The ABC's of Campania Food & Wine: E
E is for erba pulieo and Epomeo IGT
E is for erba pulieio:
The erba pulieio is a small-leafed, purple-flowered herb that can be found in Bonito, Avellino. It is known throughout Italy as numerous variations of its name: puleggio, pulieo, pulegio, Pulieium, nepetella, and mentuccia are used in different areas of Italy, and perhaps for good reason, as this herb has many offshoot varieties. The scientific name is Mentha pulegium, of the Lamiceae mint family. In English, pulieio is known most commonly as pennyroyal.
The uses of pulieio can fall into the homeopathic realm as well as into that of the culinary. In antiquity, pulieio was used during ceremonial rituals honoring the goddess of agriculture, Demeter. The Ancient Romans also used it as one of the first contraceptives as well as an abortive. The Medieval Ages saw an increase in the number of purported uses, including as an anti-depressant, to relieve coughing and respiratory ailments, and to settle an upset stomach. Even in modern-day, one can find pennyroyal sold in natural remedy stores, but it should be used with caution: the oil of this herb’s small leaves is fatal if used incorrectly. As for cuisine, pulieio is used to prepare vegetables, to garnish soup and pasta dishes that feature beans, to flavor lamb and polenta, and often for marinades and in pickling. The pungent minty-ness balances the bitterness of artichokes, and is an essential ingredient in their preparation. While pulieio has been known around the globe for centuries, including in many or all regions of Italy, it is to Bonito, Avellino that we return, for it is this town of Campania that identifies it as a regional plant. In Bonito, the Sagra del cecatiello con il pulieio is held annually on the first Sunday in August. During this Festival of Cecatiello and Pulieio, one is able to sample regional specialties, including the dish after which the festival is named. Cecatiello con il pulieio is a pasta-based dish made with a pesto of mortar-ground pulieio, garlic and spicy pepperoncino, mixed with fresh cecatiello pasta (also known as cavatelli) and extra virgin olive oil.
TOURING INFORMATION:
Hotel de la Ville Restaurant Via Palatucci 20, Avellino, Campania 83100 Phone: +39- 082-578-0911 info@hdv.av.it The following restaurants serve typical Irpinian dishes, and depending on the time of the year may offer dishes garnished with pulieio. You may also ask, “Vorrei assaggiare un piatto col’erba pulieio,†or, “I would like to taste a dish with the pulieio herb.†Ristorante La Maschera di Avellino San Modestino 1, Avellino +39 082-537603 Trattoria Di Pietro Corsa Italia, 8 Melito Irpino Avellino 83030 +39 082-472010
E is for Epomeo IGT:
Epomeo wine is made of grapes grown in the IGT region of the slopes of Monte Epomeo, the extinct volcano and highest point of picturesque Ischia. It can be a bold, fruity, ruby-red wine, a versatile and citrusy white wine, or an intense, honey and fruit-flavored dessert wine.
From folk-lore, the Epomeo wine became famous hundreds of years ago when a monk and his boat were washed clear ashore during a storm, completely unscathed and dry. The monk found refuge at a monastery where he was served Epomeo wine, whereupon instead of making the usual sign of the cross, he made signs that suggested he was exorcising evil from it. The monks who observed this thought that, because he had survived the tempest, and was now making strange signs, he must be a very holy man. Through the next days, the monks continued to bring him wine from Monte Epomeo, and the rumor began that he knew how to turn water into wine. From that point on, Epomeo wine was famous. An example of a dessert Epomeo wine is the Sygnum Epomeo Passito 2006 IGT by Antonio Mazzella, produced through harvesting grapes during the first week of October, and left to dry, protected, until December. The grapes Biancolella, Forestera, and Levante create an amber yellow color with notes of apricot, peach, dried figs and honey. The Epomeo bianco is made of Fiano and Biancolella grapes, making it a very typical Campania wine. Typical tasting notes are citrus fruits, minerals and spices, and hints of hazelnut. The Epomeo rosso can be made with combinations of Aglianico, Montepulciano of Abruzzo and Piedirosso, producing a wine that is rich in dark berry and cherry flavors, and balanced with spices.
Sources: Elogio del Veleno Riley, Gillian. The Oxford Companion to Italian Food. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007. Laine e Pulieio. La Cucina dello Stregone. 31 Jan 2011. Pennyroyal. Medline Plus. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database Consumer Version. 19 Nov. 2010. Prodotti Tipici. Comune di Bonito, Provincia di Avellino. Sagra del cecatiello con il pulieio. Sagre in Campania. An Idyl of Ischia. The Eclectic Magazine of Foreign Literature, Science, and Art, Volume 109. Levitt, Trow $ Co., Nov 1887. La Pietra – Tommasone. VinUS.