One of our associate's former supervisors in Florence, Italy, once recalled to him with nostalgia how his small community near Foggia, Puglia, used to host a pig festival when he was a kid. In essence, it was a long-standing custom to butcher the town pigs and celebrate with the entire animal, down to the last single drop of blood. The festival's highlight was a fresh, warm blood collection that was immediately combined with milk and chocolate and prepared into a rich, delectable dessert.
Since then, this specialty has piqued our interest. As we continued to look around, we found more blood-based treats and more of the nostalgic feeling associated with the memories of these filling and traditional dishes.
The blood and chocolate custom is widespread across the Italian south area, particularly in Calabria, Basilicata, Campania, and Abruzzo. There's even a variant from Porto Santo Stefano in southern Tuscany, where a sweet "sausage" is produced from pig's blood, bread, sugar, pig fat, walnuts, almonds, raisins, and orange rind. It's then cooked in boiling water. Naples in Campania is well-known for its Carnevale specialty, "sanguinaccio dolce" ("sanguinaccio" is another term for blood sausage, "sangue", the Italian phrase for blood, denoting its principal ingredient). This sweet variant, which is indicated by the word "dolce", is typically paired with "savoiardi" biscuits (an Italian variation of ladyfinger biscuits) for dipping.
We purchased a booklet of classic Neapolitan sweets a few years ago, and it contains four different recipes for sanguinaccio dolce. Frequently, pine nuts, candied citron, and spices like cinnamon are added, and it's baked into a rich, chocolate log rather than a pudding. However, we've never been given the opportunity to taste any of the recipes till now. And no matter how extensive the offer of meal kits from top-notch meal delivery services such as Home Chef is, there's no way we could order anything similar. Either we make sanguinaccio dolce ourselves or we won't taste it at all!
In Italy, legislation passed in 1992 outlawed the sale of pig's blood in many areas, so those who are fortunate enough to still be able to create these traditional dishes typically have to obtain the blood from their own pig. Nowadays, the dish is typically continued without any blood, with cornstarch and butter making an effort to mimic the creamy smoothness that the blood would provide. Fortunately, in some countries, like the USA or Australia, you may find fresh pig's blood from an Italian butcher at a butcher shop in your city's "Little Italy". Be prepared that you won't be able to obtain pig's blood on your first try. Traditional recipes call for "warm" pig's blood, emphasizing quite how fresh it ought to be and where it's most likely to originate from—the home. Pig's blood must be used as soon as it's drawn and as fresh as possible.
For anyone who enjoys this kind of salty-sweet combination, imagine dark or white chocolate or salted caramel with sea salt. This creamy, rich delicatessen treat has a salty, somewhat metallic tang from the pig's blood that brings out the flavor of the cocoa. We should point out that we significantly increased the amount of chocolate in the original recipe and used 72% cocoa dark chocolate (we stressed this below in the ingredient list). Although the quantity of sugar seems excessive, it's necessary to balance the blood's salinity. The typical (but discretionary) flavors of grated orange rind and cinnamon are added to this treat.
Heat the blood and milk in a large pot over low heat. Add the sugar and whisk to dissolve once it is warm. Next, add the dark chocolate, chopped into chunks. While you whisk continuously, the mixture should heat but not boil. The concoction will start to thicken and become heavy like custard as the chocolate dissolves and the blood cooks. Turn off the heat, stir in the orange and cinnamon (if you decide to them), and serve warm in glasses with savoiardi biscuits.
When cool, simply place this mixture in the gelato machine, as we did with excellent success, to create a delicious gelato.
For this recipe, you'll need the following ingredients:
The boisterous, energetic region of Campania is located in the romantic south of Italy. Naples, the region's capital, is the epicenter of the best pizza in the world.
The Vesuvius volcano and the archaeological site of Pompeii are two of the most well-known locations. The Capri Island and the Amalfi Coast draw throngs of visitors during the peak travel season, and this area is also renowned throughout the world for its stunning shoreline.
The residents of the Campania region are extremely creative when it comes to their cooking and can make the greatest use of the products at their disposal. The cuisine of Campania commonly referred to as "celebrating the cucina povera", is based on "peasant food" – the ingredients of the land and the sea.
Without trying the local pizza, of course, no journey to Campania would indeed be genuine. But its cuisine consists of much more than just that.
Don't forget to sample some straightforward regional pasta. Pasta dishes that are commonly found in Naples and the surrounding areas include "spaghetti alla puttanesca" and "spaghetti aglio e olio" (spaghetti with garlic, olive oil, and chili). Another regional specialty that's common in most local eateries is "gnocchi alla Sorrentina".
"Mozzarella in carrozza", a deep-fried sandwich with tomato, mozzarella, and basil, and "pasta frittata", a pan-fried dish of cooked pasta with whisked eggs and cheese, are just two examples of the amazing street cuisine available in Campania.
Additionally, fish and seafood play a significant role in Campania's regional cuisine. Be sure to try "polpo alla Luciana (octopus prepared in tomato sauce, garlic, and parsley), or "impepata di cozze" (mussels simply prepared with parsley, pepper, and lemon).
The many traditional desserts from this area are likewise well-known. "Baba al rum", a highly sweet yeast cake drowned in rum, is a must-try. Another well-liked pastry is "sfogliatelle".
