ost of the basic elements, olive oil, wine, cheese, grains, fruits and vegetables, originated in other places, but what came to be known as the Mediterranean diet assumed its enduring character in Italy's south. The Mezzogiorno, as it's often called, was a garden of the Greeks and Romans. The most celebrated foods and wines of the ancient world were produced in these sunny lands at the heart of the Mediterranean.
Yet it isn't historically correct to group collectively six regions that boast distinct cultural heritages. Two are the Mediterranean's largest islands, Sicily and Sardinia, whose natural isolation explains their idiosyncrasies, but Calabria, Basilicata, Apulia and Campania also follow individual customs. Certain traits can be traced to ancient peoples: the Siculi and Sicani of Sicily, the early Sardinians, the Campani, Apuli, Bruttii, Samnites, Lucani and Messapians of the southern peninsula. Some were colonized by the Greeks of Magna Grĉcia and all were absorbed into the Roman empire. Southerners shared bonds of unity, if invariably imposed, under Byzantines and Normans and on and off for centuries under French and Spanish rulers of what came to be called the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Sardinia, however, often went it's own way, and even today people of the six regions retain their autonomous spirits.
Most outsiders came to conquer, though some introduced concepts of cooking that proved useful (Greeks and Arabs in particular). Yet all eventually surrendered to local tastes, won over by the flavors, aromas and colors of things that grow in the meridional sun.
Olive oil is fundamental, but the symbol of southern cooking, curiously enough, came to be the tomato, which arrived with peppers, beans and potatoes from America. The pomodoro found a promised land alongside the eggplant from Asia, the melanzane that distinguishes the "parmigiana" classics of Campania and many other dishes. The irresistible piquancy of southern food comes from herbs and spices, above all the tangs of garlic and chili peppers.
Italy's first pasta was almost certainly made in the south, though noodles were preceded by flatbreads called focacce, forerunners of pizza, whose spiritual home (if not its place of origin) is Naples. Baked goods, including pastries, biscuits and cakes, abound in the Mezzogiorno, though nowhere as evidently as in Sardinia, where each village has its own styles of bread.
Arabs in Sicily established a pasta industry in the Middle Ages, using durum wheat for the dried types that still prevail in the south. Tubes and other forms of "short" pasta may be referred to generically as maccheroni, distinguished from "long" types such as spaghetti and vermicelli. Also popular are spiral-shaped fusilli, oblique tubes called penne and larger tubes called ziti or zite, though variations make the pasta field as confusing as it is intriguing. Fresh pasta is also prized, sometimes made with eggs but more often not, in such familiar forms as lasagne, fettuccine and ravioli, through there is no shortage of local peculiarities.
Southern geography is marked by often sharp contrasts between rambling seacoasts and masses of mountains and hills that dominate the interior of most regions. Coastal dwellers have habitually eaten seafood and hill people meat, though preferences aren't always clear cut. Deep waters of the Tyrrhenian and Ionian seas render tuna and swordfish, shallower waters mollusks and crustaceans for the delectably fresh frutti di mare. Anchovies and sardines are fixtures through the south, though it's also curious to note that all regions have recipes for baccalà or stoccafisso, the dried cod apparently introduced by the Normans.
Historically, meat had been used thriftily in the south, where every part of the animal is still rendered edible. Prime cuts of veal and beef are rare and prized. Lamb and kid are the glories of the hill country, grilled, roasted, braised or stewed in ragouts to be served with pasta. Poultry is popular, as are game birds, boar and hare where available. But the perennial provider has been the pig, preserved in all manner of sausages and salame (often spicy), soppressata, hams, salt pork and lard that in some places substitutes for olive oil in cooking.
Cheese, or cacio, is fundamental in southern diets. Sheep provide pecorino, which may be eaten at early stages of ripeness or aged to be used for grating. Goat's milk is the source of caprino. Ricotta, preferably from sheep, is eaten fresh or used in pasta fillings, pastries and desserts, though it is also salted and dried to be sliced or grated. The most prominent family of southern cheeses are the pasta filata types, which come mainly from cows. The exemplar is mozzarella, originally (and best) from the milk of bufala, water buffalo, but popular as the cow's milk fior di latte. The oldest member of the clan is caciocavallo, whose name refers to dual forms hanging from strings like saddle bags astride a horse (cavallo). Like the similar provolone, caciocavallo may be eaten after a few months as dolce (mild and tender) or aged for a year or more as piccante (sharp and hard and suited for grating). Both may be smoked. In between are the spongy provola and scamorza, both eaten young, often cooked or smoked. Burrino is a special pasta filata type with a core of butter.
No other sector of Italy boasts such a splendid heritage of sweets and ices. Many desserts bespeak the Arab and Greek influences in Sicily, with its almond pastes, candied fruits, ricotta, honey, raisins and nuts. But anyone with a sweet tooth will find delights all over the south.
The six regions produce about 40 percent of Italian wines, though only a fraction of the classified DOC/DOCG. Still, in vineyards that were long sources of anonymous blending wines, Apulia and Sicily in the forefront, the emphasis is increasingly on premium quality. The southern wines of greatest historical stature were sweet and fortified. But trends everywhere favor dry, balanced reds, many suited for aging, and fresh, fruity whites and rosés.
Few places in the Mezzogiorno are known for deluxe restaurants or traditions of haute cuisine. Feasting is reserved for holidays and truly special occasions. The genius of southern cooking lies in the local individuality of everyday fare, the pure and simple preparations of foods whose flavors, aromas and colors capture the essence of the Mediterranean.
Significantly, the six southern regions lead the nation in biological farming, accounting for about 75 percent of Italy's organic produce. Sardinia and Sicily together accounted for more than half of the 960,000 hectares (2,372,000 acres) devoted to organic farming in 1999.
