Are chilies a common ingredient in Italian cooking?
I just read this article in CNN "Eating chilies cuts risk of death from heart attack and stroke, study says" and when I read this line:
Carried out in Italy, where chili is a common ingredient, the study compared the risk of death among 23,000 people, some of whom ate chili and some of whom didn't.
I've seen that some Italian dishes call for the addition of dried chili flakes, but a common ingredient? I'm married to a Malay - chili peppers are a common ingredient. It seems as common as salt.
Maybe I'm thinking of the wrong types of chili peppers. We always have a supply of Thai chilies around, but no pepperoncinis. So what have I missed in Italian cooking where chilies are a common ingredient?
Or is what we have here in America as Italian cooking just isn't the real deal?
Best Answer
Disclosure: I am Italian but no professional, so what I will say is based on my own experience and could be inaccurate/wrong.
There is sure plenty of use for chili peppers in italian cousine. It is really traditional in the southern region of Calabria and close ones, but it is used throughout the whole country.
Together with the already mentioned Arrabbiata pasta sauce, in which spicy chili peppers is the main ingredient, there are several other dishes and cured meat product (sausages and such) that contains or, sometimes, heavily rely on that spicyness ( for example Nduja ).
Also, plenty of other plates can be adjusted to become spicy using dried chili flakes, especially for tomato based dishes, if it is of your taste.
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Quick Answer about "Are chilies a common ingredient in Italian cooking?"
Southern Italian cooking uses chilies often, but not necessarily to create very spicy food. Some preparations (arrabiata, fra diavolo, etc) may be spicy, but many things can use chilies and not be hot and spicy--milder chilies, or smaller amounts can be used simply to create flavor, without heat.Do Italians use chilli in cooking?
Chilli, nowadays the most popular, was once used only used in Calabria and the province of Siena. It is added in moderation mainly to shellfish and some tomato sauces.What ingredients are most common in Italian cuisine?
Although the dishes differ from region to region, these 7 ingredients are the most commonly used in Italian food.- Olive Oil.
- Tomato.
- Cheese.
- Basil.
- Wine.
- Mushrooms.
- Pasta.
What chilis are used in Italian cooking?
While most crushed red pepper (a common component of spicy Italian-style cuisine and frequently sprinkled on pizza and other dishes) in North America is today made from cayenne or jalape\xf1o peppers common in that region, some specialty markets there supply imported Italian red peperoncino flakes.Do Italians use hot peppers?
While called peperoncini in American English, peppers of this particular kind, in Italy, are called friggitello (plural friggitelli) or more generally peperone (plural peperoni) like other sweet varieties of peppers, while the term peperoncini (singular peperoncino) is used for hotter varieties of chili peppers.HOT CHILLI PEPPERS 🌶 Preserved in OLIVE OIL Italian recipe - how to do at home @l'uomo di casa
More answers regarding are chilies a common ingredient in Italian cooking?
Answer 2
I'm not Italian either, but I've travelled there (and I'm starting an ocean closer than you). Chillies are used in some dishes, sometimes just a tiny amount, but in sauces like arrabiata they're important. I've had them on pizza in Italy too, but the pizza places I've been to were catering for tourists or styled themselves as modern with a huge variety of toppings, so I'm not sure how traditional they are there.
There are also (thanks @Luciano for reminding me) plenty of spicy, even very spicy, salamis and other sausages. These may be served on pizza or in other ways.
Answer 3
I'd like to point out that the detail in your quote is "where chili is a common ingredient"
Using chilies often is not the same thing as always eating spicy food. Southern Italian cooking uses chilies often, but not necessarily to create very spicy food.
Some preparations (arrabiata, fra diavolo, etc) may be spicy, but many things can use chilies and not be hot and spicy--milder chilies, or smaller amounts can be used simply to create flavor, without heat.
I think it's fair to say that Italian cooking uses chilies often while also clarifying that Italian cooking uses significantly less chilies (volume wise) than some other cuisine known for being hot & spicy.
Answer 4
Chili is more commonly used in the south of Italy, particularly Sicily (and Calabria). A "peperoncino" is just a diminutive of "peperone" - a pepper. It doesn't indicate a particular variety of chili.
I'd just like to add that there's a difference between the use of an ingredient in traditional dishes, and everyday use in cooking. At home people cook all kinds of stuff in the north too, including the use of chilies. I took these pictures today in the supermarket (north of Tuscany):
Answer 5
In the Calabria region of Italy, chili peppers grow natively and are present in the local dishes.
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Images: ROMAN ODINTSOV, Pixabay, Klaus Nielsen, ROMAN ODINTSOV