For centuries, the island of the “Nestor’s Cup, good to drink from” has celebrated the extraordinary fertility of its land with excellent wines and agricultural products.
Ischia gastronomy owes everything to the cooking way of free-range rabbit “alla cacciatora” (“hunter style” rabbit), which is raised in pits dug into the tuff or in lapillus of rural plots, and in cages. The recipe has entered the gourmet cuisine annals. On the table, the fragrancies of the aromas of the vegetable garden and wild aromas dominate, such as oregano, mint, rosemary, dill, thyme, marjoram, but also the many plants that grow spontaneously: chard, rocket, lemon balm, borage. The excellent tradition of wood-fired bread is ancient and consolidated and you can purchase almost everywhere at the master bakers. For centuries, moreover, on the hills of the island, sheep and goats have been bred, from which milk and cheeses are obtained; and pigs, thanks to which the production of cured meats has been relaunched. The prevalent rustic culture is strengthened by the cultivations of all the vegetal species. And legumes, more particularly beans, the latter in the strange varieties called zampognari, spotted with a purple-red colour, perfect for soups and Slow Food Presidium; tabacchino beans, “fascist” beans, small, with elongated shape and with black and white shades. The volcanic soil facilitates the growth of tomatoes, stored for the winter in the characteristics “pendulums” (a bunch of tomatoes hanging in a vertical position). Fruits grown in the gardens appears triumphantly: oranges, lemons, mandarins. apples, pears, plums, figs, peaches, apricots; and then olives, from which you can also make an excellent oil. The production of honey is also widespread. Along the coasts, the activity of the fishermen provides every day, according to the seasons, a good variety of fishes which end up on the table following a simple and tasty recipe.
Vine varieties for prestigious white and red wines
The innumerable Ischia treasures are accompanied by a millenary production of wine with a denominated of controlled origin by numerous companies exporting it to Italy and abroad. The fortune of the wine is linked to some noble vines called Biancolella, Forastera (it has been introduced in 1850 and has become a peculiarity of the territory), Rilla, for white wines; Guarnaccia and Per’ e palummo (literally “Dove’s foot”), a local variant of the Piedirosso, for the red ones. San Lunardo, Cannamelu and other native vines are important, but there is no shortage of cultivations of Fiano, Aglianico and special grapes used for a production of a prestigious blend.
THE RECIPE
Il coniglio all’ischitana - Ischia style rabbit
The chunks of rabbit together with a whole head of garlic are browned in the sartana, the traditional bronze sauce pan. After sautéing it, they are placed in the “tiano”, which is a terracotta pot, particularity recommended because it keeps the heat of the flame uniform and preserves humidity. Add white wine, cherry tomatoes and a sprig of thyme. At the end of cooking, the sauce is seasoned with basil and parsley, while the innards, especially the “‘mbrugliatelli” and the liver, are considered one of the best parts, previously cleaned and soaked in water, lemon and wine, and then cooked (added to the sauce after the frying step) wrapped in parsley. The sauce obtained at the end of cooking is used to garnish the pasta.
