"When most head to Italy for a vacation, they get off the plane at destinations like Milan in Lombardy, Rome in Lazio, or Florence in Tuscany. And while all of these well-known locations are great to visit, Abruzzo also arguably deserves the spotlight, too. The lesser-known region in southern Italy is home to stunning national parks, bustling cities like Teramo, picturesque coastline, rolling hills, impressive peaks, and lots of fascinating historical architecture."
"In Abruzzo, pasta making is an art. It requires patience, skill, and a guitar. No, we're not talking about serenading the pasta with a few rusty chords from "A Horse With No Name." We're talking about a chitarra, a traditional pasta-making tool from Abruzzo that looks a lot like a guitar (but isn't quite as tuneful). In a nutshell, a chitarra is a wooden frame with stainless steel wire stretched across it."
"The pasta dough is stretched out over the top of the frame, and then rolled with a rolling pin through the strings to create long strips of pasta. In the end, it looks a lot like regular spaghetti, but square in shape rather than round. The chitarra has a long history in Abruzzo, and has likely been used in the region for centuries, although the first written evidence dates to 1871."
Abruzzo is a lesser-known southern Italian region with national parks, the city of Teramo, picturesque coastline, rolling hills, high peaks, and notable historical architecture. The regional cuisine ranges from saffron-enhanced elaborate dishes to simple plant-based preparations like sagne e fagioli. Grill-focused specialties such as arrosticini are popular street and festival fare. Traditional desserts include confetti, calcionelli, and bocconotti. Spaghetti alla chitarra features square-cut pasta made using a wooden chitarra frame with steel wires. The chitarra has centuries-old roots and the pasta is commonly paired with tomato-based sauces and various toppings.
Read at Tasting Table
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]