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Taste without

haste

Slow Food is linked with its charismatic founder, Carlo Petrini, but from the very beginning, Vito Puglia equally pulled his weight. Twenty years on, this true pioneer doesn’t reside in a busy head office in northern Italy, but sits under an olive tree at his exceptional restaurant Perbacco in southern Italy. By Debbie Pappyn

Long lunches in the shade of century old olive trees while enjoying Cilentian wine.

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L ike almost all other unique places, Perbacco is almost impossible to find. Only connoisseurs and insiders know where it is hidden. This restaurant is the playground of Vito Puglia, born and raised in Cilento, a little known region of southern Italy. Here, this Italian grew up to become one of the

first pioneers and forerunners of the Slow Food movement. However, Puglia is no marketing boy or savvy businessman. On the contrary, despite Slow Food being one of the most important culinary movements of all time, he prefers to stay small and keep a low profile. After all, Slow Food is all about going back to basics, back to the essence, with respect for local produce and the environment.

SOUTHERN ITALY ON A PLATEOn a sun-drenched morning near the beautiful village of Pisciotta, Puglia is busy preparing his restaurant for a slow and relaxing lunch. Perbacco is not a conventional eating establishment. Food snobs who expect to find trained sommeliers and white tablecloths are better off staying away. Perbacco, as a tribute to Bacchus, is something special. A few tables are scattered beneath centuries-old olive trees overlooking green hillsides and beyond the shimmering Adriatic Sea. This unknown corner of southern Italy bathe in an impressive light cast over the surface of the sea, the olive trees and the historic villages where time seems to stand still. Which is why Puglia has not built an ordinary restaurant here with four walls and a roof. His guests sit outside, under the olive trees, or in bad weather, in a kind of covered, furnished barn. Puglia makes the view of the Adriatic Sea the protagonist in his décor. In a modest house beside the terrace you find the bar and Puglia’s office.

“Come inside. Would you like a coffee or maybe an almond drink? It’s thirst quenching and the heat of the day still has to come,” asks Puglia.

His cool and distinctive office is filled on one side with bottles of wine and on the other, with books in which gastronomy plays the starring role. Slow Food certificates decorate the walls. The only window in the room, which allows a dose of Cilentan light to pour in, overlooks the sea. Without a doubt, Puglia has the most beautiful office in the world. In any case, the type of office that every Slow Food pioneer should have. >

alici crudo

owner, Vito Puglia

Perbacco restaurant

grilled gamberi rossi

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THE BIRTHPLACE OF SLOW FOODThe culinary adventure of this thoroughbred Slow Food advocate began in 1986, precisely when the original Slow Food philosophy was born. In that year, the first McDonald’s opened in Rome beside the Spanish Steps. Carlo Petrini, visionary, writer and founder of Slow Food, immediately organised a demonstration against the opening of the fast food chain in Italy.

In the same year Puglia, together with his brother who is now a bank manager, transformed their passion for good, honest food into something tangible. “We opened a club for like-minded people who were crazy about fine cuisine and delicious wine. This club was called Perbacco and every meeting revolved around good food, fine wine and genuine local products,” says Puglia as he lights a cigarette and shows me around his restaurant. “Meanwhile, Carlo Petrini founded the organisation Arcigola, the forerunner of the Slow Food movement. I got to know Petrini via shared acquaintances, and he baptised my Perbacco club the Club Arcigola Number 9 and appointed me curator of the Convivia (Chapter) for the Cilento region and Salerno.”

Not long after the birth of Slow Food, Puglia was appointed national director of the Slow Food organisation. He worked 12 years full-time for Slow Food and stood at the helm of several projects on biodiversity in the food industry. “I’m particularly proud that Slow Food has grown into one of the most important organisations worldwide promoting awareness of honest food. In the 1990s we were a cavalry with thousands of ideas and we encouraged people to think more carefully about food via many highly accessible events,” he recounts.

