Ischia's Gastronomy

Typical of Mediterranean cuisine, the gastronomy of Ischia is based on fresh produce and simple, quality ingredients. Ischia is a garden bed of natural, rich flavours and fresh food deriving from its warm climate and mineral rich soil, providing the perfect combination for growing fruit and vegetables.

If starting your day with a succulent, freshly squeezed juice is what you crave, then Ischia's fruit is sure to satisfy. If you don't like tomatoes for their bland, watery base, then Ischia's ripe, red variety bursting with juice and flavour will certainly change your mind. If you're looking for assortment in your seafood menu, then allow Ischia to tantalise with its fleshy shellfish and fresh catch.

Food plays a big part in Italian lifestyle and locals are finely tuned to subtle details like the glass of water offered at the bar to clean the palate before enjoying the coffee ritual, or the getting the right type of pasta to compliment the sauce.

Lunch is usually the biggest meal and most important meal of the day, evident when the streets empty at lunchtime and come alive after the afternoon siesta.

Restaurants are dotted all over the island, from classic restaurants overlooking the sea, town trattorias and eateries, and mountain haunts serving organic meat specialities.

Although seafood and fish are abundant, meat and vegetarian dishes are also very popular, as the cuisine never tires in its range of foods.

The cuisine in Ischia is closely linked with that of the Gulf of Naples; however with a few unique specialities, such as coniglio all'ischitana, local rabbit stewed in tomatoes, white wine, garlic and herbs; bucatini pasta (a long, tube pasta) is cooked to perfection and served with the sauce and the rabbit itself is usually served as a secondo piatto; a second course.

Ischia's ancient fosse or ditches is an ancient technique for rabbit breeding, allowing the rabbits to grow in a controlled "wild" environment, predating our modern appetite and sensibility for free range food and ensures a tastier, better quality meat.

Seafood and fish dishes are abundant and are used for appetizing starters, such as alici marinate, marinated fresh anchovies seasoned with garlic, chilli, olive oil and herbs or impeppata di cozze steamed mussels with pepper, or served with pasta dishes, such as the delicious spaghetti alle vongole, al dente spaghetti served with clams sautéed in garlic, olive, oil, parsley and sometimes chilli and a little tomato.

Secondi piatti, are often main courses (followed by a pasta dish) of grilled dishes of seasonal local fish, especially swordfish and tuna in summer months, or meat dishes such as veal escalopes in white wine or quality steaks.

On the sweet side, most of Ischia’s bars and cafés offer an array of tempting locally makes cakes and pastries, specialities including sfogliatelle napolitane, a filo-pastry filled with ricotta cream formed to a shell shape, and baba', a delicate sponge-cake soaked in rum.

At Easter time, the traditional pastiera cake is prepared, a moist cake made with a short-crust pastry stuffed with ricotta cheese, boiled wheat, eggs, spices and candied fruit.

Christmas time produces sweet delicacies such as rococo, an almond biscuit and struffoli, honey covered small balls of fried pastry.

Fertile soil produces wines as a delicious accompaniment to the tasty dishes, from earthy reds such as Guarnaccia, Per’ e Palummo and S.Lunardo, and fruity whites such as Biancolella, Forastera and Arilla.

Along with the fine wine, Ischia's other drinks of choice are the strong after-dinner liqueurs, varying from the sweet limoncello made from Ischia's tasty organic lemons, or the rather bitter rucolino, a liquor made from rocket, which the Roman savoured for its aphrodisiac effects.

Ischia also numerous sagre, or food festivals celebrating seasonal foods and produce, especially in summer months.

The outdoor piazzas and streets are lined with stalls grilling and barbecuing the celebrated produce, from local sausages, mushrooms and swordfish, accompanied with wines.

In September especially, there are wine-harvesting festivals all over the island, known as the vendemmia, toasting the health of the grape and work well done.

Good food and wine go with relaxation and enjoyment on the island of Ischia, where ancient recipes and traditions still prevail.