{"id":26025,"date":"2026-06-11T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/colorfest.it\/?p=26025"},"modified":"2026-07-14T09:12:49","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T07:12:49","slug":"what-to-eat-in-calabria-nduja-fileja-tropea-onions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/colorfest.it\/en\/cosa-mangiare-calabria-nduja-fileja-cipolla-tropea\/","title":{"rendered":"What to eat in Calabria: \u2018nduja, fileja, Tropea onions, chilli peppers"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"'Nduja,<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What to eat in Calabria<\/strong>? If you\u2019re about to get off at the Colour Fest 14<\/strong> \u2014 running from\u201911 to 13 August 2026<\/strong> a Lamezia Terme<\/strong>, on the Falcone and Borsellino promenade<\/strong>, the Riviera of Sunsets<\/strong> \u2014 this is one of the best things about the trip. Calabrian cuisine is live<\/em>, spicy<\/em> and based entirely on the raw material: \u2018nduja<\/strong>, fileja<\/strong>, red onion from Tropea<\/strong> e chilli<\/strong> These are just the beginning. This guide takes you on a journey through the dishes, produce and wines you simply mustn\u2019t miss, with a special focus on the flavours of the Lametino<\/strong>, that is, the one you\u2019ll find just a few steps from the stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Nduja from Spilinga: Calabria\u2019s fiery symbol<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"The<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

La \u2018nduja<\/strong> It is the best-known Calabrian product in the world: a spreadable cured meat<\/strong> with a creamy texture and a pleasantly spicy flavour. The benchmark for quality is the \u2018Spilinga \u2018nduja<\/strong>, a small town in the province of Vibo Valentia<\/strong> has become the \u201ccapital\u201d of this cured meat. The traditional recipe combines three cuts of pork \u2014 lard<\/em>, cheek<\/em> e bacon<\/em> \u2014 with the Calabrian chilli<\/strong> sun-dried and salted, before being stuffed into casings and slowly smoked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Its origins are a matter of debate: some trace it back to the Spaniards of the late 16th century \u2014 in Spain there is the sobrasada<\/em> from Majorca, a close relative \u2014 others in the early nineteenth century. The name itself is said to refer to the\u2019andouille<\/em> French. How to enjoy it? Spread on warm bread<\/strong>, spread over the pasta<\/strong>, inside the pizza<\/strong> or to round off a cheese platter. Just one word of warning: it\u2019s not for the faint-hearted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fileja and pasta al ferretto: fresh Calabrian pasta<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

La fileja<\/strong> It is a fresh pasta<\/strong> shaped like a rolled-up vermicelli, made from water<\/em> e refined semolina<\/em> and shaped around a thin wire frame. It is the Vibonese version of the maccheroni al ferretto<\/em>, which in Calabria vary from town to town. The classic sauce is with goat rag\u00f9<\/strong>: rich, hearty and fragrant, a traditional peasant dish that captures the essence of the countryside. In the Lametino<\/strong> The same \u2018pasta al ferretto\u2019 is often served with goat\u2019s meat, or \u2018pasta con le sarde\u2019, made with breadcrumbs from the bread from Lamezia<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tropea Red Onion (PGI): Calabria\u2019s \u2018red gold\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

La Tropea red onion PGI<\/strong> It is one of Italy\u2019s most beloved specialities: so sweet<\/em>, crunchy<\/em>, white on the inside and red on the outside. Its sweetness comes from the sandy soils<\/strong> of the coast and a lower pyruvic acid content, which makes it less tart and very easy to digest. It has been cultivated for over two thousand years \u2014 tradition has it that it was first brought here by the Phoenicians<\/strong> \u2014 and from the 2008<\/strong> bears the mark PGI<\/strong>. It\u2019s incredibly versatile in the kitchen: raw in a salad<\/em>, caramelised<\/em>, in an omelette<\/em> with the queues, in vinegar<\/em> or saut\u00e9ed in a pan with chilli as a starter. If you\u2019re passing by Tropea<\/strong> or from a local market \u2013 it\u2019s up to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Swordfish and the flavours of the sea<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

On the Tyrrhenian coast<\/strong> and in the Strait of Messina<\/strong> the swordfish<\/strong> It\u2019s the king of the table. Give it a go on the grill<\/em>, as rolls<\/em> (the famous swordfish rolls<\/em> with olives and capers), or in the modern version of the tartare with \u2018nduja<\/em>, where spicy flavours meet the sea. Alongside the swordfish, you\u2019ll find anchovies<\/strong>, dolphinfish<\/strong>, squid<\/strong> and the catch of the day: all strictly local. It\u2019s the perfect way to lighten things up after heartier dishes, whilst still staying true to the local flavour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The flavours of the Lametino area: what to eat near the Color Fest<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Just a stone\u2019s throw from the festival, the Lametina cuisine<\/strong> It has its own distinct identity. Its flagship product is the\u2019Lametia PDO extra virgin olive oil<\/strong>, produced from the cultivar Carolea<\/em>, delicate and perfect eaten raw. Don\u2019t miss the bruised branches<\/strong>, crushed olives seasoned with garlic, chilli and wild fennel \u2013 one of the region\u2019s most traditional preserves. Among the dishes, the a tangled mess<\/strong>, the meatballs<\/em>, stuffed aubergines and pasta with sardines. As for the products, the Lametino<\/strong> It is a land of beans<\/strong>, figs<\/strong>, liquorice<\/strong> e Lamezia DOC wines<\/strong>, whilst from the neighbouring Serrastretta<\/strong> The chestnuts are arriving, still dried as tradition dictates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caciocavallo Silano and dishes from the hinterland<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Heading up towards the Sila<\/strong>the Caciocavallo Silano PDO<\/strong> It is the iconic cheese: a matured, stretched-curd cheese, truly extraordinary charcoal-grilled<\/em>. The morzeddhu<\/strong> (or morzello), a dish made from leftovers consisting of veal offal cooked for a long time in a spicy tomato sauce and served inside the pitta<\/strong>, the soft, round bread. These are \u201chumble\u201d dishes in the noblest sense of the word: created to ensure nothing went to waste, they have come to define a region\u2019s identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Calabrian sweets: from Pizzo truffles to zippole<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Calabria\u2019s iconic dessert is the truffle of Pizzo<\/strong>, an artisan ice cream first produced in the 1960s in Lace<\/strong>, on the Coast of the Gods<\/strong>: a hazelnut and chocolate centre with a dark chocolate filling, dusted with cocoa powder. It was the the world\u2019s first ice cream to be awarded PGI status<\/em>. Alongside him, the confectionery tradition offers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n