Every time we go back to Naples we set ourselves one rule: no rigid plans when it comes to food, because the city surprises you at every corner with something to taste. Here cooking is not a side dish to the trip, it is one of the reasons to go. Here is what we recommend you try, from pizza to pastries, by way of home cooking.
Pizza, first of all
We can only start with her. You often read that pizza was "invented" in 1889, but that is not the case: pizzerias were already common in Naples in the eighteenth century, and in the mid-nineteenth century the writer Francesco De Bourcard described pizzas topped with mozzarella and tomato too. What is linked to 1889 is the story of the pizza Margherita, dedicated to Queen Margherita of Savoy: a fascinating tale, but one about which historians have raised more than a few doubts.
What matters is that the tradition is alive and recognised: Neapolitan pizza has been a Traditional Speciality Guaranteed since 2010, and the art of the Neapolitan pizzaiuolo has been on the UNESCO intangible heritage list since 2017. We suggest tasting at least a marinara and a margherita, and not skipping the fried pizza. You will find the whole story in Neapolitan pizza.
First courses and home cooking
Neapolitan cuisine was largely born in people's homes, and that is where it gave its best. The Sunday dish is ragù, which simmers slowly for hours, while genovese, despite its name, is a Neapolitan sauce made with onions and meat: we tell you about both in Neapolitan ragù and genovese.
Then there are the everyday dishes, the ones that truly won us over: pasta e patate with provola, thick and creamy; pasta, beans and mussels, a land-and-sea pairing that seems daring until you try it; and the frittata di maccheroni, a pasta omelette created so as not to waste leftover pasta and perfect to take to the beach. Most of these dishes are made with dried pasta, and the Gragnano area is its capital: we talk about it in Pasta di Gragnano PGI.
Friarielli, mozzarella and street food
Friarielli are the tops of a variety of broccoli typical of Campania, sautéed in a pan with oil, garlic and chilli. The classic pairing is with sausage, but you will also find them on pizza. Do not miss buffalo mozzarella, which comes from the lands between Caserta and Salerno: you will find its story in Mozzarella di bufala campana DOP.
Wandering through the neighbourhoods of the centre you will come across the cuoppo, a paper cone filled with fried morsels, and the pizza a portafoglio, folded in four and eaten on the go. It is the most Neapolitan way we know to take a break between one monument and the next.
Sweets and coffee
When it comes to sweets, choosing is hard. The sfogliatella, riccia or frolla, is the one we order every morning: you will find its story in The Neapolitan sfogliatella. The babà has origins linked to Poland and France, but it reached Naples in the nineteenth century and became a symbol here: we talk about it in The Neapolitan babà. Easter is the time for pastiera, with wheat, ricotta and orange blossom, told in The Neapolitan pastiera.
And then there is coffee, a daily ritual here, with the generous tradition of the caffè sospeso: you will find it in Neapolitan coffee and the caffè sospeso. If you want to discover more dishes, have a look at Typical Neapolitan dishes.
In the surroundings
To plan your trip, start from our guide Naples and its surroundings. Between one stop and the next, we suggest walking along Spaccanapoli, Piazza del Plebiscito and the Royal Palace and pairing the food with the local wines of Naples. If you have an extra day, a trip to Sorrento: what to see will introduce you to another cuisine, that of the peninsula.
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