Let’s go to explore a land of ancient food traditions and distinctive tastes: here our list of 15 unmissable traditional dishes in Campania
It’s not easy to list just 15 dishes to be sampled in Campania, but food lovers won’t be disappointed in this southern Italian region, where cuisine is a key identity factor. Beyond pizza and babà, however, Campania offers countless typical recipes for everyone, by serving up a variety and a versatility that can be found in its landscapes as well.
Thanks to its long rocky coastline, its gentle hills and its inland mountains, this stunning territory is able to share an endless roster of delicious and genuine typical ingredients and thus a huge range of mouth-watering recipes. Here are some of them in our excursus along 15 traditional dishes in Campania.
Traditional dishes in Campania to be enjoyed at least once in a lifetime
A triumph of flavors, aromas and colors, a wide range and combinations that make raw materials glorify each other: this is how Campania's cuisine could be briefly defined.
Genuine, authentic, hearty, the culinary tradition of Campania is a pleasure for your eyes, for your mouth and for your heart, and that is why it has become over time one of the most appreciated around the world. Many of the pillars of Italian cuisine come from this region where ingredients such as tomatoes and cheeses excel - and it could not be otherwise in the homeland of San Marzano and Piennoli tomatoes and the buffalo mozzarella.
Including generous and colorful first and second courses, tasty side dishes and the ever-present desserts, the recipes often come from popular habits, where imagination and love for food drive the creation of such unique dishes. Just think about the famous gnocchi alla sorrentina or parmigiana, but also the Luciana-style octopus or the zizzona di Battipaglia, or the heavenly lemon delizia cake.
We will talk about these and many other specialties in our selection of the 15 traditional dishes in Campania that you really must try and give you some tips on places where you can find them.
15. Scarpariello
What to eat in Campania if not a steaming pasta al sugo?
Let's start our culinary journey with a first course, the Scarpariello. This ancient recipe originated in Sannio, in the Benevento area, and it is as simple as tasty. It is made of a fresh cherry tomato sauce flavored with garlic, basil, pecorino cheese and chili pepper, perfect for dressing pasta, preferably long and homemade.
It is an old-fashioned and poor dish, which was usually prepared on Mondays, in order not to waste the leftovers of Sunday lunch, but as with all traditional recipes it is difficult to say for sure. The name, however, seems to somewhat confirm this story, since in the local dialect scarpari were shoemakers, who did not work on Mondays.
Enjoy them in the taverns and trattorias of Benevento and province for a simple but flavorful lunch.
14. Spaghetti alla Nerano
A seemingly simple recipe made of few ingredients, but with a truly exceptional flavor, spaghetti alla Nerano is a traditional first course from the homonymous city on the border between the Sorrento and Amalfi coasts.
Not a fish dish, despite its place of origin, but a zucchini-based one. Thinly sliced, fried in oil and garlic and perfumed with basil, they are enriched with a famous cheese of the area, the exquisite provolone del Monaco, which beautifies the whole with its strong and intense flavor and the inviting creamy texture made with it. The ideal pasta is spaghetti, to be cooked naturally al dente, and the proverbial sprinkling of Parmesan cheese on the top makes everything even more delicious.
In any trattoria in the Naples area or on the coast they triumph on menus all year round, but also in many Neapolitan pizzerias in the other provinces.
Do not miss a tour along the Amalfi Coast❯
13. Praianese squid and potatoes
Enjoy a trip to one of the most beautiful places in the region and take the opportunity to taste the excellent local cuisine, which of course offers the best from the sea. Totani e patate alla praianese, Praianese squid and potatoes, is a recipe from the “poor” tradition of fishermen, but its very rich taste makes it a very special and refined dish.
In addition to squid, ever-present mollusks in the coastal fishery, and potatoes, this tasty second course is made with a little tomato sauce, extra-virgin olive oil, a glass of good white wine and plenty of parsley for a final fresh note.
Since it is a typical Praiano dish, it is very easy to find in this area, but rather less so elsewhere: better to be aware of it!
No love is more sincere than love for food
12. Maccaronara with truffle
Truffles in Campania? Well yes, they are the protagonists of this super first course, which combines two typical delicacies from the Avellino inland area.
The first is the black truffle, which is of excellent quality here, loved and celebrated throughout Italy for its aroma and flavor. The Picentini Mountains are in fact the most important center in Campania for the production and sale of this product. Here the truffle can be found packaged in oil, or in glass jars with water and salt, but for this particular recipe it goes with a particular type of spaghetti, maccaronara, which are larger than usual and have a rectangular cross-section. They are also a typical handmade product of the Avellino area and they are handed down through generations; made with just water and flour, they are often protagonists of festivals, fairs and Sunday lunches.
