Peperoncino is everything to Calabria. Not only in terms of food and gastrononomy, but also as a cultural symbol. The hot, red spice totally corresponds to the identity of the Calabrians. Consequently, Calabrian dishes are permeated by this fruit.
Sardella, for example, is a sauce based on fish and spicy peppers. The paternity of sardella belongs to Crucoli, a village in the province of Crotone, to which the municipal designation of origin De.Co. is attributed. In Sardella’s original recipe, only newborn sardines were allowed to be used along with Italian red peppers ground into powder and flavoured with wild fennel seeds and sea salt. In 2006, however, the European Union banned the catching of the little blue fish. Now other fish are simply used. Very important here is that the fish is very fresh. Thanks to the chilli and sea salt, the preparation can be kept for a long time, even outside the fridge.
