Naples and the Campania Region

This is a region in which peasant and noble cuisines have grown up alongside each other, using the same produce. Superb fruits and vegetables are grown here, particularly tomatoes and aubergines or eggplants. Other favourite ingredients include the mild mozzarella cheese that is made from water buffalo milk, which is often served with tomatoes as a salad called la Caprese.

As in Rome, the most common pasta shape is spaghetti, frequently served with shellfish and meatless marinara tomato sauce. Fish and shellfish are brought in from the Mediterranean as a principal protein source and they are far more widely eaten than red meat, which is usually reserved for major feast days.