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A deeply rooted food culture heritage, the Abruzzi is home to the oldest cooking school in the world, giving the Abruzzi a reputation for turning out top-quality chefs. In Villa Santa Maria, the Scuola Alberghiera has existed since the XVIth century. The 400 year old hotel management and cooking school has produced Chefs who have been employed throughout the ages by European Monarchy, Popes, the Japanese Emperor and the White House. The patron saint of Italian chefs (Federazione Italiana Cuochi) is San Francesco Caracciolo of Villa Santa Maria.
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Hot Peppers, saffron, pasta, goat, sheep, chicken, and cereals are the area’s most famous ingredients. The products have been greatly influenced by deeply rooted shepherd traditions. The Abruzzi combine the very best of pasta traditions as well: home to La Rustichella, Del Verde, and De Cecco pasta factories, three of which are often cited as the top brands of pasta around the globe. Even with so much top-quality dried pasta, the locals also love to retain their handmade fresh pasta traditions. The most famous food-centered tradition in Abruzzo is la panarda. Since the 15-16th centuries, demonstrating the extensive tradition of the ritual and sacredness of honoring at the table, this Herculean feast is still observed to mark major celebrations: a birth, a wedding, a family reunion, anything. The typical number of courses for la panarda starts at 30, usually averaging out at 40. And you have to at least try them all, or you risk severe insult to whichever family created the dish you refused. Family feuds lasting generations have begun this way. |
