We have already told you about Irpinian dishes in our article on what to eat in Avellino. This time we take a step back and look at the ingredients: the produce of the land, the pastures and the woods that makes Irpinian cooking so distinctive. These are products tied to a village, a valley, sometimes a single pasture, and the best way to get to know them is to seek them out where they come from. Here is our little map of the Irpinian larder.
The Montoro copper onion
We start on the plain of Montoro, on the border between the provinces of Avellino and Salerno, where the cipolla ramata (copper onion) has been grown for generations. The name comes from the colour of its outer skin, which recalls copper, while the inner layers have purplish hues. It is round and slightly flattened, with a sweet flavour and an intense aroma.
It is sown between late summer and early autumn and harvested at the start of the following summer; stored in cool, airy places it keeps for months, until spring. For local families it was long a survival food, especially in the hard years of the wars. Today it is listed in Slow Food's Ark of Taste, the catalogue of products at risk of disappearing. In the kitchen it is used raw in salads, cooked in soups and side dishes, baked with a drizzle of oil and, above all, in genovese, the traditional Campanian white ragù of onions and meat.
Carmasciano pecorino
We move on to Alta Irpinia, to the Valle d'Ansanto, between Rocca San Felice, Frigento, Guardia Lombardi and Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi. Here, in an area of pastures between 500 and 800 metres, they make Carmasciano pecorino, a Slow Food Presidium. Its secret is the Mefite, a small sulphurous lake where gases rising from underground bubble up: the sulphur affects the grasses of the pastures and gives the milk an unmistakable flavour.
It is made with raw sheep's milk, heated in copper cauldrons over a wood fire, and produced during the grazing season, between February and July. It is at its best after about a year of ageing: on the nose it has notes of grass, flowers and a hint of sulphur; on the palate it is sweet and delicate, then slightly sharp.
Caciocavallo podolico
In eastern Irpinia, towards Apulia, the signature cheese is caciocavallo podolico, made from the milk of Podolica cows, a hardy breed that grazes freely along the ancient drovers' tracks. The milk is scarce but extremely aromatic, and the cheese, a stretched-curd type, improves with ageing. We tasted it in the villages of the Ufita and in Zungoli, where it is a real institution. Around the province you will also find caciocavallo made from cow's milk and mixed milks: always ask where the milk comes from.
Chestnuts and black truffles from the Picentini
In autumn the mountains take centre stage. The woods of Montella and nearby villages produce the Montella PGI chestnut, eaten fresh, dried or roasted, which livens up the seasonal festivals: we tell its story in our article on the Montella PGI chestnut.
A few kilometres away, in Bagnoli Irpino, people hunt for the black truffle, which perfumes the village's autumn and winter dishes, from tagliatelle to eggs. All about it in our article on the black truffle of Bagnoli Irpino.
Olive oil and wine from the hills
On the hills of the Ufita and the Baronia, the olive trees yield an extra virgin olive oil protected by PDO status, which we describe in our article on the "Irpinia Colline dell'Ufita PDO" extra virgin olive oil. The province's name, however, is linked above all to wine: three DOCGs, the red Taurasi DOCG and the whites Fiano di Avellino DOCG and Greco di Tufo. To build a trip around wine, read Three DOCGs in three days: a wine itinerary in Irpinia.
How to buy Irpinian produce (wisely)
- Look for weekly markets and village festivals: they are the best place to meet the producers.
- Respect the seasons: chestnuts and truffles in autumn and winter, the copper onion from summer, aged cheeses all year round.
- For products with a protected designation, check the mark on the label; for Presidia, ask for information through Slow Food's official channels.
- Raw-milk cheeses travel well in a cool bag: bring one if you are driving home.
Getting there and when to go
For a trip among the produce of Irpinia you need a car: Montoro is close to the Avellino–Salerno link road, Montella and Bagnoli are reached along the Ofantina, and the Valle d'Ansanto and the Ufita are in eastern Irpinia, near the A16 motorway. Autumn is the richest season, with the grape harvest, chestnuts and truffles; spring is perfect for fresh cheeses and pastures in flower.
Nearby
To pair flavours with landscapes, read our article on the most beautiful villages of Irpinia, Zungoli, Monteverde and Nusco, and, to find your way around the whole province, Avellino and its surroundings.
