TYPICAL DISHES OF THE AMALFI COAST CUISINE

As in all of Italy, pasta is at the center of culinary tradition on the Amalfi Coast: in fact, in all typical cuisine restaurants, you will always find a list of essential first courses. Probably, the most famous coastal first course and also the one most linked to the territory is spaghetto con la colatura di alici, characteristic of the village of Cetara. This is a really simple but very tasty dish: spaghetti dressed with a sauce created with extra virgin olive oil, 1 clove of garlic, chili pepper (if you like) and a few spoonfuls of colatura di alici di Cetara DOP, a sauce obtained by macerating anchovies that have been gutted and then salted. The whole is topped with a sprinkling of parsley. Fantastic!

Again, there is a handmade pasta here on the Coast that originated in Minori and is prepared especially on the feast of the town's patron saint. They are the 'ndunderi! The 'ndunderi are gnocchi whose dough includes flour, ricotta and caciocavallo cheese, which are usually served dipped in a very tasty pork sauce. Definitely not a light dish, but all mouthwatering! 

In the mood for a classic and timeless pasta dish? Then scialatielli allo scoglio is the ideal choice! Scialatielli are a type of fresh pasta typical of Campania. They are reminiscent of tagliatelle, but they are thicker and more irregular, and together with the seafood sauce, they are a truly perfect combination! Tasting “scialatielli all'amalfitana” in one of the coastal villages should rightfully be part of the joys of life!

Finally, there is a first course that has become a staple of Neapolitan cuisine that actually seems to have originated in Amalfi! This is cannelloni all'amalfitana: cylinders of egg pasta stuffed with a filling of eggs, mozzarella, ground meat, ricotta, cheese and pepper, covered with meat sauce and baked in the oven. They really are amazing!

I hope you still have some room for dessert, because the list of typical Amalfi Coast desserts is also quite long!

There are some desserts that have made the history of coastal and, by extension, Neapolitan and Campanian cuisine. The undisputed queen of pastry is definitely the sfogliatella Santa Rosa. Legend has it that this was invented by accident by the nuns of the former Santa Rosa Monastery in Conca de Marini who, in order to avoid food waste, combined leftover semolina with milk, ricotta cheese and lemon liqueur, and then enclosed it between two sheets of pastry. I wonder if they knew they had just created one of the world's best desserts!

Another classic dessert is the delizia al limone. We know how important the lemon is on the Amalfi Coast (I told you about it here as well) and of course there are many typical dishes that include it. The delizia is one of them: formed by a sponge cake filled with cream and covered with a lemon glaze, it is definitely one of the most sought-after desserts by locals and tourists alike!

After the dessert highlights, let's move on to some lesser-known delicacies: for example, have you ever heard of the Bacio Amalfitano? This is a treat reminiscent of Piedmont's Baci di Dama, consisting of two hazelnut cookies held together by a layer of lemon-flavored white chocolate cream. Try them but be careful: one leads to another!

Now let's move to Atrani, where we find the Pasticciotto! This is a dessert widespread throughout southern Italy, especially in the Puglia region, introduced in Atrani by master Francesco Cretella. He decided to fill the pastry with a cream also scented with the juice of coastal lemons and sour cherries, but you can find pasticciotti in many different flavors in coastal pastry shops.

Let's end our imaginary lunch with a dessert that might catch you off guard at first glance: I'm talking about chocolate eggplants! Popular especially in Maiori and Minori, it is a dessert in which the bitterness of eggplant meets the sweetness of chocolate: it is certainly an unusual dessert, perfect for those who crave something different and unique! 

Before saying goodbye, it is only right to make a mention of another undisputed queen of typical coastal cuisine: I'm talking, of course, about pizza! Did you know that here on the Amalfi Coast there is a village famous all over the world for its pizza? It is called Tramonti, and for centuries its inhabitants have spread their pizza recipe around the globe. Different from the Neapolitan recipe, Tramonti's pizza is distinguished by its whole-wheat flour dough, baked at lower temperatures, and the excellent products with which it is topped, including fior di latte from the Lattari Mountains, Corbarino tomatoes, and DOP olive oil from the Salerno hills. 

In short, get ready! Your trip to the cuisine of the Amalfi Coast will not disappoint!