5 treats that will make your sailing holiday in Campania perfect
The sailing holiday has one real disadvantage compared to a “traditional” holiday: lunch and dinner must be organized well in advance and it is difficult to eat as if you were in a restaurant, both for the type of “culinary” equipment you will have on board, and for the limitations in the use of water or in the preservation of certain foods. For those who love good food, these aspects can be a reason for discouragement. However, if you choose a sailing tour in Campania, there are some must-try food that you can taste at each stop over… and that you can easily take on board, to make your boat experience truly perfect, even from a gastronomic point of view.
Limoncello – One of the most famous liqueurs in the world, made with the zest of lemons typical of the area. Sorrento lemons are famous, but the lemons of the Campania coasts all have a special note, which can already be appreciated from the scent! Each producer will say that their lemons are special: in this area, it is really like that, and the finest palates will have fun appreciating the differences between different qualities of limoncello… perhaps thanks to a “Lemon Tour“, a guided visit to a lemon grove, with an explanation on how to grow the “Limone Costa d’Amalfi”! Imagine sipping it on a boat, overlooking the Faraglioni of Capri, after a day as a tourist: a moment of your holiday that you will carry in your heart for a long time!
Sfogliatella – Legend has it that – like so many good things – this dessert was born by chance from the leftovers of a convent kitchen, where a nun added dried fruit, sugar and limoncello to a little semolina pasta, making it a filling. The success of the dessert crossed the convent walls, to the point of making the sfogliatella an iconic dessert of Campania, in the two variants “riccia” (“curl” – the most famous) and “shortcrust”. Together with the babà and the pastiera, this dessert is a must try during a holiday in Naples! Our advice is to bring on board a bag of sfogliatelle from one of the best pastry shops in the area: you won’t regret it!
Mozzarella – Queen of the table in Campania is undoubtedly the buffalo mozzarella, produced with fresh buffalo milk of the Italian Mediterranean breed. Mozzarella is accompanied by many other cheeses products resulting from a tradition that has few comparisons in the rest of the world. Fresh cheeses from the Amalfi Coast and Cilento are a cheap delicacy that always remains in the heart of those who taste it for the first time! There are many excellent mozzarella factories, and visiting some of them – tasting a nice piece of freshly prepared mozzarella – is an unforgettable experience. A “Caprese” sandwich, with mozzarella and Sorrento tomato, is an amazing lunch that lends itself perfectly to life on the boat. Try it!
Wine – There are many famous fine wines in Campania: Falanghina, Taurasi and Greco di Tufo are perhaps the three most famous. Beyond the renowned value of these types of wine, the habit of accompanying even the poorest meals with a good glass of wine is part of the most ancient tradition and is closely associated with the great hospitality of this land. There is even an expression, “Finire a tarallucci e vino” – “Ending up with little tarallos and wine”, which draws inspiration from the peasant custom of offering taralli (the typical salty round biscuits, with a hole in the middle) and a glass of wine to guests to make them comfortable. Here then is that the expression “Ending up with tarallucci and wine” has become synonymous with concluding an initially complicated and formal situation in a friendly manner. A glass of wine accompanied by some snacks at sunset on a sailing boat on the Amalfi Coast is already worth the holiday!
Neapolitan coffee – At the end of a meal (but the Neapolitans will tell you: at any time of the day) it is time for a good coffee. Long, short, but strictly prepared on board with the mocha or taken at the bar: from the most elegant to the most popular – no one can afford to make coffee badly in Naples – but a nice freshly brewed coffee sipped on the sundeck of the your boat is priceless! More and more studies also confirm the beneficial properties of coffee for our health: there is no need to confirm the benefits on the mood!
Of course there are many other gastronomic specialties that deserve to be tasted in Campania. If you are looking for an intelligent way to enjoy all the best of this region while visiting it on a sailing boat, you can choose an experience designed especially for you!