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What to eat in Campania? Top 77 Campanian Foods

Last update: Tue Dec 17 2024
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01
Pizza Napoletana
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Italy’s most emblematic culinary creation, the genuine pizza Napoletana is made with just a few simple ingredients and prepared in only two variations – marinara, the basic Neapolitan pizza topped with a tomato-based sauce flavored with garlic and oregano, and margherita, which is topped with tomatoes, mozzarella, and fresh basil leaves, a delicious combination whose colors are said to represent the Italian flag.


The crust is very thin at the base, and the dough puffs up on the sides, which results in airy crust that should have typical charred 'leopard spots' if baked properly. The origins of this iconic Neapolitan dish can be traced to the early 1700s, when what we know today as pizza marinara was first described by Italian chef, writer, and philosopher Vincenzo Corrado in his treatise on the eating habits of the people of Naples. 

MOST ICONIC Pizza Napoletana

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02
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Though there are many buffalo mozzarella cheeses made with a combination of buffalo and cow's milk, to be labeled as such, the genuine mozzarella di bufala campana must be made from 100% domestic water buffalo milk and produced either in Campania or the neighboring Lazio, Apulia and Molise regions.


Buffalo milk is known to be higher in calcium and protein while lower in cholesterol, which makes this mozzarella cheese particularly prized and sought after. Buffalo mozzarella always comes packaged in brine; it has a mild yet slightly sour taste, and goes well with various Italian antipasti dishes, especially with classics like the Caprese salad.

03
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One of Italy's all-time favorites, linguine allo scoglio, often also dubbed linguine ai frutti di mare is a typical southern Italian seafood dish or piatto di mare. Back in the 1980s in the wider Neapolitan area, as well as along the entire southern Italian coast, there was reportedly not a single restaurant that didn't offer some version of such a timeless classic on its menu.


This pasta entrée is made with either linguine or spaghetti, and a combination of seafood and shellfish, preferably coming from fresh local catch of the day. Considering seafood seasonality, what Neapolitan and any other scoglio (lit. reef; rock) has to offer varies from month to month, so there is no precise recipe for this dish, and there are countless variations in existence, but the most traditional ones always include clams, mussels, shrimps, and sometimes even calamaretti or baby squids. 
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MOST ICONIC Linguine allo scoglio

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04
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This version of eggplant parmigiana is the most popular outside of Italy. Hailing from Campania, this variation on a dish is made with eggplants, olive oil, onions, basil, tomatoes, mozzarella or fior di latte cheese, and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.


The eggplants are peeled, sliced, and shortly fried, then arranged in a baking dish over the tomato sauce along with the cheese, basil leaves, and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. The layers are repeated, and the final one should end with tomato sauce and grated cheese. 

MOST ICONIC Parmigiana alla napoletana

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05
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Sugo alla Genovese is a traditional Italian sauce that, despite its name, originates from Naples, but it was likely brought over to the city from Genoa by Genovese immigrants during the Renaissance period. The sauce is prepared by sautéeing veal or beef in olive oil with large amounts of onions, carrots, and celery for a long time, usually from 2 to 10 hours.


White wine or stock are often added to the sauce to enrich its flavors. Once done, sugo alla Genovese is served either as it is or the meat is served separately from the sauce. It's traditionally paired with pasta types such as ziti or rigatoni, and the dish is then garnished with tomatoes and topped with grated pecorino.

MOST ICONIC Sugo alla Genovese

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06
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Mozzarella in carrozza (lit. mozzarella in a carriage) is an Italian fried sandwich that's especially popular in Campania, although it's eaten in various parts of Italy. The sandwich is made with crustless, slightly stale bread, mozzarella cheese (ideally di bufala variety), flour, milk, and beaten eggs.


Apart from this version, there's also a version with added anchovies. Once assembled, the sandwiches are dipped in flour and cold water (so that the cheese doesn't leak out), then in the beaten eggs, and they're finally fried until nicely browned and crisp on the exterior. 

