Mid-August: what are the typical dishes region by region, do you eat them too?

Ferragosto in Italy means holidays, trips out of town, endless lunches and tables with friends and relatives. But it also means recipes that change radically by moving a few hundred kilometers. In fact, alongside the almost omnipresent barbecue, dishes linked to peasant traditions, the feasts of the Assumption and the gastronomic habits of individual cities survive.

The origins of the anniversary are much older than the August 15th lunch as we know it today. The name Ferragosto derives from Feriae Augustithe period of rest established by Emperor Augustus in 18 BC and linked to the break from agricultural work. Subsequently the festival overlapped with the Christian celebration of the Assumption of Mary.

However, there is no single national menu nor is there always an “official dish” for each region. Some traditions are strictly documented for the day of August – such as chicken with peppers in Lazio, gnocchi with duck in Umbria or melon frost in Palermo – while in other territories on August 15th great classics of local cuisine are simply brought to the table.

So let’s see what we eat on August 15th in Italy, region by region.

Aosta Valley

In Valle d’Aosta the dish chosen from the FIPE map of Ferragosto traditions is Seupa à la Vapelenentse, or Valpellinentze soup. Not exactly a light dish for a hot day: it is a substantial mountain preparation based on bread, fontina and meat broth, originally from Valpelline. At high altitudes, however, even mid-August can have temperatures suitable for such a robust recipe

Piedmont

In Piedmont, Ferragosto has the flavor of Margheritine di Stresa, very crumbly biscuits born on the shores of Lake Maggiore. Their history is linked to Princess Margherita of Savoy: they were created by the pastry chef Pietro Antonio Bolongaro in 1857 on the occasion of her first communion and, according to tradition, the future queen liked them so much that they became a dessert served at the mid-August receptions of the House of Savoy. Their dough stands out for the use of sifted hard-boiled egg yolks, responsible for the particular crumbly consistency.

Lombardy

It may seem counterintuitive to talk about minestrone in the middle of August, but in Lombardy there is its summer version: cold minestrone, prepared with seasonal vegetables and often rice. Served at room temperature or cold, it maintains the character of traditional Lombard cuisine by adapting it to the warmer season.

Trentino Alto Adige

Always present in Trentino are canederli, large dumplings made from stale bread from Alpine cuisine prepared in numerous variations, often with speck. They can be served in broth or dry with butter and other condiments.

Veneto

Veneto responds to the heat of August with a dish that also arises from the need to preserve fish: sardines in saor. The sardines are fried and then flavored with sweet and sour onions; depending on the recipes, raisins and pine nuts may also appear. They are one of the great Venetian classics.

Friuli Venezia Giulia

For Friuli-Venezia Giulia we find cjarsons, a stuffed pasta symbol above all of Carnia. The peculiarity is that there is not just one recipe: the filling changes from country to country and even from family to family, alternating sweet and savory ingredients.

Liguria

In Liguria the mid-August dish can be capponadda, a cold preparation particularly suitable for a summer day. It originates from seafood cuisine and combines the traditional sailor’s biscuits softened with water and vinegar with ingredients such as tuna, anchovies, tomatoes, olives and capers. It was a practical food for sailors and fishermen, because it did not require turning on the stove while sailing.

Emilia Romagna

In Emilia Romagna the mid-August lunch can bring cappelletti with ragù to the table, one of the great symbols of regional fresh pasta. Prepared with the characteristic “hat” shape and a filling that varies according to local traditions, they are seasoned with a rich meat sauce. More than an exclusive recipe for August 15th, they represent one of the dishes for celebrations and great convivial occasions, therefore also perfect for the mid-August lunch.

Tuscany

Tuscany has one of the most clearly documented mid-August traditions: roast pigeon. In fact, an ancient saying recalls that “for Ferragosto, roast pigeons and ducks”, and the custom is traditionally traced back to the Carolingian era. The bird can be enriched with local cuisine ingredients and accompanied by roast potatoes.

But it’s not just the pigeon. In the Grosseto area we find the mid-August biscuit, which despite its name is more like a large soft donut. Born in the peasant environment and linked to the threshing period, it is scented with anise and wine and represents another preparation strongly associated with this period of the year.

Umbria

Gnocchi with duck sauce are one of the best-attested mid-August dishes in central Italy. The recipe comes from the Umbrian peasant culture and the calendar of agricultural work: goose or duck meat was used to prepare a rich ragù with which to season the gnocchi, also celebrating the conclusion of the harvest.

Marche

Even in the Marche the traditional Ferragosto looks at farmyard animals. Roast goose is a substantial dish that recalls the rural culture of central Italy and the large festive tables.

Vincisgrassi, a very rich baked pasta layered with ragù and cheese, can also appear among the great first courses from the Marche region. However, it is more correct to consider it a festive dish of the Marche tradition rather than an exclusive preparation for Ferragosto.