You can find them in taverns, pasta shops but also in the refrigerator aisle of supermarkets.
11. Panzerotti
We are back in the Benevento area but now we'll find out a really tasty street food, the panzerotti, delicious crescent-shaped bundles made of a simple flour and lard-based dough. Inside is a filling of cold cuts, sausage, eggs and local cheeses, sometimes even ricotta cheese. They are deep-fried in oil, but some people choose to bake them in the oven, with the addition of a few brushings of egg yolk to make them nicely golden.
Panzerotti probably owe their good fortune not only to their deliciousness, but also to their “size,” which makes them perfect as street food. That's why you can really find them everywhere throughout Benevento and province, in diners and pizzerias, for a quick and tasty lunch.
10. Black piglet from Caserta
Among the traditional dishes in Campania there is undoubtedly the black piglet, which is typical of the province of Caserta, reportedly known and appreciated as far back as the ancient Romans. With time, it has become a real must in the Caserta and Sannio areas; it is raised in a semi-wild state and can be eaten in various forms, such as cured meats or sausages, on its own or as an ingredient in other typical recipes of these areas.
Even though it originated as a folk food, it can now be found not only in taverns but also on the menus of the finest restaurants, thanks to its strong but delicate taste and its versatility, which makes it a good match for many other products. It is also perfect as an appetizer, to be enjoyed together with the typical regional wines, especially the red ones.
9. Eggplant parmigiana
A beloved delicacy for young and adults, eggplant parmigiana is one of the best-known traditional dishes from Campania.
Its origins are disputed by other places in Italy (Sicily, home of the eggplant, and the city of Parma, which supposedly gave it that name), but what we know for sure is that parmigiana is an absolute must for those who want to learn about and delight in the best typical foods of Campania.
Common in every home in the region, especially on Sunday lunch, and in all restaurants, from the simplest to the most luxurious, it can please anyone. It consists of thinly sliced and fried eggplant arranged in layers, tomato sauce, bits of mozzarella or scamorza cheese, and fragrant basil leaves. Unmissable, to finish, a shower of grated Parmesan cheese. Depending on the area, it is possible to find some slight variations, such as the eggs and flour breading for the eggplant slices or the presence or absence of meat in the tomato sauce.
It is often served as appetizer, but it is also excellent as a single dish; you can taste it practically everywhere here.
8. Lemon delizia cake
Sweet-smelling, ripened under the warm Mediterranean sun, the lemons of the Amalfi Coast are rightfully famous and are widely used in the local cuisine-as a simple condiment, as the main ingredient in another local glory, limoncello liqueur, and of course in pastries.
If you're wondering what to eat in Campania to complete a meal, you have to know that you can't fail to try the lemon delizia cake, a dessert that will surprise you with its very fresh and inviting aroma. It is a triumph of sponge cake soaked in limoncello with a filling and a covering of silky lemon cream.
They can be found in a cake form but more commonly in single portions; they are popular throughout the Coast, but no shortage of them can be found in the best pastry shops throughout the region.
7. Zizzona di Battipaglia
Among the traditional dishes of Campania that you absolutely must try, some need no introduction; one of these is undoubtedly the buffalo mozzarella. It is perhaps the most famous among the many excellences of Campania's dairies and one of the cornerstones of the Mediterranean Diet.
A particularly good variety is found in the Salerno area, the so-called Zizzona di Battipaglia. Its name derives from its rounded shape that resembles that of a large female breast. Its typical size is usually around 10 kg and seems like an invitation to enjoy it in company, but it is also possible to ask for a piece and have it sliced. Its unique flavor goes perfectly with vegetables and local cured meats, but it is also a real delicacy on its own, paired with a slice of bread.
Authentic Zizzona is enjoyed, of course, in Battipaglia or at any rate in the Salerno area, but it is not unusual to find it in specialized dairy stores in the other provinces.
It is said that "appetite comes with eating", actually it comes with fasting!
An unquestioned leader on the table at Sunday lunch, ragù is a recipe with ancient French origins, but now a staple of Campania's culinary tradition. Indeed, it is so deeply rooted in local culture that it was even celebrated by such an author as Eduardo De Filippo, who dedicated a poem to it.
Neapolitan ragù, not to be confused with the Bolognese one, is a sauce made out of tomatoes and beef and pork. Preparing ragù for pasta on Sunday mornings is practically a ritual that tastes like home and family, and although it takes many hours it certainly rewards the wait.
