Ciambotta
Alternative namesCiambotta, giambotta, ciambrotta, ciammotta, cianfotta, ciabotta
TypeStew
CourseSide dish or entrée
Place of originItaly
Region or stateSouthern Italy
Main ingredientsVegetables

Ciambotta or giambotta is a summer vegetable stew of southern Italian cuisine. The dish has different regional spellings;[1][2] it is known as ciambotta or ciambrotta in Calabria and elsewhere,[2][3] ciammotta in Basilicata[3] and Calabria,[2] cianfotta or ciambotta in Campania[3][2] and Lazio,[3] and ciabotta in Abruzzo.[2]

Ciambotta is popular throughout southern Italy, from Naples south[4] and many parts of Argentina going by the name "Chambota". There are many individual and regional variations of ciambotta, but all feature summer vegetables.[4][5][2] Italian eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, potato, onion, tomatoes, garlic, basil, and olive oil are common ingredients.[3][4][5] Ciambotta is most often served as a main course, or alongside grilled meats, such as sausage[4][5] or swordfish.[4] It is sometimes served with pasta, polenta, or rice.[6]

Ciambotta "is a member of that hard-to-define category of Italian foods known as minestre, generally somewhere between a thick soup and a stew".[1] It is frequently likened to the French ratatouille;[1][7] both are part of the broader family of western Mediterranean vegetable stews.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Michael Scicolone, Make It Your Way: Ciambotta, Los Angeles Times (June 20, 2001).
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Anthony F. Buccini, "Western Mediterranean Vegetable Stews and the Integration of Culinary Exotica" in Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery 2005 (ed. Richard Hosking: Prospect Books, 2006), p. 132-34.
  3. ^ a b c d e Joyce Goldstein, Italian Slow and Savory (Chronicle Books, 2004), p. 260.
  4. ^ a b c d e Rosetta Costantino with Janet Fletcher (2010). My Calabria: Rustic Family Cooking from Italy's Undiscovered South. W. W. Norton & Company. pp. 244–245. ISBN 9780393065169. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  5. ^ a b c Diane Darrow & Tom Maresca, The Seasons of the Italian Kitchen (Atlantic Monthly Press, 1994), pp. 198-99.
  6. ^ Mary Ann Esposito, Ciao Italia Slow and Easy: Casseroles, Braises, Lasagne, and Stews from an Italian Kitchen (Macmillan, 2007), p. 124.
  7. ^ Frank Pellegrino, Rao's Classics: More Than 140 Italian Favorites from the Legendary New York Restaurant (St. Martin's Press, 2016), p. 128.
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