Last year, I wrote “Authentic Italian Food Is Not What The Internet Thinks It Is” about the unlikely places where traditional Italian cooking is found. One is Antica Trattoria Di Pietro, which opened in 1934 in the village of Melito Irpino. When an earthquake destroyed the ancient town, the government built a new Melito designed by Brutalist architects. The trattoria moved into its new home, where it remains today.
Since last year, I’ve gotten to know Anita Di Pietro a little better, and I was honored she opened the doors for me on their day off to record this episode. Officially, she is the chef but doesn’t feel comfortable with that title, which she’ll explain in this episode. Her mother, Teresa, who helmed the kitchen before Anita returned home at 27 years old to take over, was also there testing a new recipe while we chatted. Crescenzo, Anita’s father and one of the fiercest stewards of traditional Italian cuisine, was out shopping with Rafi Bildner, an American chef who fell deeply in love with the Di Pietro family, and you’ll hear all about his restaurant called Hilltown, which will recreate a piece of Melito in the Berkshires. You’ll also meet Sarah Pompei, a passionate ambassador for Irpinia’s food and winemakers who have so much to share but are challenging to find in the tourism marketplace.
I intended for this episode to explore traditional recipes in depth, but when you’re in Anita’s “magic circle,” you go where the conversation takes you. It’s an episode full of laughter, clanking forks, and a cameo from my dog Lenù, who ate her weight in steak that day.
We do also discuss dishes like minestra maritata, from which the Americanized “Italian wedding soup” derives. In Irpinia, it’s made with seven different kinds of wild greens, inexpensive pork cuts, and a crunchy piece of polenta. You’ll also hear me gush over the delicious involtinti di verza and cabbage-wrapped cheese, and I’ve included the recipe for our paid subscribers.
The episode also discusses the massive changes in Italian food culture, including the impact of the passing generations and the importance of local food and food makers.
00:24 Discovering Melito Irpino
01:16 Inside the Trattoria
01:41 Traditional Italian Recipes
04:22 The History of Antica Trattoria di Pietro from Melito to South Africa
06:32 Anita's Magic Circle
10:48 Cooking Classes Are Part of a New Era For the Trattoria
17:39 Why Anita Does Not Want To Be Called A Chef
23:07 Reflections on Simple Living
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