Puglia says he is most proud of his job as a member of the Technical Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, a role appointed to him in 2000 by then Prime Minister Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio. He oversaw the quality of local products, working in one of the oldest ministries, where, just a few doors away, the former Prime Minister Cavour, who was responsible for the unification of Italy, once sat. Puglia went through what he calls “turbulent periods” for food in Italy, dealing with mad cow disease, anti-piracy and trademark protection of authentic Italian products. He published the first officially recognised list of traditional Italian products, and also wrote books and articles about the “essence of honest food”.

As a member of a scientific committee he also promoted The Ark of Taste project. The founder and chairman was Piero Sardo, now president of the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity. “It was an extraordinary group, consisting of agricultural scientists, zoologists, biologists, veterinarians, >

agricultural economists, nutritionists, journalists and chefs. The first Salone del Gusto in Turin was a direct result and represented a revolution that gave an important boost to both consumers and the media. The newspaper Il Sole 24Ore and the Bocconi University in Milan, two important Italian institutions, recognise a revolution in modern agriculture as a result of the project,” he says.

In 2006, Puglia joined the Slow Food movement’s Board of Trustees, a body that advises Italy’s Congress and National Secretariat in Slow Food. It’s a less demanding role which gives him more time to pursue smaller projects like Perbacco.

SEA DELICACIESFor 23 years Puglia has pursued his mission to preserve unadulterated tastes and products in his own restaurant. In combination with a club for epicurean friends, Perbacco was first a wine bar serving food, then a small tavern where in the 1990s live music was played late into the night, and today it is one of the finest restaurants in the region. Puglia leads the restaurant with his team of two chefs, Ramon and his wife Cristina, who lovingly translate his culinary philosophies.

The main ingredients on Perbacco’s menu mostly come from Cilento (which is part of the Campania region) and are always seasonal. The local anchovy is a big favourite and the fish is served here in numerous variations. Thanks to Slow Food, the alici di Menaica stand on the list of protected products, and a presidium has been set up to ensure this delicacy does not disappear. These small fish are still caught here in the old-fashioned and traditional way. In the past, this technique was used across the whole Mediterranean. Now it is only along the Cilentan coast that fishing continues in this small-scale manner. Local fishermen go out in their boats at night to catch the anchovies with nets. Only the larger fish are caught in the nets while the smaller ones escape to continue growing. The fishermen immediately discard the head and viscera of the anchovies and store them in wooden crates, without refrigeration or ice. On arrival back at port, the fish are immediately washed with seawater and then layered with salt in terracotta pots for at least three months.

Menaica anchovies are recognisable by their pale pink colour and intense, delicate flavour. They are the perfect accompaniment for many of the fresh pasta dishes on the Perbacco menu. We start with antipasti like parmigiana di melanzane, a traditional dish featured on every menu in this region. In Campania, the making of parmigiana is almost sacred. “This vegetarian oven dish is a perfect antipasti appetiser,” says Puglia. Cristina begins with a layer of peeled tomatoes, then aubergine

maruliVa Hotel

the most imaginative office in the world where Vito works caught between his wine and views over the Med.

Pisciotta, one of the oldest and most charming towns in Cilento, bathing in the evening light.

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travel detailswhere osteria & Enoteca Perbacco Contrada Marina Campagna, 5 Pisciotta, Cilento, Italy. tel: + 39 974 973889

GeTTiNG There singapore Airlines flies thrice a week to Rome, where there are numerous flights to Naples every day. Pisciotta is a three-hour drive from Naples through the unique Nature Reserve of Cilento. the roads are safe and good; the infamous ‘Italian style’ driving is only challenging in the bigger city centres like Naples itself. the best way to travel is to hire a rental car with a company that ensures all extras are included. one of the best bets is sunny Cars offering a new rental car at 30 euros per day. www.sunnycars.com

sTaY A superb address to stay near Perbacco, located in the picturesque village of Pisciotta, is the small hotel Marulivo. Enjoy an aperitivo from the terrace with panoramic views over the town and the sea. Rates start at 80 euros with a fine breakfast for two people. www.marulivohotel.it

fried in olive oil, then tomatoes, slivers of mozzarella, basil leaves, grated Parmesan cheese and finishes the layered dish with slices of aubergine and tomato. The parmigiana spends half an hour in the oven and comes out golden.