Lazio

If there is a dish that means Ferragosto in Rome, it is chicken with peppers. The chicken is cooked in a stew with tomato and peppers, which reach their best moment right in the height of summer. The tradition is particularly rooted in Rome and the surrounding areas, including various areas of Frosinone. It is one of the most solid and recurring regional connections with August 15th in gastronomic sources.

Abruzzo

The kebabs are one of the gastronomic symbols of Abruzzo.

Sheep meat skewers are closely linked to pastoral culture and cooking on the grill. The Abruzzo Region itself underlines that tradition dictates that they should be cooked and consumed outdoors, during picnics, mountain trips and days in nature. Numerous festivals dedicated to kebabs also take place between July and August. They are therefore perfectly inserted into the convivial spirit of Ferragosto, even if they should not be presented as a recipe created exclusively for August 15th.

Molise

For Molise we find cavatelli with pork sauce. The small formats of fresh pasta are accompanied by a rich sauce, an expression of the home and peasant cuisine of the region. Here too it is more prudent to talk about a regional dish proposed for the mid-August lunch rather than a recipe reserved exclusively for this day.

Campania

In Campania, choosing just one mid-August dish is particularly difficult. The macaroni pizza, or pasta omelette, is probably what best represents the tradition of the trip out of town: pasta, eggs and other ingredients are transformed into a compact preparation that is cut into slices and is also good cold. Precisely for this reason it is perfect to take to the seaside or on a picnic

But the region offers several specifically mid-August traditions. On the Amalfi Coast there are mid-August zitoni, seasoned with fresh and dried tomatoes and capers; then there are the August 15th taralli, sweet and covered in icing, linked to the feast of the Assumption. And always on the Amalfi Coast we find the famous chocolate aubergines, a dessert traditionally prepared in this period.

Puglia

For Puglia it is worth moving away from the generic association with orecchiette with turnip tops and choosing a much more specific tradition: stuffed galluccio, particularly linked to Foggiano and Lucera. The cockerel is stuffed with ingredients that may include eggs, salami, cheese, parsley, garlic and pepper, then baked with potatoes or prepared in other variations.

It is one of the Apulian preparations most frequently indicated by gastronomic sources as typical of the mid-August lunch. In Bari, however, a summer table can host tiella of rice, potatoes and mussels, another great regional classic that is also particularly convenient for outdoor lunches.

Basilicata

In Basilicata the mid-August lunch is associated with Lucanian lamb, recalling once again the strong relationship between the cuisines of southern Italy and the pastoral tradition. It is a robust meat dish, suitable for large family occasions and festive days. Alternatively, the summer tradition offers strascinati with cruschi peppers and cheese, combining the typical fresh pasta with the crunchy Lucanian symbol

Lucanian cuisine naturally offers many other specialties, but not all of them are specifically linked to August 15th.

Calabria

The Calabrian mid-August lunch includes pasta chijna, literally “full” pasta, that is, stuffed. It is a rich baked pasta that can include ragù, meatballs, eggs, cheeses, cured meats and other ingredients depending on family traditions. There are numerous variations, including the one with soppressata. It is the classic dish for important Sundays and holidays, including August Bank Holiday.

Sicily

In Sicily, and especially in Palermo, Ferragosto often ends with something fresh: melon gelo, which is actually prepared with watermelon. The name in fact derives from the way the fruit is called locally.

The pulp is made into a pudding-like dessert with sugar and starch and may be flavored with jasmine, cinnamon or other flavorings. It is one of the preparations that sources link most directly to the Palermo mid-August table.

Alongside the frost, lunch can naturally include many great classics of Sicilian cuisine which are not born as specifically Augustan dishes, but which are well suited to a festive table: from the rich and substantial baked anelletti, to the aubergine caponata, up to the beccafico sardines, one of the most representative preparations of the island tradition. Dishes that are different from each other, but have in common the fact that they are deeply linked to Sicilian cuisine and very suitable for a convivial summer lunch.

Sardinia

We end the trip to Sardinia with culurgiones, ravioli with a characteristic ear-shaped closure. The most famous version includes a filling of potatoes, pecorino and mint and is generally accompanied by a simple tomato sauce.

However, they are not a preparation reserved for August 15th: they are part of the Sardinian tradition throughout the year and can appear on the large table of the celebration together with other specialties of the island.

Ferragosto thus demonstrates how difficult it is to talk about just one “Italian cuisine”. In some regions, August 15th preserves recipes that are very recognizable and linked to the holiday for generations; elsewhere, the most popular dishes of the local tradition dominate, adapted to summer tables, barbecues and trips out of town.

From chicken with peppers from Lazio to gnocchi with duck from Umbria, from cockerel from Puglia to melon frost from Palermo, each territory tells the story of Ferragosto in its own way. And perhaps it is precisely this variety, rather than the existence of a national menu, that is the true Italian gastronomic tradition of August 15th.