The flavours of Alto Sangro: what to taste in the mountains

The food of Alto Sangro is the cooking of shepherds and mountain homes: few, very good ingredients, cooked slowly. Here is what to order to really taste the area.

Arrosticini

Skewers of mutton cut into tiny cubes and grilled on the "canala", a long, narrow brazier. You eat them with your hands, one after another, with bread and olive oil. Almost every restaurant serves them; in Castel di Sangro there is even a grill house that only does those, Fuori dal Gregge.

Pallotte cacio e ova

Meat-free balls made with cheese, eggs and bread, fried and then simmered in tomato sauce. A humble dish that has become a symbol of Abruzzo cooking: try them at Osteria Il Cortile or La Rimessa in Castel di Sangro.

Chitarra, sagne and tacconelle

Homemade pasta rules the table. Chitarra is cut on a frame strung with wires, like a guitar; sagne and tacconelle are rustic, irregular shapes. In the mountains they are served with porcini, truffle, lamb or wild boar ragù. The truffle tacconelle at Da Giocondo in Rivisondoli and the porcini and truffle chitarra at La Portella are two great places to start.

Lamb and grilled meat

Lamb from these pastures is something else: grilled, cooked "cacio e ova" with cheese and egg, or roasted with potatoes. Le Tre Chiavi in Castel di Sangro has made it a dish worth the trip.

Cheese and cured meats

Pecorino, scamorza, caciocavallo and sheep's ricotta; sausages, ventricina and mountain ham. A mixed board is the starter at almost every restaurant in the area.

Truffle

Alto Sangro is truffle country, black or white depending on the season. You'll find it grated over pasta, fried eggs and beef fillet.

Sweets

Pizzelle and ferratelle, thin wafers cooked in irons, sometimes flavoured with cinnamon: those from Biscottificio Di Giacomo in Pescocostanzo are an institution. And then the sour-cherry tart (crostata di visciole), the house dessert of many trattorias.

To drink

The table wine is Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, a full-bodied red that goes well with meat; in summer, a chilled Cerasuolo rosé. Meals often end with a herbal amaro or a glass of gentian liqueur.