Casatiello from Campania, tiella from Puglia, impanate from Sicily, and cuzzupe from Calabria the Easter feast is served
We have already seen the typical dishes that characterize the Easter menus in Northern Italy.
Now, we head south to reveal the recipes enjoyed by families in the heart of the Mediterranean.
Easter lunch in the southern Italian culinary tradition is a rich and rustic one. It is served by laying on the table all the dishes before the beginning of the meal. In this way, all the members of the family can fill their plates at will without having to get up to fetch the next course from the kitchen.
Casatiello Napoletano (Campania) – In Neaples Easter is synonymous with ****casatiello. This rich quiche is prepared in each family with a slightly different recipe. However, the ever-present ingredients are salami, pecorino cheese, and eggs. These are put whole, raw, and are partially protruding on top of the casatiello and secured with a cross of dough. It is excellent both hot and cold, and often it is also packed to be savored during Easter Monday picnics.
Tiella Barese (Puglia) – This dish too is prepared with as many recipes as the families that make it. The main ingredients are rice, potatoes, and mussels enriched with onions and tomatoes. All ingredients are placed and in a deep earthenware baking dish called ‘tiella’. And cooked in the oven for about an hour. During this time, the potatoes become soft, the mussels and rice cook, and the surface becomes crispy and golden brown.
Impanate ragusana (Sicily) – In Ragusa Easter lunch wouldn’t be it without impanate as the main course. These savory pies made with focaccia-like dough are traditionally filled with lamb, but, once again, there are many variations of the recipe. One of the most popular ones is made with turkey instead of lamb. The flavourful gravy from the meat and herbs soaks into the bottom, creating highly appreciated mouthfuls. Impanate usually are large to serve the whole family. However, some families prefer to make individual sized one.
Cuzzupe (Calabria) – They have many names: cuzzuppe, gute, sgute, ngute, cudduraci. But no matter the name, this Calabrian dessert is strongly linked to the Easter tradition and culture of the region. Symbol of abundance and rebirth, to make them, you need a lot of eggs. The dough is rich with egg and the finished bread nests an egg or two (or more) in each cuzzupa.