The ABC's of Campania Food & Wine: F
F is for friarielli and Falanghina
F is for friarielli:
The friarielli (free-are-ee-ELL-ee) plant is a green, leafy vegetable whose usage dates back to the Medieval Ages in southern Italy. It is grown, sold and eaten almost solely in Campania. The appearance of friarielli resembles that of the small leaves found on common, supermarket broccoli, but much larger and of a more vibrant green. The exact broccoli variety of friarielli is disputed, with one person claiming it is broccoli rabe, another that it is broccoletti, and a third that it is turnip tops. The Napoletani, who have eaten friarielli for the longest time and continue to consume it the most, maintain that it is altogether different – and better – than the comparatively insipid, more common broccoli varieties. Friarielli is a different variety of the cultivar group Brassica oleracea. Its flavor is nuttier, more peppery, more pungent, and overall more flavorful than anything else in that family. The name friarielli is Napoletano; the Italian word for this vegetable and dish is frigiarelli, and bespeaks of how a person should prepare it: quickly fried, or sautéed, in extra virgin olive oil, seasoned with garlic, salt and pepper, and sprinkled with spicy pepperoncino. Together with sausage, friarielli is a popular dish in Naples. Sausage and friarielli are also a very popular combination as a pizza topping, called friarielli e salsiccia. It is perhaps the most popular pizza topping in Naples, just behind margherita and marinara.
touring information:
Numerous restaurants and pizzerias, especially in Naples, serve dishes that feature friarielli. Here are a few that highlight the friarielli either as a pizza topping or a dish: Pizzeria Trianon da Ciro Via P. Colletta, 46 Napoli +39 081-553-9426 Closed Sundays and midday Il Brontolone Via A. Artiaco, 120 Pozzuoli, Napoli +39 081-526-6510 Il Ristorante La Vignarella Via Vaccheria, 13 81020 San Leucio, Caserta +39 082-361-217 info@vignarella.it
F is for falanghina:
The green Falanghina (fal-an-GHEE-nah) grape produces a balanced, fruity white wine that can be enjoyed as a table wine as well as found in an affordable to moderately expensive bottle. It glows with a golden straw color, has lively, smoky and nutty notes with a lemony acidity, and begs to be enjoyed with plates of fresh seafood or mozzarella di bufala. It is one of the oldest
grape varieties used for winemaking in Italy. First brought by Greek settlers to Campi Flegrei in 7 BC, the Falanghina grape took root and flourished in the porous, mineral-rich volcanic soil. Because of how well it takes to the land, it became popular throughout southern Italy. Its best expression is brought forth from the areas of Procida, Falerno del Massico, Campi Flegrei and Sannio. It is the most popular white grape grown in Naples and Caserta, and is the base grape in numerous DOC wines, such as Falerno del Massico bianco, Balluccio bianco and Campi Flegrei Falanghina. The origins of this grape’s name have remained virtually and remarkably unchanged since the Ancient Romans first cultivated it in Sannio using falangae, or upright poles, to support the vines. There is evidence that Falanghina, like Aglianico, was a key component in the nobles’ ancient drink Falernum. The first written record of Falanghina is not until centuries after its debut to Italian soil in 1825. It is possible that earlier accounts of a different strain of Falanghina may have become confused with the Campania variety. DNA analysis confirms the cultivation of Falanghina beneventano of northern Italy and the different Falanghina flegrea of Campania. Southern Italy’s hot climate may seem, at first, as though it should cause Falanghina wines – and, for that matter, all other white Campania wines – to lose their appropriate acidity. However, the mountainous terrain provides higher and cooler elevations. Combined with the rich soil, the Campania climate makes for a stunning white wine.
Sources: Apstein, Michael. Campania’s World-Class White Wines. SFGate. 12 Sept 2008. Falanghina. Wine Geeks. Free…free…friarielli!!! Green Bean. 7 Jan 2007. Italian Falanghina. Vivi. 2010. La storia dei friarielli. Friarielli. P., Tracie. Falanghina. My Life Italian. 29 Nov. 2010. P., Tracie. What We Eat. My Life Italian. 18 Dec 2006. Robb, Peter. Midnight in Sicily: On Art, Feed, History, Travel and la Cosa Nostra. Macmillan, 2007.