Foods of Abruzzo

During our recent trip to Italy, Rudy and I spent time visiting the region of Abruzzo. Both of his paternal grandparents were born and raised in two towns of Abruzzo: Pescara and Civitella Del Tronto. The eastern border of Abruzzo is the Adriatic Sea and the foods from the towns near Pescara are based on the fish of the Adriatic.

The propriator of the hotel we stayed at in Civitella, Daniele Zunica from the Hotel Zunica, treated us (and our translator) to a wonderful meal at a restaurant named Beccaceci in the costal town of Giulianova. The meal was outstanding and not typical of what many people think of as “Italian food.” We started with a raw fish platter (yes, raw fish), then stuffed mussels, followed by a calamari stuffed with scampi (which are tiny-lobster like crustaceans), then their famous seafood soup and the main entree of grilled monkfish on top of a potato puree. We washed it all down with a wonderful local white wine variety Pecorino.

Rudy and I were both full beyond belief! And, I now understand why Italian do not eat breakfast; one is too full from the meal the night before which didn't start until 8:30pm. Our breakfast would consist of a cappucino, cornetto (like a croissant) and maybe some prosciutto and bread.

The joy of traveling is learning about the culture and traditions of the locals and having dinner and great conversation with Daniele Zunica and our guide Guido gave us great memories. Join us at our wine dinner were we will feature a couple of the recipes we received during our time in Abruzzo.  

Raw Fish Platter

Stuffed Mussels

Monkfish

White Wine

Calamari

Fish Soup

Breakfast