Certain local dishes are so deeply intertwined with their origins that they become symbols of the city or region they come from. In Calabria, a prime example is the Morzello (u morzeddrhu) from Catanzaro, a traditional dish of the region's poor but with an unmistakable character. Despite being a simple dish, morzello today has an invaluable social value because it can bring together passionate people and fans from all over the region, and like all regional specialties, it has so much to tell. Let's retrace its origins, the rituals for enjoying it at its best, the variations and, finally, the recipe for preparing it at home.
Origins and Legends
There are various legends about the birth of this dish. The most accredited is the one narrated by Achille Curcio, a writer and poet born in Borgia (CZ). The story, which has no temporal reference, tells of a young woman of very poor origins, Chicchina, who worked as a servant for some nobles of Catanzaro. During the Christmas period she was called to clean the courtyard of the slaughterhouse where cuts of meat were prepared for the holiday meals of the Catanzaro nobles. Chicchina was entrusted with the arduous task of disposing of the discarded cuts of meat at the Fiumarella landfill. The woman, instead of throwing away those entrails destined for the garbage, took them home, carefully cleaned them, reduced them into small pieces, then cooking them together with tomato sauce, water and various aromatic herbs. Thus she prepared dinner for her family, which was much appreciated by all.
There are also many hypotheses about the derivation of the name "morzello". Calabria has been occupied by foreign nations in the past, some of which have imposed not only their rules but also their language. This is how terms similar to the word morzello are found in various languages: morsicellus in Latin ("small bite"), morsel in French ("morsel"), almuerzo in Spanish ("lunch").
What is Morzello?
Morzello is the symbol dish of the city of Catanzaro based on veal, consisting of cuts such as: heart, spleen, liver, intestine, tripe and stomach. The other ingredients are water, tomato paste, tomato sauce, chilli pepper, salt, bay leaf and oregano.
The Pitta: The Perfect Accompaniment
The morzello catanzarese is a dish typical of the city of Catanzaro, in Calabria, often served directly in the pitta, a sort of focaccia prepared with the same dough as bread. The pitta is a typical Calabrian baked product, which was once used only to check if the temperature of the wood oven had reached the right temperature to bake bread. The pitta is normally cut into pieces, and each of these is divided in half lengthwise. The name comes from the Arabic pita.
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The Ritual of Tasting
We know what you're thinking: how is it possible to eat a dripping sandwich without getting dirty? The question, my dear readers, is superfluous: you can't! And the people of Catanzaro know it. So, don't worry if oil and sauce drip when you bite into the sandwich.
Associations and Recognition
The Compagnia del Morzello, for example, is a movement generated spontaneously to promote the valorisation of this typical dish. There is also the association Contea D'o Morzeddhu Catanzarisa, which organizes meetings and small events dedicated to it every year. Finally, L'Antica congrega dei tre colli, created by a group of friends in 1984 and formally established in 2014 whose motto reads "In vino veritas in morzello salus".
In addition to the dedicated associations that bring together enthusiasts, today the morzello enjoys the DE.C.O. (municipal denomination of origin), which, unlike other denominations, represents a recognition of origin and belonging to a place. It is a specialty that can be found in homes, local taverns and trattorias, or sold as street food, to be eaten strictly with your hands, like fried calzoni or girelle alla sardella. The Morzello was the first Catanzaro product protected with a quality mark, thanks to the Municipal Designation of Origin. This certification takes place through an in-depth study of the municipal peculiarities.
Variations and Interpretations
There are several variations of the recipe, a common alternative is to cook the tripe and entrails together with the sauce and not separately. For a version as close as possible to the tradition, it is possible to use all the offal of the calf such as the trachea, lungs, heart, liver to add, albeit in smaller quantities, to the tripe. The tripe can be cooked separately in boiling water, sautéed in a pan with a drizzle of oil and only at the end added to the reduced tomato sauce.
Morzello Recipe: Preparing Catanzaro at Home
After discovering everything there was to know about the morzello of Catanzaro, let's get to the heart of the matter by seeing together how to prepare it at home. Obviously, as already specified, the complete experience also involves associating the dish with a particular type of bread, the pitta. If you don't have the possibility to find it at your trusted baker, but you still want to taste the morzello in bread, choose a bread with a consistent crumb and a soft crust.
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Ingredients:
- Veal tripe
- Veal omasum
- Heart
- Spleen
- Liver
- Intestine
- Stomach
- Water
- Tomato paste
- Tomato sauce
- Chilli pepper
- Salt
- Bay leaf
- Oregano
- Animal fat (q.b.)
- Extra virgin olive oil (q.b.)
Preparation:
- Start by cleaning the veal tripe very carefully, and then boil it for 10/15 minutes in water together with the veal omasum.
- Cut the other parts of the meat into small pieces and place them in the pot together with the animal fat.
- Add the tomato paste and sauté for 5/10 minutes.
- While sautéing, add the tomato sauce and water, until you almost reach the edge of the pot. The amount of water varies depending on the type of pot you use, but in general it must be a lot because the cooking of the morzello is quite long.
- Meanwhile, wash the tripe under running water in order to eliminate any traces of impurities, for ease I advise you to buy the various pieces of offal already cleaned.
- Cook the tripe in a pot with boiling water for about 25 minutes.
- When the tripe is cooked, drain it and let it cool for a few minutes.
- Place it on a cutting board and cut it into small pieces.
- Let the various pieces cool and cut them into not too large strips.
- Arrange all the offal, including the tripe, in a non-stick pan so as to dry them well from the cooking water.
- Check that the tomato sauce is well reduced and add the pieces of meat.
- Mix so as to mix the ingredients and continue cooking for about 60 minutes.
- Chop the bay leaf and oregano as well.
- Flavor your morzello with the mix of chopped aromas and finish cooking.
- Towards the end of cooking, add a pinch of more oregano if desired.
- Salt to taste.
- After an hour, when the water has evaporated, the morzello should be ready and if the meat is not cooked to the right point, pour a few tablespoons of hot water and continue cooking for a few more minutes.
- Once cooked, the morzello is ready to be enjoyed.
Scalda in a pan a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, add the meat stew, the chili pepper, the sauce of the hot peppers, the bay leaves and a pinch of dry oregano. Salt and sauté all the ingredients for a few minutes.
How to Serve Morzello
Serve the morzello alla catanzarese accompanying with the classic Calabrian pitta. The pitta is normally cut into pieces, and each of these is divided in half lengthwise. Fill the pitta with the hot morzello and serve immediately. The morzello must be consumed boiling, often seasoned with a further sprinkling of chilli pepper.
Tips for the Perfect Morzello
- We advise you to buy the tripe from your trusted butcher, possibly already cleaned; once at home, rinse it abundantly under cold running water, for at least two or three times, then leave it to soak in water, white wine vinegar and bay leaves for at least an hour. After this time, do a new rinse and proceed according to the recipe.
- During cooking, stir occasionally with a bunch of oregano, do not use a spoon.
Preservation
The morzello alla catanzerese can be stored for 2 days in the refrigerator, in a special airtight container. If you have used fresh ingredients, you can also freeze it.
Where to Taste the Authentic Morzello
Now that we have seen how to prepare the morzello catanzarese, all that remains is to replicate the recipe at home or, even better, try it directly in one of the restaurants or kiosks that are located in the Calabrian city and that prepare this dish in a workmanlike manner. The lovers of strong and tasty flavors have a good opportunity to taste the "morzedduh" in the most traditional way, walking among the benches of the morzello festival that is held every year in Soverato, a municipality in the province of the city of Catanzaro.
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