Aspromonte Potato
Roasted in the oven or char-grilled, an ideal side dish for kid meat or in the soup with onions, potatoes have always been present in the cuisine of Calabria and in particular in the area of Aspromonte, as well as in all the mountain areas, also in the north. The climatic and soil conditions favoring the cultivation of beans are ideal also for potatoes. The varieties cultivated in the Park area are Bellina, rounded and white, ideal to boil, and Spunta, with a tapered shape, both white or yellow, ideal to be fried or cooked in the oven. The shepherds of Aspromonte usually cooked this potato variety with the skin under the embers. After cooking, potatoes were seasoned with oil, salt, and chilli pepper. Rosa potato, with a slightly tapered body and smaller than Spunta, white/pale rose, is used to prepare sweet or salty dishes, like gnocchi or crespelle (prepared with a mixture of flour and boiled potatoes, after leavening they are fried in abundant olive oil and flavored with sugar or honey). With potatoes and onions, the so-called licurdia is prepared: it is a soup served in soup plates with slices of toasted homemade bread, seasoned with extra-virgin olive oil and grated pecorino cheese.
