Issue 12 | Pescara, Abruzzo
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Welcome back to the Italy Deep Dive, the narrative newsletter by La Panza Piena, and thank you for tagging along! We are now at episode 12 of what has been an incredible journey, about time to make some changes! I’m excited to announce that the newsletter will have (in part) a new look and feel, and the contribution of many talented writers and storytellers.
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I’m ashamed to admit that in my 26 years of life, I had never been to Abruzzo. As expected, it was one of the greatest discoveries of my travels. Its unique landscape is marked by two imposing elements: the Gran Sasso, Italy’s tallest mountain outside of the Alps, and the Adriatic Sea, whose bright blue shores glisten under the sunlight. In between the mountains and sea are endless rolling hills, dotted with tiny hamlets, large farms and vineyards.
Let’s Dive
Abruzzo has an immensely vast gastronomic heritage, composed mainly by fish, seafood and meat: products of the region’s geography. There is one traditional dish that reigns above the rest in fame and succulency: gli arrosticini. Thumb-sized squares of meat - usually sheep - on a skewer, roasted over an open fire, sprinkled with salt and dripping with fat.
The origin of the ultra-popular street food derives from Abruzzo’s shepherds who have inhabited the region’s mountains and foothills for centuries. Whereas most Italian regions have a solid tradition of herding cattle above all other animal species, Abruzzo’s history is based around sheep.
Legend has it that the first arrosticini were invented by shepherds during the bi-annual transumanza: the seasonal movement of livestock between summer and winter pastures. Life on the move is tough and food is often scarce, so the shepherds would sacrifice the oldest sheep to fill their stomachs, dicing the meat into small nuggets to counter its tenacity. Making a fire was simple so the meat cubes would be thread onto a skewer and roasted until cooked through.
Nowadays, arrosticini can be made with a series of meat cuts, a popular version being with liver, onions and bay leaves. The original version however remains the most loved and symbol of Abruzzo’s gastronomic heritage, in which slivers of fat are alternated with dices of meat to elevate flavour.
Cooking tip: I asked my friend and BBQ master Blushu to share a few tips on how to cook arrosticini to perfection.
During cooking, the arrosticini will tend to "sweat": small droplets of fat will form on their surface. By slamming them firmly on the "fornacella", the excess fat will fall on the embers, releasing an aromatic smoke, resulting in a lighter and tastier Arrosticino.
Sheep fat tends to burn at a lower temperature than other animal’s fat, so there is a risk of having high flames when the embers are too strong. To prevent this from happening, I recommend keeping a spray water bottle on hand or, better still, some ash left over from previous cooking, so as to create a protective layer between the charcoal and the fat.
Pictured below: Arrosticini on the fornacella by Blushu; the centre of Città Sant’Angelo; spaghetti alla chitarra with fresh tomato sauce.