The small town of Altino, on a rocky spur looking out over the Aventino Valley, gives its name to small, horn-shaped peppers, bright red in color, also known as a cocce capammonte (“with the head up”) because the fruits grow pointing upwards. When ripe, they are picked and then strung together with a needle and thread to make a long chain known as a crollo. The peppers are left to air-dry for several days then toasted in the oven for a few minutes or quickly dipped in boiling oil. At this point they can be crumbled over pasta, salt cod, vegetables or pork.
The dried peppers, which have a characteristic sweet flavor, can also be ground in typical mortars called piloni. The resulting powder is used in pasta sauces or to season cured meats, like Vastese ventricina. It can also be used to give a vivid red color to homemade pasta and bread dough. The origins of this pepper, locally known as paesanello, probably lie in Eastern Europe and the introduction of paprika from the Balkans by the Slavic peoples who settled in the province of Chieti in the 15th century. This could also be the origin of the custom of grinding the pepper into a powder, characteristic of Eastern Europe.
Season
Si raccolgono dalla prima decade di agosto quando le bacche raggiungono la tipica colorazione rossa.
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Altino, Archi, Perano, Roccascalegna, Casoli, Sant’Eusanio del Sangro and Atessa municipalities, Chieti province
Presidium supported by
Gal Maiella Verde
Contrada Sant’Angelo, 49
Altino (Ch)
tel. +39 366 3406536
Daniele Giacinta
Atessa (Ch)
Via Piana la Fara, 99
tel. +39 0872 897120
347 3614591
Fior di Maiella
di Mirko Di Crescenzo
Casoli (Ch)
Località Selva Piana
Tel. 0872 993440 - 328 4113428
info@fiordimaiella.it
www.fiordimaiella.it
Moreno Pellicciotta
Contrada Sant’Angelo,103
Altino (Ch)
tel. +39 0872 985438
Rosso Saraceno
Contrada Sant’Angelo, 24
Altino (Ch)
tel. +39 333 7425829
mingowolf63@yahoo.it
La Tavola dei Briganti
Via Mandrelle, 22
Altino (Ch)
tel. +39 333 6650118
info@tavolabriganti.it
Domenica Angela Troilo
Contrada Ruscitelli, 69
Archi (Ch)
tel. +39 338 7613430
Terra Fonte
Via Briccioli, 24
Altino (Ch)
tel. +39 348 2108834
dalonzoannamaria@gmail.com
Aca Agrolearia
Contrada Briccioli, 1
Altino (Ch)
tel. +39 329 8671588
aca.altino@gmail.com
La Regina
di Franco di Lallo
Via Bachelet, 26
Altino (Ch)
tel. +39 346 5119989
info@peperonedolcedialtino.com
Tenuta Aschari
Via Fontolfi, 29
Perano (Ch)
tel. +39 333 9111490
info@tenutaaschari.it
Michele Scutti
Tel. +39 328 6256910
michelescutti@hotmail.it
Producers’ Coordinator
Domenico D’Orazio
Tel. +39 333 7425829
peperonedolcedialtino@gmail.com