Amalfi Coast and Mediterranean Diet

Our advice for a tasty and healthy vacation in the Amalfi Coast Gastronomy

1) Freselle, taralli, pane biscottato di Agerola. Practically the ideal base for some of the best and oldest snacks or "Mediterranean salads" in the world. These are pieces of bread - both white and whole grain - and double-baked salted originally cooked in a wood-burning oven and sold in bags which conserve their freshness. Hard and almost impossible to chew, these pieces of bread are soaked for a second under cold water and are then seasoned - as you wish - with olive oil, tomato, salt and anything else you want to add. They are perfect with tuna, olives, and mozzarella. The old fishermen still wet them with sea water. For health reasons, we now use tap water.

2) Fiordilatte, trecce, mozzarelle.
Fresh dairy products arrive daily to every town along the Amalfi Coast. Along with bread, the locals consider mozzarella a basic part of their diet. It is used in many wonderful ways, "raw" or as an ingredient in many unforgettable classic Italian dishes. The classic way is "raw", maybe with a bit of olive oil, a pinch of salt and a touch of black pepper. You'll love it! Just be sure it is fresh; we eat it almost every day and look at how healthy we are!

3) Spices, spices, fresh spices. Mint, rosemary, parsley, basil, wild fennel, myrtle, origano... every balcony on the coast has it's own vase of botanical delicacies that can give even the most simple culinary creation an unforgetable flavour and aroma. Use our spices to marinate meat and fish for grilling baking or steaming and benefit from the lack of fats that are in condiments. Two basil leaves or a branch of wild mint make miracles and no sauce could ever flavour your dish so well... try baking, for example, a simple panful of potatoes accompanied by a branch of our rosemary. Just the odour that will fill the house is worth the try.

4) Pesce Azzurro, lobster, oysters and salmon can be found and enjoyed in every restaurant and hotel in the world that caters to the rich. Anyway, you've even tried the best of them. They are found along the Atlantic coast, in Canada and all along the coast where you come from. The humble, tasty, local "pesce azzurro" instead, can be eaten only here. Try it every chance you can and you will fall in love with the fantastic flavour of our anchovies, our cuttle-fish, fried fragagli, our marvellous "pezzogne", red mullet, dory. Be sure to try our "carpacci" and our seafood salad. You'll soon discover that sushi is for amateurs.

5) Salads, vegetables, and other greens from our gardens. Even if eggplants, or tomatoes can become high caloric bombs in our chef's hands, you can't leave here without trying our vegetables. Try them grilled and never pass up the chance to try our many pasta dishes with vegetable based sauces. Spaghetti with zucchine, pasta with tomato or eggplant, and peppers stuffed with rice or meat could forever change your opinion that 'greens' are tasteless... unfortunately, it could also change you waist measurement. Do you dare?