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Italian · regional cuisine

Neapolitan and Campanian

The cooking of Naples and Campania: pizza, buffalo mozzarella, San Marzano tomatoes, dried pasta from Gragnano, seafood and Baroque pastries.

Flavour character: Sun-ripe tomato sweetness, milky mozzarella, olive oil, garlic and chilli, briny seafood and lemon from the Amalfi coast.

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Close-up of a fresh Margherita pizza with tomatoes and basil. Perfect for Italian cuisine promotions.

History

Naples was one of Europe's largest cities in the 17th and 18th centuries, and its poor were nicknamed 'mangiamaccheroni' (macaroni-eaters) for the dried pasta sold on its streets. Tomato sauces took hold here early, and pizza became a Neapolitan street food in the 18th and 19th centuries; the pizza margherita story linked to Queen Margherita's 1889 visit is a popular attribution. The art of the Neapolitan pizzaiuolo was inscribed by UNESCO in 2017. Mozzarella di Bufala Campana has a protected designation.

Commonly told; not firmly documented

Geography and influences

Volcanic soils around Vesuvius, the Bay of Naples, the Amalfi coast and the plains of Caserta and Salerno where water buffalo graze.

  • Spanish and Bourbon rule
  • French court cooks (monzù) in noble households
  • Street-food culture of Naples

Regional variations

Naples
Pizza, street fry (frittatine, pizza fritta), ragù and pastries.
Amalfi coast and Sorrento
Lemons, seafood, gnocchi alla sorrentina.
Inland (Irpinia, Benevento)
Mountain cooking with lamb, cheeses and pulses.

Festive and seasonal food

  • Pastiera at Easter
  • Insalata di rinforzo, fried salt cod and struffoli at Christmas
  • Ragù simmered on Sundays

Signature dishes

Not on the site yet: Ragù napoletano, Genovese (onion and beef sauce), Sfogliatella, Babà al rum, Pastiera, Limoncello (Amalfi coast)

Neapolitan and Campanian recipes

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