I guess we were never going to keep this little culinary gem to ourselves for very long. However, one of Basilicata's best kept culinary secrets is now out of the bag: Peperoni Cruschi. Only a couple of months ago did the Guardian Newspaper of Britain finally discover this unique delicacy (read here) and reveal it to all of their readers.
However, even though the secret is now out, you'll still have to actually come and visit Basilicata to see what the fuss is all about!
The people of #Basilicata have been using these peppers in their cuisine for centuries now. Sometimes we crunch them up and sprinkle them on our 'oreccheiette' pasta dishes, sometimes we compliment codfish with them and sometimes we just enjoy them as a snack at aperitivo time.
But what exactly are they?
Well, put simply, they are dried red peppers - a particular red pepper from this region - that are flash fried in hot olive oil for no more than a second or two. It's during these hot months of summer that we can pick the peppers and dry them in the Basilicata sun before we turn them into these deep red, smoky, crunchy delights.
During an experience with La Lucana, our guests are sure to try to them in a variety of different dishes, so, to wet your appetites, we thought we'd give you a little insight into how we prepare them at the Agriturismo L'assiolo - your home for your La Lucana experience.
In this video below, you can see Antonio (the cheese-maker or 'casaro') and his colleague preparing freshly picked red peppers for the drying process. With the heat we're experiencing here at the moment, they won't take long to dry out at all!
Once dried, Marisa will begin frying them and turning them into 'Peperoni Cruschi'!
If you'd like to come and try this and many other incredible culinary delights here in Southern Italy, do get in contact with us via our website www.lalucana.com and we'll look forward to helping you organise your own experience of real Italy!