In Lucania You can sample a wide range of high-quality food and wine.
For example, the Sarconi beans and Canestrato di Moliterno.
Horseradish is also very popular! A symbol of Basilicata’s culinary tradition, it has always been a widely used ingredient in cooking, not only for its flavour but also for its healing properties:
Basilicata boasts a wealth of excellent culinary specialities, amongst the best known of which is the much-loved the quality of its horseradish.
A symbol of rural culture, horseradish has always been used to flavour the dishes of the people of Basilicata, making them truly magical, just like its healing properties: it is a A powerful remedy for scurvy and rickets, as it is rich in vitamin C, but it also aids in the treatment of urinary tract conditions, acts as a diuretic, and is beneficial for respiratory and cancer-related conditions, etc.
Horseradish
Or the ‘poor man’s truffle’; just like onions, peeling and grating it makes your eyes water, so when the old villagers came across a young girl crying, they used to ask her, teasingly:
Did you have a row with your boyfriend, or did you grate some horseradish?
Horseradish is a perennial root. However, its Its use is concentrated mainly in the period between Carnival e Easter. Although it is the root of a perennial plant, it is precisely during the period from Carnival to Easter that it is harvested and used. A sprinkling of it accompanies and enhances “ferretti al ragù” or those topped with breadcrumbs, and it becomes the star ingredient of “Rafanata”.
The radish salad
We could simply call it a baked omelette. But, as we’ve said, that would be far too simplistic.
It is the perfect blend of traditional flavours, with pungent, sharp aromas that are at the same time rich and pleasant, melting on the palate.
Its ingredients are simple, just like many traditional products “from the old days”: eggs, lard, pecorino cheese and horseradish.
There are various ways of preparing it in Lucania: the basic ‘rafanata’ is made with eggs, horseradish and pecorino cheese; then there is the version with potatoes or breadcrumbs, or with matured sausage… all ingredients linked to rural culture. It is cooked in an earthenware dish in lard.
Ingredients
- 8 medium eggs
- 500g of boiled and mashed potatoes
- 150g of pecorino
- 50g of horseradish
- 30g of lard for greasing the baking tin
- a pinch of salt
Instructions
- Boil and mash the potatoes.
- Peel the horseradish using a paring knife and grate it.
- In a bowl, beat the eggs with the pecorino, then add the horseradish and the potatoes; add a pinch of salt and pour into a baking tin, previously greased with lard.
Bake in a conventional oven at 200C° for about three-quarters of an hour until a golden crust forms.
