Check out our month-by-month Italian culinary tour!


Check out our month-by-month Italian culinary tour!

Nonnas are taking customers on a culinary tour of Italy – from north to south.?

Each month we’re featuring a different region as our team of chefs bring you the very best an area has to offer.

Umbria is the region currently under the spotlight.

?Maurizio Mori, Nonnas proprietor, said: “There are so many variations in style and taste as you move from region to region in Italy and we’re very keen to represent this. This will give our customers a chance to enjoy Italian cuisine culture like never before.”

The regional specials menu is available from Thursday to Sunday each week.

Here’s what you’ve got to look forward to over the coming months:

May – Umbria

Often referred to as the country’s green heart; breath-taking Umbria is well known for its local cuisine and medieval hill towns. Foodies are in their element here, with the rich earthiness of the tartufo truffle, fine cured meats from Norcia and full-bodied local wines. It is particularly well known for an abundance of meat dishes, particularly lamb, pork game and roast suckling pig.

The landlocked region sits in the centre of the country. Though its wine production is probably a third of neighbouring Tuscany, it is gaining a reputation for its growing variety of unique modern wines.

June – Roma/Lazio

Lazio is the central Italian region bordering the Tyrrhenian Sea. Its principal city, Rome, is Italy’s capital. Its iconic ruins include the Colosseum, an amphitheater that seated thousands, and former government buildings at the Roman Forum. Independent state Vatican City, the seat of the Pope, stands in its own enclave within the capital.

The cuisine of Lazio, in contrast to other regional culinary traditions, has maintained its characteristics over time, with only some slight influence of the Jewish community.

Specialties such as “spaghetti alla carbonara”, or the oxtail or even “gnocchi alla romana” are known throughout the world.

 

July – Puglia

Puglia is well known for its sunny weather, whitewashed hill towns, centuries old farmland and hundreds of miles of Mediterranean coastline.

It is often referred to as the breadbasket of Italy. It’s the source of 80 percent of Europe’s pasta and much of Italy’s fish; it produces more wine than Germany and more olive oil than all the other regions of Italy combined. It’s famous for olives (from Cerignola), almonds (from Ruvo di Puglia), dark juicy tomatoes (often sun-dried), fava beans, figs (fresh and dried), cotognata (a moulded jam made from quince) and for its melons, grapes and green cauliflower.

August – Campania

Beautiful Campania; a region in southwestern Italy known for its ancient ruins and dramatic, resort-studded coastline. Pizza is said to have been invented in Naples, the regional capital. The mild climate, the beauty of the coasts, the richness of its art and history, and the love for food make Campania the fascinating territory that it is.

The cuisine is a mix of the people’s food with aristocratic touches. Campania is known throughout the world for its pizza and pasta, which have become Italian national symbols.

Wheat grows well here, thanks to the geography and climate, and is used to make dried pasta, especially long noodles like vermicelli, spaghetti, and bucatini.

September – Calabria

Calabria is a sun-glazed region of rugged mountains, old-fashioned villages and dramatic coastline, housing many popular beaches.

The cuisine is a balance between meat-based dishes (pork, lamb, goat), vegetables (especially eggplant), and fish. Pasta is also very important in Calabria.

Local desserts are typically fried, honey-sweetened pastries Cudduraci, Scalille or scalidde or baked biscotti-type treats.

In ancient times Calabria was referred to as a “land of wine”. In fact some of its vineyards have origins dating back to the ancient Greek colonists.

October – Sardegna

A tropical paradise, Sardinia is renowned for its snow-white sands and crystal clear waters. Sardinia has been polished like a pebble by the waves of its history and heritage. Sardinian food satisfies the most demanding palates with its simple and natural ingredient wheat. Used to make the famous pane carasau and the well-known malloreddus, culurgiones and fregola.

Many say the local diets are the secret to the long lives of many Sardinians. The island boasts some of the longest-lived people in the world.

November – Sicilia

Sicily, the largest island in the sparkling Mediterranean. Set just off the toe of Italy’s boot, it holds a history reflected in its diverse architecture, cuisine and ancient ruins. The exuberance and warmth of the island of Sicily is evident in its food as well, which tells of Sicilians’ passion and care for good food and genuine flavours. A wide array of appetizers to whet your appetite, from rice croquettes to cazzilli and crispeddi of Catania, before tasting rich first courses and fish or meat dishes.

On Sicily’s eastern edge is Mt. Etna, Europe’s highest active volcano.