La catena della Serralunga con i monti Breccioso e Cornacchia che sovrastano Balsorano. (Immagine personale)

Balsorano is a town that has many peculiarities on a naturalistic level, proving to have a strong territorial attraction, but certainly the main attraction remains the mighty and large castle in old Balsorano.

Il castello di Balsorano. (Immagine personale)

Today this castle is used for large local events, being able to visit it in these circumstances, representing in itself a great engine of culture and therefore of tourism. However, the cuisine also proves to be very important, representing in itself a large slice of particular tourism. But how are the dishes here in Balsorano?

Pranzo al castello di Balsorano durante una manifestazione locale. (Immagine personale)

Well speaking of the Balsoranese cuisine we must remember first of all, that this is a mountain village, which has always lived on agriculture and pastoralism, so its dishes can only have strong, tasty and decisive flavors. Below we proceed to make a very short list of some of the main dishes of this area of Abruzzo.

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APPETIZERS

Antipasto di prosciutto e melone

 
The appetizers of the Balsoranese dishes are different as the cuisine is very rich in typical local varieties, some of which also refer to Abruzzo dishes from the part closest to the sea. Among these we remember the appetizer based on melon and ham, the crostini alla chietina.

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FIRST DISHES

Spaghetti alla chitarra

As for the appetizers, the first courses are also very varied and refer to the Abruzzo cuisine such as spaghetti alla chitarra, so called prchè the tool needed to cut the pasta resembles a guitar. In addition to these we have the Fusilli with hare sauce, a real delight and I must say a very abundant first course, the Strozzapreti with saffron or the Risotto with saffron.

I have to open a parenthesis on this, namely that the saffron seasoning present in these dishes is typical of Marsica, as it was cultivated here for a long time as a plant and still today there are several companies that grow and sell it industrially, but the origin is local.

Other typically Abruzzo first courses are ravioli stuffed with ricotta or lasagna, a real hearty dish that can be made in various ways, with its own regional variations. In Abruzzo there is the variant of Timballo.

We are talking about a classic sheet of egg pasta alternating with layers of beef ragout, peas, spinach, cooked ham and mozzarella. Given the richness of the content, béchamel is not contemplated, even if a generous dose of Parmesan must never be missing. Another typical Rovetan dish is risotto with roscette chestnuts.

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SECOND COURSES

Lumache al guazzetto, pomodoro e rosmarino

From first courses we move on to second courses starting with a typical Abruzzo second course or the famous Sheep Arrosticini, which are highly regarded here in Balsorano. Sheep meat is cooked here in various ways such as Lamb with cheese and egg, We continue with Stuffed Chicken, Stuffed Artichokes or alternatively Sautéed Artichokes. Finally we remember a second dish typical of Balsorano and of the Roveto Valley or the Snails with stew.

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SIDE DISHES

Insalata abruzzese

On the side dishes, here too there are numerous dishes that are based on local vegetables starting with potatoes, such as the Potato cake or the Patate ‘mporchettate, then we have the Fave al guanciale, the Pannocchia (or Marrocca in Marsican dialect) roasted, the Abruzzese salad, Cicerchie etc.

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CONDIMENTS

Olio della Valle Roveto

For condiments, Valle Roveto is the queen of all Marsica and a large part of central Italy with its famous oil. This oil is recognized as the extra virgin olive oil of the L’Aquila valleys and has preponderant characteristics such as its color: yellow with green reflections of various shades, medium fruity and characterized by chemical and organoleptic parameters within the limits of the law. In short, a special oil with very particular properties that are a panacea for health.

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FRUIT

Castagna Roscetta della Valle Roveto

Regarding fruit, the Roveto Valley produces different qualities such as grapes, apricots, cherries, but certainly the fruit par excellence of the area is the Roscetta Chestnut which is only found in the Roveto Valley.

This chestnut is a reddish brown fruit. , smooth on the surface and of significant volume, also characterized by the particular sweetness of the flavor due to the higher value of soluble carbohydrates. It is harvested from September to mid-October and is done by hand by placing the fruit in the baskets. These chestnuts are then stored following a particular treatment handed down from generation to generation: first kept in water for about 18 days and then left to dry in the sun, they are finally stored in a strictly dry place.

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DESSERTS

I Calascinetti di Balsorano, tipico dolce pasquale

At this point we conclude our list of Balsoranese culinary specialties with the typical sweets of this part of Marsica.Here in Balsorano there are several very good typical sweets such as Calascinetti. These are savory snacks, which resemble ravioli in shape, which are filled with cheese (which can be aged pecorino, cow’s cheese or even grana padano). and are typical sweets of the Easter period.

Another typical Balsoranese dessert of the Easter period is the sweet pizza, filled with sponge cake and cream or even Puccillat. This typical Easter cake is made from flour, sugar and lard, flavored with orange with a double leavening. Along with these Easter sweets do not miss the Cicerchiata, small fried balls mixed in honey, the crunchy with almonds and the Sise delle monache.

We conclude this short list with the ferratelle, which are stuffed or with fruit jams, or with honey or walnuts, (the latter is very good I recommend it …).