Thanks to our amica Luciana Squadrilli, our broccoli frarielli sott’olio made the Culinary Backstreets 2023 Gift Guide! Culinary Backstreets “covers the world’s best eating destinations, with city guides, food tours, multi-day trips, and daily dispatches”. We’re so glad to be on this great round-up, grazie mille Luciana.
Here’s what she had to say:
Friarielli in EVOO
Italian food geography and nomenclature can be tricky. Across the country, you will find the same produce with different names, or find similar names for totally different foods. For example, the Neapolitan friarielli (a type of broccoli rabe with a very pleasant bitter finish) only grows in the Campania region. It’s not to be confused with the very similar but less tender cime di rapa (broccoli rabe or turnip greens, from the same botanical family) used in Puglia to prepare orecchiette, nor with the sweet green chili pepper Italians call friggitelli(but sometimes, also, friarielli!). The Neapolitan rabe are usually eaten fresh in the winter season – pan-fried with extra virgin olive oil, garlic and a bit of hot chili pepper – accompanying fresh sausages made of coarse-cut pork meat seasoned and packed into a natural casing. Salsiccia e friarielli is a staple of the Neapolitan marenna, or light lunch, eaten between two slices of rustic bread or as a popular pizza topping. To enjoy the delicate greens year round (or in a faraway land), jarred friarielli is your best bet. These ones made by Maida, a farm near Cilento National Park, are traditionally seasoned and delicious. Order here. –Luciana Squadrilli