Molise is mainly an agricultural land, that is why typical cooking tradition is based on locally-grown products and sheep farming. Recipes are highly influenced by the nearby regions: from maccheroni alla chitarra to pallotte (round balls) of egg and cheese, pasta and beans, polenta, lamb and roast turcinelli (lamb offal).
The main products of this area are extra-virgin olive oil, Isernia truffle and durum wheat pasta. There are also several types of salame, such as saggicciotti, liver sausage, ventricina salame and pampanera, oven-dried bacon with chilli pepper.
Cheese is another gastronomic delight, in particular caciocavallo and stracciata cheeses of Agnone and Alto Molise, fior di latte cow’s milk mozzarella from Boiano, buffalo mozzarella from Venafro, pecorino sheep’s cheese from Matese, Scamorza cheese and burrino, a butter-filled cheese.
Also Molise’s wines are excellent, in particular Biferno and Pentro.
Dessert are particularly peculiar and tasty, like mostarda d’uva, a jam made with grapes from the Molise countryside or the cauciuni (pastry filled with chickpeas). In addition to ostie farcite (wafers filled with walnuts and almonds), peccellate (pastry filled with grape syrup or jams) and cippillati (baked ravioli filled with sour black cherries) there are also plenty of delicious Chrismas sweet.