MOST ICONIC Mozzarella in carrozza

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07

Chocolate Cake

CAPRI ISLAND, Italy
4.4
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Torta Caprese is a dark chocolate cake made without any flour. This specialty of the Italian island of Capri consists of dark chocolate, eggs, sugar, almonds, and butter. It is characterized by its dense chocolate texture and a layer of powdered sugar on top.


The cake is often garnished with halved strawberries or raspberries, while the restaurant versions are often served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. Although the origins of torta Caprese are quite murky, many believe that it was invented by mistake, when a cook left out the flour from a recipe. 

MOST ICONIC Torta Caprese

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08
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Graffe are soft Neapolitan fried sweets that are traditionally prepared for Carnival. It is believed that they were inspired by famous Austrian krapfen. The main characteristic of these leavened, doughnut-shaped fritters with a hole in the middle is their softness, achieved by the addition of moist, cooked potatoes in the dough.


After the frying process, graffe are repeatedly tossed in granulated sugar until they are coated in it, and are then enjoyed right away - they taste the best while still warm.

MOST ICONIC Graffe Napoletane

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09

Cheese

METROPOLITAN CITY OF NAPLES, Italy
4.4
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Produced since the 1700s by the shepherds who lived on the Lattari Mountains, the largest milk production area around Naples and Vico Equense, Provolone del Monaco is a melon-shaped, semi-hard cheese made from raw cow’s milk. Since the shepherds of Lattari used to wear long, hooded cowls, it was believed that Provolone was produced by monks, hence its name.


With at least 20% of milk for the cheese production coming from the endangered Agerolese dairy cattle breed, Provolone del Monaco is characterized by the exceptional quality of its spun paste. It has a sweet and buttery flavor, with a pleasantly piquant aftertaste that becomes stronger with aging. 
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10
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Ricotta di Bufala Campana is a product obtained through the processing of the 'first whey' (sweet) obtained in the cheese-making process which uses milk from the Mediterranea Italiana buffalo breed. The production area is within the provinces of Benevento, Caserta, Naples and Salerno in Campania; the provinces of Frosinone, Latina and Rome in the Lazio region; the Province of Foggia in the Apulia region and Isernia in the Molise region.


Since the arrival of buffalo in Southern Italy in the XVI century, the production of Ricotta di Bufala Campana and Mozzarella di Bufala Campana has been very closely linked. Ricotta di Bufala Campana is different from other ricotta cheeses due to its creamy consistency, softness, color and sweet milky aromas, characteristics which are given to the fact that buffalo whey is richer in fats and free from lipase, an enzyme that can influence the sensory properties of fat. 
11
Salad
CAPRI ISLAND, Italy
4.3
12
13
14
15
Cheese
CAMPANIA, Italy
4.3
16
17
18
Sweet Pastry
CAMPANIA, Italy
4.2
19
Tart
NAPLES, Italy
4.1
20
21
Pasta
CAPRI ISLAND, Italy
4.0
22
23
Bread
NAPLES, Italy
3.8
24
25
26
Meat Dish
NAPLES, Italy
3.5
27
28
Pizza
NAPLES, Italy
n/a
29
30
31
32
33
34
Bread
NAPLES, Italy
n/a
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
Cake
NAPLES, Italy
n/a
45
46
47
48
49
Cheese
PROVINCE OF SALERNO, Italy
n/a
50
Vegan Dish
NAPLES, Italy
n/a
51
52
53
Cookie
CAMPANIA, Italy
3.2
54
55
56
Cookie
NAPLES, Italy
n/a
57
58
59
Pasta
CAMPANIA, Italy  and  one more region
n/a
60
61
62
63
Vegan Dish
PROVINCE OF SALERNO, Italy
n/a
64
65
66
67
Vegetarian Dish
PROVINCE OF SALERNO, Italy
n/a
68
69
70
Egg Dish
CAMPANIA, Italy
n/a
71
Vegetable Soup
CAMPANIA, Italy
n/a
72
Cookie
NAPLES, Italy
n/a
73
Cheese
CILENTO, Italy
n/a
74
75
Cheese
CASERTA, Italy
n/a
76
77

TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 77 Campanian Foods” list until December 17, 2024, 8,313 ratings were recorded, of which 6,375 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.

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Campanian Food