The dishes of Neapolitan tradition are many and all worth trying. Here are some typical dishes from Naples:
LASAGNA
The paternity of this fabulous dish is disputed between two cities: Bologna and Naples. Its origins actually date back to ancient Rome, where the Romans used the terms "laganon" and "laganum" to indicate a thin sheet of dough made from wheat flour, which was baked in the oven or directly on the fire. In its Neapolitan version, the ingredients are: ricotta cheese, combined with puff pastry (or egg pasta), ragù sauce, meatballs, and mozzarella.
RAGU
Renowned worldwide, it is one of the best and most famous first courses of Neapolitan cuisine. Tradition has it that grandmothers and mothers wake up at dawn on Sundays to start the long preparation of maccheroni with ragù. The sauce is prepared not with ground meat but with whole pieces of beef to be stuffed, rolled up, and closed like large rolls, then combined with pork ribs in a low and wide terracotta or copper pot. The cooking process must be very slow, on low heat, and last for 6/7 hours.
GENOVESE
Many may wonder, "If it's a typical Neapolitan dish, why this name?" There are several legends that explain it. The first one dates back to the Aragonese period in the 15th century: it seems that at that time, the area around the port of Naples was full of taverns where a dish based on meat and onions was prepared to feed the Genoese sailors who stopped with their ships in Naples once a week.
PASTA AND POTATOES
The traditional Neapolitan version must be "azzeccata." It is a dish with humble and poor origins that spread in the Kingdom of Naples in the 17th century. During this period, potatoes and tomatoes, being inexpensive products, were the favorite ingredients of housewives who used them in their simple and nutritious recipes. Among these was pasta and potatoes.
PASTA AND BEANS
Eduardo De Filippo in "Christmas at the Cupiello's" said, "I know that when we make beans in my house, we make enough to last for three days because we like to eat them cold the next day, and even heated up in the evening... in the morning for a snack." "Pasta e fasul" is a dish with ancient origins: during the Roman era, before the arrival of dried pasta, bean soups were already present, cooked with vegetables and spices, in which bread was dipped.
SOFFRITTO
Also called "zuppa forte, " it is prepared in the winter season and served on slices of stale homemade bread or used as a condiment for pasta (usually vermicelli). In the past, pork offal (lungs, heart, kidneys, spleen, trachea, rind, meat scraps, lard) were used - it was the custom of poor families to recycle all parts of this animal in the kitchen. The sauce also includes rosemary, chili pepper, and bay leaf.
PUTTANESCA
"Spaghetti alla puttanesca" or simply "aulive e cchiapparielle" (olives and capers) are prepared with sauce, tomato, olive oil, garlic, black olives from Gaeta, capers, and oregano.
FRITTATA DI PASTA
The pasta frittata is born as a poor dish made from leftover pasta from the day before. Eggs, grated cheese, and that's it: the result is a very simple but delicious dish.
'O SCARPARIELLO
When Neapolitans are in a hurry and don't have much time to cook, they prepare "'o Scarpariello." It is one of the typical dishes of Neapolitan culinary tradition, born in one of the city's most popular areas: the Spanish Quarters.
