peperoncino

The unofficial Peperoncino Line runs across the northern border of the Abruzzo and reaches the Tyrrhenian somewhere north of Rome. North of it most people would make the sign of the cross at the mere mention of hot peppers. Down south, people have been using them to spice up simple pasta and pizza dishes for centuries.

But not that many years ago, you wouldn't ever see hot peppers on a restaurant menu even in the south, although if you looked like the right sort of foreigner a waiter might inquire discreetly if the signore would like a little something extra in his sauce.

Peperoncini, or diavoletti as they are sometimes called, were long looked down on as peasant food, something disagreeable that only masked the delicate tastes of good cooking. But after some centuries out of fashion they're making a big comeback, even north of the Line. Now there's even an academy, the Accademia Italiana del Peperoncino, and a National Peperoncino Festival at Diamante in Calabria, in early September.