Story and Photos by Harald Zoschke Calabria — that’s the southern tip of the Italian boot. Warm currents of the Meditererranian Sea and an average of 300 days of sunshine a year determine the mild climate that lets chiles — called peperoncini in Italy — grow so well here. As evidenced in our story about Diamante, the popular hot pods …
Calabria, Part 5: The Chile Eating Contest
Story and photos by Harald Zoschke One of the highlights at the annual Peperoncino Festival in Diamante (Calabria) is the Campionato italiano mangiatori di peperoncino – the Italian Chile Eating Championship. The 2002 finals of the contest take place at the Piazzetta San Biagio. Rows and rows of chairs in front of the brightly illuminated podium aren’t enough to …
Calabria, Part 4: The Peperoncino Festival
Story and Photos by Harald Zoschke “10 Anni tutti piccanti” – Ten spicy-hot Years This poster announces great news for all chile lovers – the annual Peperoncino Festival in Diamante, Calabria (southern Italy) is close. In 1992 it had been 500 years that Columbus did not only discover a new continent but also the hot pods we all love, and …
Calabria, Part 3: Hot Shopping in Diamante
Story and Photos by Harald Zoschke Peperoncino products are “prodotti tipici,” typically Calabrian specialties. So it is no wonder that there’s a whole bunch of stores offering anything made from the local chiles – just like the “hot shops” in the USA. Around festival and harvest time, choices seem to be even more plentiful. Sapore Calabria This store offers a …
Calabria, Part 2: “Hot” Restaurants in Diamante
Story and Photos by Harald Zoschke The Peperoncino Festival is still a day and a half away, so there’s some time left to explore the regional restaurants. And we’re hungry … La Locanda di Zio Rocco In an alley just off the Lungomare (seaside promenade), we stumble across a trattoria – a small restaurant with just three tables inside and …