
Cooking ingredients
of Naples and Campania
The Campanian countryside produces superb fruits and vegetables, particularly tomatoes and eggplants.
 The bland Mozzarella cheese that is made from
water buffalo milk is also a food staple, as are spaghetti and other pasta (often covered with seafood and meatless
marinara tomato sauce).
Other basic regional ingredients include garlic, onions, oregano
and other heady herbs, olive oil and bread.
The principal protein source is seafood including
scungilli (a conch), clams, mussels, octopus, squid, shrimp, and a wide variety of locally caught fish.
Although Neapolitan Italian restaurants in countries
like America serve a lot of meatballs, red meat is infrequently eaten by the average Campanian because it tends to be
expensive owing to poor pasturage conditions. Poultry, in terms of use and popularity, falls between seafood
and red meat.
Famous specialties
of Naples and Campania
 Bistecca alla Pizzaiola - A thin, usually
tough beefsteak masked with a garlicky, oregano-flavored tomato sauce.
Calzone alla Napoletana - Deep
fried, crescent shaped dough stuffed (usually) with ham flecked Mozzarella cheese.
Lasagna - A baked dish
comprising alternating layers of wide noodles, cheese, and seasoned meat sauce. (This dish is equally popular
in several other Italian regions.)
Mozzarella in Carrozza - Literally,
Mozzarella on a Carriage. The cheese is inserted between slices of bread, then dipped in an egg
batter and cooked in hot oil. Essentially, it's a deep fried cheese sandwich.
Parmigiana di Melanzane - Sliced
eggplant baked with cheese and a garlic and oregano laced tomato sauce.
Pizza - The Neapolitan version (topped with ingredients such as mozzarella cheese, green peppers,
onions, sliced sausage, anchovies and tomato sauce) is popular worldwide.
Best city for gourmets
Naples is the top all around food city in Campania. Criteria include cooking, food markets, cooking
ingredients, cooking schools,
beverages, dining and restaurants. Salerno is the runner-up.
Click a Italian region to
learn about its cuisine
and famous dishes
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