Naples

 

Naples Food refers to the food from the city of Naples, located in Italy.  Typical ingredients that rule the Neapolitan cuisine involved pasta, vegetables, tomatoes, seafood, meat and cheese.  The food in Naples depicts the influences of Greco-Roman food cultures.  The current food culture of the place evolved over the centuries under the influence of various other food cultures like that from Aragon and France. The Naples fare borrows heavily from the culinary tradition of Campania region.  The food strikes perfect balance between seafood and handy ingredients like pasta, cheese, and vegetables.

 

Evolution of Naples Cuisine
The Naples food culture was largely influenced by the events of successions, Romans, Greeks, Plagues, etc. All these left a deep impact on the way how food is perceived and disseminated.  Some recent excavations suggest that the ancient Naples food was hugely influenced with Greek food culture.  The pottery extracted from this region suggested that seafood was hugely appreciated. Frescoes hinted that people of Naples were fond of cakes, fruits, etc. However, there is very frugal information regarding the combination of ingredients of cakes.

 

It is believed that Neapolitans also owned recipes for typical sauces like the Romans. These sauces encapsulated influences from Roman cooking styles. The Neapolitans used wheat for cooking their cake. It is alleged that these wheat based cakes symbolized the Pagan rituals of fertility. The Neopolitans also have their own version of Christmas cake which is known as struffoli. The word is borrowed from Greek. Large demarcations in the form of food culture occurred during Spanish and French ruling period. The food for aristocrats was distinguished from that of the common man. The aristocrats nursed expensive food tastes and used highly prized ingredients for food production. However, the poor depended on local produces to make their meals. But, today the Naples food culture is associated with quality and elegant food spreads. Over the years, the lines of demarcation have vanished with poor man’s food imbibing the influences of aristocracy and foreign food cultures. The poor classes took utmost care to preserve their identity without compromising on basic ingredients.

 

Basic Ingredients of Naples Cuisine

  • Pasta: Neapolitan’s can’t stay away from Pastas for long. The pasta was invented in Naples but the production of pasta began actively in Naples. Dishes are prepared using some traditional and modern varieties of pastas.
  • Tomatoes: Neopolitans devised the techniques of preserving tomatoes since 19th century.
  • Vegetables: Salads, red and yellow peppers, zucchini, etc are commonly used in Naples food preparation.