Conero cuisine and more

The cuisine of the Conero Riviera is generally simple, not too rich in fats and spices. It is called "poor cuisine" in which the food maintains its authentic flavour. The changing seasons and the products obtained from land and sea influence the menu.

It excels in seafood, meat, pasta and vegetable dishes.
Therefore, it is a pluralist cuisine as “Le Marche”. In the Marche cuisine you can find a lots of seafood dishes favored by the abundance of fish in the sea (it should be noted that the Marche is one of the main region of Italy with the largest fleets)such as: the grilled “saraghina”fish; “papalina” fish omelet; the fried or breaded soles; the “orate all’anconitana” , grilled and seasoned breams with extra virgin olive oil and parsley; the “Pauri”, big local crabs boiled and seasoned with extra virgin olive oil and a little bit of lemon; the marinated “moscioli”, mussels; the savory “pannocchie” ,local crustaceans; the octopus and cuttlefish cooked in a thousand ways; the “crocette”, “bombarelli” and “raguse” in porchetta, local mussels enriched with wild fennel, Italian herbs and garlic.

A special place in the Conero cuisine is occupied by the “stoccafisso” (stockfish) and the “brodetto” (a local fish soup). In honour of this ancient delicious dishes, seasoned with the local extra virgin olive oil, three Academies were founded to promote the diffusion of these specialties with events and competitions. Many cities of the Marche coast are famous for the “brodetto”. There is not only one way to cook the “brodetto marchigiano” (a seafood soup with at least seven kinds of fish) but you can find several traditional recipes: “brodetto di Ancona” , “brodetto di Portorecanati”, “brodetto di Sanbenedetto” and “brodetto di Fano”. Each of them has their own ingredients and aromas… this is also pluralism. The “stoccafisso all’anconitana” is a particular fish dish with a strong taste cooked in Ancona and dated back to 1431, even if its authenticity has been long debated. It can be cooked with or without potatoes, with or without milk… in any case it has lots of followers!

The mussels: a unique pleasure

In Ancona the “moscioli” are the wild mussels or Mytilus galloprovincialis that reproduce naturally and live attached to the submerged rocks on the Conero coast. The “moscioli” are appeared here from the beginning of the twentieth century when their fishing was limited in some areas, the “Trave” cliff and other cliffs and shallows between Pietralacroce and Sirolo cities. The fishermen love to eat them freshly, smelling like sea and seaweeds, cooked on a fire plate, without any dressings or marinated with garlic, parsley, extra virgin olive oil, white wine, pepper and a splash of lemon. The mussels are seasonal products and you can fish them from April to October. The fishermen of the Slow Food worked hard to ensure the origin of the mussels from the fishing areas and the traceability throughout the maritime supply chain. We cannot forget the delicious “raguse in porchetta” (murex brandaris o trunculus) slow cooked in tomato sauce with extra virgin olive oil, garlic and wild fennel, perfectly pairing with Conero red wines.

Even vegetarians and vegans can satisfy their palate.

In Ancona and surrounding area also grow many varieties of vegetables, little known elsewhere: the “roscani”, a variety of marsh grass seasoned with extra virgin olive oil and vinegar and melded with lesser calamint and garlic to create an intense aroma; the “pincicarelli”, flower bunds of the thistle known in Ancona and eaten fried, boiled or in stew. The name derives from “pincicare” or “puncicare” that in dialect mean “to sting” due to the leaves with sharp prickles; the “paccasassi”, a wild fennel variety; the “grugni”, a wild chicory variety; the cauliflower; “the broccoli strascinati”, pan-fried broccoli with garlic; the “misticanza”, a mixture of vegetables; the chickpea seasoned with extra virgin olive oil, garlic and rosemary; the “cicerchie”, a legume variety; the beans with sausage and fresh pork rind.

And finally the first course and countless recipes with handmade pasta.

You can’t miss these traditional local first courses : the “polenta”, cornmeal mush usually eaten on a wooden pastryboard with a sausage sauce and pork chops; the “pingiarelle”, bread dough pasta seasoned with lard; the “lasagne incassettate” and the “Vincisgrassi”, oven baked pasta; the “Cannelloni”, a cylindershaped pasta filled with meat; the “Calcioni”, a variety of filled pasta; the “pasta pelosa”, a rough handmade pasta, the spaghetti with mussels, clams or “bombarelli” ,sea snails; the “paccheri allo scoglio”, a variety of pasta with tomato sauce and shellfish; vegetable or legume soups with a base of fried lard; the “pastasciutte al sugo finto”, pasta with simple herb tomato sauce; “boccolotti al sugo d’oca”, a variety of pasta with goose sauce. The excellence of the cuisine of the Conero Riviera continues through the countryside products as the tasty vegetables and the variety of genuine meats from animals, bred in the countryside and hills of the Marche region: sheeps, cows, pigs, rabbits and chickens. The traditional Conero Riviera cuisine is not predefined but full of surprises thanks to the great mastery of food preparation . There is a huge choice of traditional second courses, among the most popular: the “pollo e il coniglio in potacchio”, chicken or rabbit meat in stew with aromas; the “pollo e coniglio in porchetta”, chicken or rabbit meat with extra virgin olive oil, garlic and wild fennel; the “manzo brasato alla marchigiana”, braised beef; the grilled or oven baked “ciarimboli”, pork intestines salted and dehydrated with chili pepper, fennel seeds and other aromatic herbs, usually eaten hot between two slices of bread; lamb seasoned with herbs, especially garlic and rosemary; the tasty “spuntature”, intestines from not yet weaned milk calf, roasted and seasoned with pepper; the delicious “porchetta”, roasted pork meat stuffed with salt, garlic, pepper, rosemary, fennel or other wild herbs; the “trippa alla canapina”, tripe with tomato sauce, herbs and parmesan cheese. Talking about the desserts, there is one for every season and event. Therefore, the richness of this territory derives from the excellence of the cuisine to taste and pair with the local fine wines.