This August our pizza of the month is celebrating the flavours of Calabria with ‘nduja ragu. ‘Nduja, produce of Calabria, is a spicy, spreadable Italian cured pork salami made with chilli peppers from the region which are famous for their subtly sweet and smoky flavour. The popularity of ‘nduja just keeps on growing, appreciated all over the world and perfect on pizza.
Less well known is the story of Spillinga. A tiny rural village in the Calabria region with under 2,000 residents, it’s home to the oldest Calabrese ‘Nduja Festival, which has been held on the 8th August every year since 1975. Our kind of summer holiday!
On a map, Calabria forms part of the ’toe’ of Italy’s ‘boot’. The region’s food culture celebrates strong flavours and spice, an influence that comes from history including the impact of the Spanish and Arabs through the ages. ’Nduja is synonymous with Calabrian cusine, true to what Italian’s call cucina povera (the kitchen of the poor), where modest ingredients are transformed in to foods packed with strong flavour.
We’ve combined ’nduja Calabrese with our own ragu sauce, made in our kitchen from Rega plum tomatoes, carrots, celery, garlic and onions. Our drink of the month is a Fatto Summer Spritz – Campari, elderflower, Spumante and limonata. The drink offsets the slight spice of the pizza and is a beautiful pairing. Buon Appetito!
