The typical cuisine of the province of Catanzaro is based on simple and genuine elements such as olive oil, chilli pepper and wholemeal bread. Local specialities are pasta chjna – a pasta filled with provola cheese, boiled eggs, soppressata and topped with meat sauce and grated cheese – and ciambrotta, a vegetarian dish of dry pasta with a sauce of fried eggs and pecorino cheese. The most famous of the main courses is U Murzeddhu, a special tripe cooked over a low heat, with a spicy sauce. Morzello is eaten inside a special round bread typical of Catanzaro called Pitta.

Then there are “stigghiole”, i.e. kid, veal or pork offal cooked with tomato, vegetables and chilli pepper. Also of note are sausages such as soppressata and cheeses such as butirri, a type of caciocavallo cheese with butter inside. Characteristic sweets are the “crocette”: dried figs filled with walnuts, cinnamon, candied citron and baked in the oven. All almond sweets are also good. Desserts are accompanied by the local Malvasia wine, while for table wines all the various wines produced in the hills of the province are excellent.

TYPICAL CUISINE information: scivateddi (handmade spaghetti), tiana (roast lamb seasoned with spices, potatoes, artichokes and peas) and the typical morseddhu, made by grinding the offal and adding the inevitable red pepper and tomato sauce.