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‘O Rraù VS Bagna Cauda (Neapolitan Ragù vs Piedmontese Bagna Cauda)
As for the first, we've already talked about it: a typical Neapolitan dish, made with meat, tomato sauce and vasincola (basil), it's left to simmer for 4 to 6 hours. It's the king of Sunday and its aroma fills the homes and alleyways of all Naples.
by Alessia Giannino
Ragù and Bagna Cauda are two very different dishes, belonging to two different regions, but both very famous.
Bagna Cauda
Bagna Cauda, on the other hand, is a Piedmontese culinary speciality, originating from Astesana, the Langhe, Monferrato, Roero and the cities of Turin, Alessandria, Cuneo and Asti.
Tradition has it that this dish is eaten during the grape harvest season, making it an autumn dish: indeed, one legend claims it was created precisely to reward the grape pickers for their work. More than a dish, in fact, it's a convivial ritual, as it involves eating together, dipping into a single shared pot. The classic recipe seems to belong to lower Piedmont, as in past centuries it was much easier there to get hold of the key ingredient: salted anchovies.
Bagna cauda is made with a base of garlic, oil and desalted anchovies, all reduced to a sauce through slow, patient cooking. Butter, cooking cream, milk and walnuts may also be added. It's served in the dian, a terracotta cooking pot, and kept warm using a clay warmer, also called the s-cionfetta, filled with embers. This sauce is then eaten by dipping in an array of seasonal vegetables such as cardoons, oven-roasted onions, peppers, cabbage, beetroot, steamed potatoes, turnips and radishes.
Traditionally, bagna cauda is also paired with a full-bodied red wine, such as Barbera, Barbaresco, Dolcetto or Nebbiolo.
A curious fact: this typical Piedmontese dish was initially rejected by the middle classes, who considered it a poor, rustic food. For this reason, there's little written record of the dish. The earliest known account dates back to a document from 1875.
Posted in:
Neapolitan food
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