Italy is undoubtedly one of the most popular European countries when it comes to the food scene. From pizza Margherita in the southern city of Naples to bistecca Fiorentina in Florence, the gastronomical culture varies immensely throughout the twenty different regions in Italy.
Matera, a small city in the south of Basilicata, has been chosen as the European Capital of Culture for 2019. After being added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites in 1993, Matera has become increasingly popular amongst tourists, being recognised for its ancient districts and caves dating back to the Eighth Century. We have seen how the city has grown through tourism after once being a town of poverty throughout the 1950s, and yet its food scene is still minimal.
Despite any recognised food specialities, the region of Basilicata offers a different kind of Italian cuisine, dating back to the Roman period, and demonstrating the region’s poorer past. Matera was traditionally an area of wheat manufacturing, which brought staple dishes of bread and pasta to Southern Italy. Meals would consist of wheat or semolina, with protein from beans, lentils or chickpeas. As a result, semolina bread is a staple food in Matera, and several shapes of pasta, such as orecchiete, have come from this area. The cuisine in the South of Italy is sometimes called cucina povera - “poor cooking” - since the ingredients used are cheap and provide a meal which is accessible for everyone.
An Introduction to the Cuisine of Matera
Lagane is a type of pasta used regularly in Southern regions such as Basilicata. It is said to be one of the oldest shapes of pasta, where even the Roman writer Cicero has described his love of laganum. The pasta shape is long and wide, resembling tagliatelle, and made of solely durum wheat flour and water. In Southern Italy, lagane pasta is usually served with a simple sauce, traditionally using chickpeas.
CUCINA
BY ALLY NORRIS