The Traditional Neapolitan Cuisine

Neapolitan cuisine reflects the influences of the various civilizations that have come throughout the years to the shores of southern Italy Spanish, Moorish and French amongst others.
The cuisine of this region became quite refined towards the end of the 18th century, when Naples rivaled Paris as the most sophisticated city in Europe, and in 1830, it was comprehensively described for the first time by Don Ippolito Cavalcanti, Duke of Buonvicino, in his culinary classic "Traditional Neapolitan Cuisine". The Cavalcanti book covers elaborate dishes known to humbler Neapolitans, but refined by the touch of a great cook.

The true Neapolitan has a sober character, because he is poor, and eating is a kind of diversion, a colorful spectacle. The city has serious problems, but its citizens seem to ignore tham, and take pleasure in the sun, the scenery, and the cooking which can take pride in the invention of three of the most tasty things to eat: pizza, tomato sauce and macaroni. In the working-class districts of Naples the streets seem to consist of one long outdoor restaurant. If not a restaurant, full of food shops whose merchandise seems to take up half the street. Enormous forms of white cheese, beef quarters hanging in the sun with flies buzzing around, ice-cream stands, lemon stands adorned with a Madonna and flower trimmings, coconut vendors, all hawking their wares. In Naples, and the towns of Campania, life takes place in the streets.

This tradition has roots in the past: until 1800 all kinds of foot were eaten outdoors including macaroni, pizza, boiled polpi from the rocks, served in a cup with their steaming fragrant broth. There were more macaroni stands, and people still remember the macaroni vendor, usually a robust jovial young man, who scooped out the fragrant pasta from a huge cauldron and deftly filled plates. For a few pennies more they served the macaroni with tomato sauce.

Capodopera culinara a Napolitanilor este pizza. Este cineva caruia sa nu-i placa pizza? Poti s-o mananci intr-o companie placuta si ea arata bine de asemenea, la fel de mare ca soarele, cu rosul de la tomate si cu verdele de la patrunjel, cu firisoare de mozzarella ici colo care ii dau stralucire. Chiar si regilor le place pizza. Regina Maria Carolina, mofturoasa si autoritara sotie a regelui Ferdinando I rege al Napolitanilor, a comandat constuirea unui cuptor cu lemne pe proprietatea lor din Capodimonte, acolo unde familia regala isi petrecea adeseori verile. In timpul serilor fierbinti de august regina cerea sa se coaca numeroase pizza pentru bucuria si amuzamentul intregii curti regale.

Sotul ei, regele Ferdinando I, avea modul lui propriu de a se distra. Mergea la pescuit in apele mari de langa dealul Posilippo. Odata ajuns pe mal, el isi expunea marfa si facea afaceri cu supusii lui. J.Garani, in cartea sa “Memoriile secrete si criticismul asupra curtii regale” publicata la Paris in 1793, a scris: “ Ferdinando nu dadea credit nimanui si, fiind singura ocazie cand supusii se apropiau de el, scena devenea comica atunci cand incepea vanzarea. Regele incerca sa vanda la cel mai mare pret posibil, adunand pestele in mana si aratandu-l inca miscand. Napolitanii il tratau pe rege cu multa familiaritate, ba chiar ii adresau insulte vulgare. Regele se distra foarte bine pe seama acestor insulte si adeseori radea salbatic. Dupa vanzare el mergea si ii spunea reginei totul despre pescuit si despre banii pe care ii castigase. Suma de bani adunata era apoi impartita oamenilor saraci”.

Regele a preparat din fructe de mare o serie de mancaruri rafinate cum ar fi: “zuppa di vongole”(supa de scoici) sau “spaghetii con le vongole in salsa bianca” (spaghetii cu scoici in sos alb) sau “cozze in culla” care sunt de fapt rosii taiate in doua, cu miezul scos si care se umplu cu cozze. Deasupra se punea un amestec de capere, patrunjel maruntit, oregano si bucatele mici de paine inainte ca mancarea sa fie introdusa la cuptor pentru a se rumeni.

Dar, mancarea fundamentala incepand din anul 650 au fost intotdeauna pastele. O alta mancare de baza Napolitana mancata acasa este “minestra marinata”, o supa cu doua ingrediente principale: grasime de porc si verdeturi fierte. Bogatia supei depindea de posibilitatile economice ale familiei si aceasta supa era mancarea zilnica de baza pana la aparitia pastelor.

Exista de asemenea o traditie solida a unor mancaruri rafinate pentru nobilime, prezente si in regatul Napolitanilor. Seful bucatariei de la palatele nobililor era “monzu” care deriva din cuvantul francez “monsieur”, o combinatie de bucatar-artist, respectat si temut de toti. El era responsabil pentru prepararea unor mancaruri rafinate cum ar fi “timballi” de paste sau orez, minestra marinata, pizza cu legume si deserturi cu combinatii neobisnuite de ingrediente. Aceste mancaruri necesitau ore intregi de preparare, de exemplu un simplu “ragu” sau sos pentru imbunatatirea pastelor necesita sapte ore de preparare.

Romenian version by Paul Brie, VII A - Scoala n.7 Cluj-Napoca