The Sweet Pepper Festival

In the last week of August the historic centre of Altino becomes an open-air kitchen, with a Palio Culinario of its own.

The story

The Altino Sweet Pepper Festival takes place in the historic centre of the village, in the last week of August, with the scents and flavours of the Abruzzo tradition.

One thing to note is the excellent cooking and the skill, of women and men alike, in preparing tasty dishes that are not only tied to the old tradition but also inventive, and often tried out in the well-known “Palio Culinario”. Here are a few examples.

• Spaghetto in festa: square-cut spaghetti from the De Cecco pasta factory in Fara San Martino, with a cream of sweet pepper “a cocce capammonde”, red garlic from Sulmona, crisp pancetta and a dusting of dried pepper.
• Cuttlefish with the flavours of the Oasis: cuttlefish in breadcrumbs scented with thyme, grilled and dressed with extra virgin olive oil flavoured with Altino sweet pepper, served with roast peppers.
• Lidia ice cream with a crisp wafer: vanilla ice cream rippled with sweet pepper preserve, pepper and almond brittle, and a crisp wafer.

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