Culinary Traditions & Specialities

The mezzogiorno, or the south of Italy, is dry and mountainous, and the people have always been less affluent and less urban than those of the north. The regions of the south share a chequered history and more than once were united as a kingdom by ruling invaders, including the French and Spaniards. As a consequence, the cooking of the whole of the south has a similar feel to it, primarily what we now think of as ‘Mediterranean’, focusing on vegetables (with little meat), and featuring tomatoes, olive oil, grain products (primarily pasta), and a preponderance of strong flavours such as garlic, chilli and basil.