Fiuggi: its gastronomy

Fiuggi's traditional cooking is simple and reflects the culture of a pastoral civilisation – starting with the cheese, genuine ewe's milk ricotta (a kind of cottage cheese) and caciotte (small, round, tender cheeses). The home-made pasta includes two local specialities: “gnocchetti”, tiny, slightly dented, dumplings made of water and flour, and “fini fini”, very fine noodles. Served with the classic Ciociara sauce made of chicken giblets and tomatoes or with “funghi porcini” (boletus), mushrooms from the Ernici mountains.

The home-made pork products and mountain ham are excellent and the star of Ciociarian cooking is pork spare ribs served with steaming hot polenta: “abbacchio” (baby lamb) is a classic and is prepared in various ways.

The traditional sweetmeats are plain but very tasty: soft Fiuggi and Guarcino “amaretti” (almond macaroons), home-made “ciambellone” (doughnut-shaped cake), “lenten doughnuts” with sugar icing.

Ciociaria's best known wine is Cesanese del Piglio, strictly D.O.C. However, there are other wines in the area worth tasting: the white Passerina of the Frosinone area, which has recently been rated as a “Typical Geographical Indication” wine, the Torre Ercolana of Anagni, the Merlot of S. Elia Fiuemrapido, the Cabernet of Atina.

Texts and photos courtesy of A.P.T. Frosinone