Bucatini all'amatriciana




There are several ingredients typically associated with the region and the which became fundamental and irreplaceable to its gastronomy.

Perhaps the most important of these is extra virgin olive oil, the so-called "Sabina gold", which is unequalled in it's lightness, due to certain well-known qualities such as its very low acidity, which led to the awarding of the DOC and DOP quality marks which distinguish the finest Italian olive oils. It is one of the historical advantages of the Sabina that the land is extremely well suited to the cultivation of olives and that there are few pests which attack them, so that olive groves have become a primary feature of the agricultural landscape. A larger number of farms produce an olive oil of typical fruity taste and colour which, in it's different grades, is almost always obtained using traditional methods - the cold pressing of olives which are picked when they are just ripe. It is difficult to praise enough the qualities of this irreplaceable ingredient in the Mediterranean diet, which include the prevention of certain diseases - and the insistence of modern medicine on the phrase "prevention is better than cure" is well-known.
On the menus of many local restaurants, as well as in homes, great importance is given to the anti-pasti "all'italiana", which feature cold meats and hams such as lonza, capocollo and prosciutto, frequently combined with delicious bruschetta - toasted bread with extra virgin olive oil of the Sabina dribbled over it and often enriched with truffle sauce or grated truffles. It would be superfluous to stress how these simple tastes have been passed down the centuries little changed.


Stracci antrodocani

Pasta is still prepared by hand, and the egg dough is rolled out and cut to form the typical tagliatelle, papardelle, tagliolini, canelloni, stracci, ravioli - often filled with ricotta and spinach -quadrucci da brodo, and, if the pasta is prepared with flour and water, fregnacce (the most famous being those of the Reatina), strengozzi, strozzapreti, fezze, falloni, farro alla Leonessana - or barley soup - sagne scandrigliesi. And speaking of pasta it is only natural that the most famous dish of these parts, that is Spaghetti all'amatriciana, should come to mind, a mouth-watering culinary invention and which is famous worldwide, and whose popularity has never been surpassed.

Meat
From the raising of livestock, cows, pigs, goats, and sheep, come some of the products which now , as always, are sought-after for their characteristically excellent quality. Some of the most typical dishes are castrato di montagna, l'abbacchio (young lamb), l'agnello (lamb), capretto (goat), salsice (sausages) etc. Alongside these you will also find cinghiale (wild boar), diano and cervo (venison) which are nowadays kept as a livestock to satisfy the demand of local restaurants. Among the specialities which fall into this category, porchetta (roast pork flavoured with herbs and other special ingredients) should not be forgotten as the most famous of all.

Fish
Although the cooking of fish is less widespread in the region, it still holds a position of importance. The richness of the local lake and river waters has always encouraged people, through fishing, to obtain the ingredients for meals for special occasions. The freshwater shrimps (gamberi di fiume) which, unfortunately, are becoming rarer, still constitute a valuable ingredient and people still remember "li amari crocifissi" the traditional way of cooking this crustacean which enjoys a favourable habitat in the area of S.Susanna, near Rivodutri.

Cheeses
Pecorino (sheep's cheese), caciotta (mixed cows and sheep cheese), mozzarella and ricotta are amongst the most sought-after local cheeses.

Cakes
Terzetti, amaretti and copete. These are often made with honey which itself has long been associated with the Sabina.

Mushrooms
The cool and damp woodlands of the mountains are home to many kinds of fungi, whose gathering is controlled by law, including porcini and truffles, which have played their part in rendering legendary many dishes of the Sabina.