Indeed, it is a preparation that requires slow and long cooking times and, as tradition requires, it must “pippiare”, that means that it must boil slowly and make the characteristic sound of bursting bubbles. That’s the only way to get its unmistakable strong flavor and intense aroma, capable of spreading throughout the house and often the entire neighborhood.
Where to taste this delicacy? Practically everywhere in Naples, in trattorias and restaurants and often in pizzerias, where it can also be found on pizza. And of course at nonna's!
Explore the uniqueness of Naples ❯
4. Luciana-style octopus
If you love seafood dishes and wonder what to eat in Campania that comes from its legendary gulf, here we provide the answer: polpo alla Luciana, Luciana-style octopus, so named for its origins in the ancient village of Santa Lucia, just a few steps from the Naples waterfront, where it was prepared by the fishermen who lived there (the luciani).
It is made, exactly, with freshly caught octopus, cooked with a delicious tomato sauce seasoned with Gaeta olives, capers and garlic. The secret to making it perfect? Cooking it in an earthenware casserole as tradition requires, which guarantees the tenderness of the octopus meat and the perfect blending of the ingredients.
You can find this delicacy in the best seafood restaurants in Naples and its province.
5. Gnocchi alla sorrentina
Next to eggplant parmigiana, among the typical dishes in Campania, another star of Sunday lunches could not be missing: the gnocchi alla sorrentina.
These soft little pasta dumplings are made with potatoes, cooked and then dressed with tomato sauce and stringy smoked provola cheese, preferably the one from Agerola, and topped with parmesan cheese and the ever-present basil leaves, before being baked again in the oven for a gentle browning.
You can easily find them in diners and trattorias in Naples, but also throughout the rest of the region, where this dish is widely popular.
Explore the coast with a boat tour❯
3. Polacca, the Polish cake from Aversa
In Aversa, in the province of Caserta, there is a delicious dessert that is unfortunately less well known than others but just as yummy: the polacca, the Polish cake.
It is a brioche-like pastry cake with a filling of cream and black cherries, but it is also possible to find a smaller size, a single-portion which is very similar to the classic croissants, namely the polacchina, ideal for breakfast.
The origins of this dessert are uncertain; it was probably invented in medieval times by a Polish nun, who re-elaborated a specialty of her native country with the help of a pastry chef, but others claim that some nuns from Aversa invented the recipe to pay homage to a Polish queen visiting their convent, and still others that it is a remaking of the pasticciotto leccese by a merchant from Puglia who had moved to Aversa.
Whatever the true origin of this sweet-smelling dessert, it is indeed worth tasting in the city's best pastry shops.
2. Zucchini alla scapece
The Campania cuisine is also rich in side dishes; not simple cooked vegetables, but delicious and distinctive dishes with the irresistible scents of fresh herbs, which not only accompany but actually earn a top place on the table. Among the traditional dishes of Campania, therefore, one cannot miss the very special zucchini alla scapece, which can be found in practically every self-respecting diner, restaurant, or osteria throughout the region.
They are prepared by cutting the zucchini into thin rounds, frying them with a clove of garlic and finally marinating them together with white vinegar and lots of fragrant mint leaves. It is precisely from marinating them in vinegar that their name would derive, an Italianization of the Spanish term escabeche, which indicates precisely this widespread culinary practice. Eat them hot or cold to add flavor to your main courses or fill spectacular sandwiches.
1. Potato gateau
Like eggplant parmigiana, potato gateau is a popular dish that can be eaten on its own, as an appetizer or as a side dish.
With a rich and inviting filling of cooked ham and cheese, the Neapolitan potato gateau takes the name “gattò” or “cattò”, a kind of Italianization of the clearly French-derived name. At the time of the Bourbons' domination, in fact, in the kitchens of the noblemen palaces there was a tendency to take inspiration from the French cuisine, and in particular this exquisite dish was made by the best French chefs in 1768, for the wedding between Archduchess Maria Carolina of Habsburg and Ferdinand IV of Bourbon. A refined specialty, then, that soon spread to the kitchens of the people as well and is today a symbol of conviviality.
It is easy to find in the diners and trattorias of Naples and easily throughout the rest of the region, also in many variations.
A tasty journey through the traditional dishes in Campania
Now you know what to eat in Campania and have discovered some dishes you probably had never heard of, we know you will be spoiled for choice and your mouth will water.
Cuisine, especially in its traditional meaning, is a fundamental factor of local culture, and sitting down at the table to explore it is an experience on its own to be made during your travels in this beautiful region.
In short, you just have to taste the traditional dishes in Campania if you want to totally immerse yourself in the most authentic atmosphere of the area.
