The Science of Spice

76 World of Spice

Italy played a key role in the story of spice when the

Republic of Venice dominated the trade from the 8th

to 15th centuries. Today, varied regional palettes reflect

Italy’s history as a collection of separate states, but

fennel, nutmeg, and saffron are popular countrywide

for flavouring meats, cheeses, pasta dishes, and risottos.

The fiery food of Calabria uses the hot peperoncino

chilli to spice cheese, salami, and oil. Cloves, too, are

prevalent both in sweet dishes – the compact Sienese

panforte tart, for instance – and in rustic savoury ones.

LOCAL SPICE BLEND

Arrabiata sauce

Translating as “angry”,

this quick pasta sauce gets

its fiery reputation from

liberal quantities of chilli

and black pepper.

1 tbsp hot red chilli flakes

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

50g (1^3 ⁄ 4 oz) cubed pancetta

1 onion, finely chopped

2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes

Combine the first five ingredients

and set aside. Heat the oil and

fry the pancetta and onion for

5 minutes. Add the spice mix

and tomatoes, and simmer for

10 minutes. Serve with penne pasta.

Penne pasta

with arrabiata

sauce, Parmesan,

Signature and fresh basil.

Chilli (peperoncino), black

pepper, fennel

Hot peppers have long

been popular in southern

Italy, although their appeal

is increasingly spreading

north. More than anywhere

else in Europe, black pepper

transcends being a mere

seasoning in Italy.

Supporting

Coriander, nutmeg, garlic,

saffron, clove, vanilla

Coriander seeds are a popular

flavouring for meat dishes,

and it can seem as if almost

every Italian cheese dish

features nutmeg.

Supplementary

Ginger, cacao, liquorice,

cinnamon, anise

Ginger is used sparingly,

while cacao nibs may

feature in the sweet

and sour agrodolce sauce.

Calabrians pair liquorice

with game and use it to

flavour liqueurs.

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ITALY

Punchy | Rustic | Warming

SPICE

PALETTE

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