The aroma of basil that wells up when you taste it is an unforgettable sensation.

Cristina knows exactly how this sacred but simple Campania delicacy should be made and she beams when she spots the smiling faces of us tasting it. Puglia then serves a tasty snack of raw alici and the famous aqua sale, a typical delicacy of the region. “Aqua sale is a snack that was once eaten by fishermen on their boats. They took biscotti di pane or hard old bread and some unripe tomatoes aboard. While fishing, they dipped the bread into the sea to soften it and then ate it garnished with tomatoes,” she says.

Puglia’s version of Aqua Sale includes red onions, green peppers, basil and alici di Menaica.“For primi, the vermicelli Marina Campagna with wild fennel, sweet little pepperoni verdi, mini tomatoes and of course anchovies.” He presents the pasta. Vermicelli is typical in these parts and often served with wild fennel. The beauty of this dish is that there is no heavy sauce involved, and the pasta is very pure and light. The taste of the fennel and the alici dominate while the sweet peppers and tomatoes remind you that it’s summer. Meanwhile, chef Ramon is busy grilling in the open air. “The fish and seafood we have on the grill are delivered fresh every morning,” says Ramon. “Look down there, you can see the port. If you go and take a look at the fish on sale in the shops along the quay, you’ll see the same fish as on our menu.” Therefore, for secondi, a freshly caught fish, gamberi (large prawns) and calamari, the well-known squid, are all served simply with lemon. For dolce, Puglia chooses a slice of caprese cake with chocolate and almonds from Cilento: a delicious conclusion to the meal, simply bursting with flavour and marrying perfectly with an energising, well-brewed espresso.

TRUE TO HIS ROOTSAll this beauty naturally ends with a grand finale. Chefs Ramon and Cristina, along with Annie who takes care of serving, plus Puglia himself come to join us. “Good food doesn’t need to be complicated. Just take any local top product and treat it with respect. For example, mozzarella della mortella, delicate cheese wrapped in myrtle leaves, Pertosa artichokes and naturally, our very own anchovies, the alici di Menaica.” He sounds as if he is reciting poetry.

“I’m not parochial when it comes to taste sensations and I don’t really have a favourite dish but I strongly believe in the simple Mediterranean diet. Without that

A simple setting with spectacular views on the terrace of Perbacco.

tradition, the kitchen is limiting and functions like a closed cage. I’m looking for dishes made with love, where this becomes tangible through taste and smell. Sometimes you taste something that has hidden power, an alchemy that captivates and communicates. Often these are the dishes that demonstrate intelligence and savoir-faire and a culinary representation of a culture and its people. But that’s enough talking. Let’s taste. And enjoy of course.”

Wine is poured, food is handed around and stories are told.

“I want to stay here in Cilento and promote what this region has to offer. This is an extraordinary part of Italy, not only in terms of gastronomy but also heritage, nature and diversity. I hope, with the goodwill of Italian bureaucracy, to open a small hotel here next year, a country house as they’re now called in Italy. This way, my guests, who sometimes come from Naples and Salerno, can spend the night here. For foreign visitors, I want to organise gourmet workshops so that they can learn about our local cuisine and products.”

Puglia shows us his huge old villa, which lies further into the domain. He pauses on the beautiful terrace, overlooking the azure sea and the countless olive trees. There is nothing else but silence and pure nature. Puglia smokes a cigarette, lost in thought as he looks out over the landscape. I ask him if he ever wants a return to his active role in the Slow Food movement. “No, I’m happy with my quiet, slow life here in my beloved Cilento. With my background, I may be able to ensure that the authenticity and culture of this region is preserved. When visitors consciously or unconsciously come here and taste and enjoy Perbacco and suddenly realise what Slow Food is all about, then I will have more than achieved my goal in life.” e

aqua sale

Vermicelli marina camPagna