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THE FOODS
The ancient Greeks lived and dined more lavishly in Calabria than in any other part of Magna Græcia. But the mountainous toe of the Italian boot remained isolated and poor for centuries after, as its cooking took on the tasty integrity of a country tradition.
Calabrians have an appetite for hefty soups and pastas laden with vegetables, headed by eggplants, peppers and tomatoes and ranging on through artichokes, asparagus, potatoes, beans and peas. The red onions of Tropea, a town on the Tyrrhenian coast, are renowned for aroma and flavor. The lofty Sila range between Cosenza and Catanzaro abounds in mushrooms, including the prized porcini.
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THE WINES
Calabria, which forms the toe of the Italian boot, is a predominately mountainous region with marked variations in microclimates between the sunny coastal hills along the Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas and the chilly heights of the Sila and Aspromonte massifs. Two grape varieties of Greek origin dominate, Gaglioppo in red wines, Greco in whites, though the types of wine they make can vary markedly from one place to another.
Calabria's best-known wine is Cirò, which grows in low hills along the Ionian coast between the ancient Greek cities of Sybaris and Kroton (Sibari and Crotone today). Local legend has it that Cirò descended directly from Krimisa, the wine Calabrian athletes drank to celebrate victory in an early Olympiad.
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