This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).
What’s your connection to the Adriatic Sea?
My father was born right on the shores of the Adriatic Sea, less than a mile from it. When he was born, his birthplace was in Italy, but now it’s in the Istria region of Croatia, a town that’s now called Pula. Around 90% of the people in Pula were Italian, so the majority left and people from other parts of what was then Yugoslavia came and populated the area. My mother is from a town near Venice. We also lived in Italy in a town on the Adriatic Sea, so it’s a place that very much connects with me.
What areas did you cover and how does the Adriatic coast link them?
My interest in the Adriatic starts in Istria, but this book is about the Italian coast. All the way from Trieste in the north — about a mile from the border with Slovenia — right down to Santa Maria di Leuca, which is one of the most southerly points of the Italian peninsula. It’s eight regions in total. Molise is the only region I didn’t step into because there are no major towns on the coast there, but I visited the rest of them. The sea is a connector because, historically, in order to get around Italy or to leave Italy, before there were cars or planes, you had to go by boat. So, in a historical sense, for the way the foods and everything developed, the Adriatic Sea is a connector.
Adriatico: From Puglia to Venice, Recipes from Italy’s Adriatic Coast, by Paola Bacchia, offers readers a look into how seafood is cooked on the Adriatic Coast.
Photograph by Paola Bacchia
What unites all these distinctive cuisines?
Seafood. The Adriatic is quite a shallow sea compared to the main body of the Mediterranean, so you don’t get a lot of deep-sea fish like tuna or swordfish. You get a lot of sardines, anchovies, squid, mussels, sole and other fish that can live in shallower waters.
And what differentiates them?
The way they manipulate the ingredients or the way they cook seafood and fish is completely different in each region. It’s a continuum along the coast, and it’s based on what’s available, so more olive oil in the south and more butter up in the north. It’s also marked by ingredients. For example, in Le Marche, they grow saffron, so they put it in their fish dishes. Or fava beans, which you’ll find down south, but up north, they don’t grow them. Then there’s sweet peppers that you’ll get in Abruzzo, which are really specific to that area. And you’ll find them there, hanging everywhere to dry, but the further north you go, they will peter out until eventually they’re just not known.
What new perspective does your book provide on Italian food?
It looks at areas that are quite unknown, such as Le Marche, Abruzzo, Gargano and northern Puglia. Everyone talks about the south [of Puglia] and the beautiful towns there — and they are gorgeous — but the northern part is really stunning as well. Another example is Mount Conero, which is in Le Marche, where the Apennines meet the coast. The waters have got a specific temperature and the currents have made vortexes of mussels that grow naturally on the rocks in a really clean environment. Another is the salt mines of Cervia, which were very important back in the days when people were paid in salt, because it was used to preserve food. It was life. So, those particular pieces of information are things that aren’t really spoken about or commonly known.
How would you like people to approach the book?
There are a lot of recipes with traditional influences, but they’re not the usual ones you’ll find in other Italian recipe books. They’re recipes to make at home, not meals with a million ingredients and a million steps. They have simpler ingredients, and I’ve simplified the recipes. I don’t expect someone to be really proficient in the kitchen to make them.
But it’s not just about cooking an Italian spread. It’s about learning the provenance of the ingredients and why they’re the way they are. I give context about the locations where these ingredients come from. And there are also stories so that people can be inspired to think, ‘oh, that sounds like a great place to travel to’.
In fact, the proofreader, who’s currently travelling in Italy, has changed her travel plans based on proofreading this book, and she’s now going down to Otranto. So I hope it will also inspire people to be a bit curious in their travels and to seek out different recipes.
In Venice, a popular way to enjoy baccalà (salt cod) is to whip it until it’s creamy and smooth, then spread it on rounds of bread or firm polenta.
Photograph by Paola Bacchia
Recipe: Whipped salt cod with polenta crostini
In Venice, a popular way to enjoy baccalà (salt cod) is to whip it until it’s creamy and smooth, then spread it on rounds of bread or firm polenta. There’s a bit of a knack to the whipping. I use a small food processor and drizzle in a little oil and milk at a time, stopping regularly to check the consistency. You don’t need to add salt (it will be salty enough), and a low- or no-salt polenta and flavoursome parsley oil balances out the whole thing nicely. The whipped baccalà will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Serves: 8 as an appetiser
Takes: 1 hr plus 4-6 hrs soaking
Ingredients
300g baccalà
500ml milk
1 garlic clove, crushed
200ml sunflower oil
250g instant polenta
2 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Method
1. Place the baccalà in a large bowl of water and soak for 4-6 hrs, changing the water two or three times. Taste a small piece of fish and check for saltiness (if it’s still excessively salty, change the water and soak it a bit longer; the fish should still be salty, but edible). Drain.
2. Place the drained fish in a medium saucepan and cover with the milk. Slowly bring the milk to the boil, then simmer for 30 mins. Take off the heat and leave the fish to cool slightly in the milk. Flake the fish into a bowl, discarding the skin, bones and milk. You should have about 250g of fish; if you have more (or less) you may need to adjust how much oil you add.
3. Put the fish and garlic in a food processor. Start processing and slowly add the oil, a little at a time, checking the consistency as you go and reducing or increasing the amount of oil depending on the weight of the fish. The mixture should be very white and have a spreadable, mousse-like consistency. Taste and add pepper, and a little salt only if needed.
4. Pour 1 litre of water into a large saucepan and bring to a slow boil. Pour in the polenta in a steady stream, whisking constantly to remove any lumps. When the mixture becomes very thick, swap the whisk for a wooden spoon and stir for a few minutes more until cooked through. Spread the cooked polenta over a sheet of baking paper on a chopping board. Cover with another sheet of baking paper and roll out to an even 1cm thickness with a rolling pin. Allow to cool, then cut into 5cm x 3cm rectangles.
5. While the polenta is cooling, mix together the parsley and olive oil. Briefly warm the polenta crostini under a hot grill. To serve, spoon the whipped baccalà onto the crostini and drizzle with the parsley oil.
Published in Issue 25 (autumn 2024) of Food by National Geographic Traveller (UK).
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