Typical Dishes from the Abruzzo Region

The Abruzzo region is located in central Italy and is home to the highest peak of the Apennine mountain range – the Gran Sasso. Its borders stretch all the way to the Adriatic Sea, making its cuisine incredibly diverse. The region’s rustic character and its inclusion in the Mezzogiorno area highlight its hearty winter stews and pasture-based meat dishes, such as lamb, mutton, and goat – including the famous skewers. These animals also provide the milk used to produce Caciocavallo and Pecorino cheeses, which are sometimes lightly grilled over coals to enhance their flavor.

From the Adriatic coast, seafood plays an important role in the cuisine, and visitors can witness a traditional fishing method through the trabocco – a wooden fishing structure built over the sea. Here, you can not only watch how fish are caught but also enjoy a freshly prepared meal made with the catch of the day, cooked by a local chef.

Abruzzo is also Italy’s main production center of confetti – sugar-coated almonds – with the city of Sulmona at the heart of this sweet tradition.

Arrosticini

Grilled lamb skewers are a traditional dish from Abruzzo. When properly seasoned with just the right amount of salt and pepper along the entire skewer, they become an excellent main course, especially well-known in the Pescara area.

Photo source: agrodolce.it

Virtu

Abruzzo’s version of minestrone is rich in both vegetables and meat. It begins by slow-cooking finely ground pork, followed by the addition of seasonal vegetables. This hearty soup is the perfect comfort food for the cold winter days in the Abruzzo mountains.

Cicerchiata

This is Abruzzo’s signature Carnival dessert: fried dough balls carefully arranged into a round, cake-like shape and generously drizzled with honey. No Carnival celebration in Abruzzo is complete without it.

Lamb alla Pecorara

Abruzzo is a largely mountainous region known for its vast pastures. This dish features lamb cut into small pieces, placed in a pan, and slowly cooked with butter and whole onions for at least an hour.

Brodetto alla Vastese

Another soup from the regional cuisine. It begins with a tomato-based sauce that is transformed into a broth, then pieces of fish and mussels are added. The dish originates from the coastal town of Vasto, on the Adriatic Sea.