Cucina, Abruzzo: Italian Food and Old Stories.
- Editorial Team
- Apr 2
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 14
Shhhh... something truly special is happening in the mountains of Abruzzo, just east of Rome. At "Cucina" guests can taste dishes inspired by the region's rich past—including meals that once served as a means of communicating with the supernatural world. The renowned restaurant, demonstrates that by honouring a place, we can return to a time of simpler living—something so many of us long for.
Today, many restaurants incorporate local ingredients. But to possess a deep understanding of their cultural and culinary heritage, and to bring back their essence to life, well, that is quite a different matter. At Restaurant Sextantio Cucina in the small village of Santo Stefano di Sessanio, Italy, they seem to have done just that.
Here, Michelin-starred chef Dino Como, who trained under the esteemed chef Niko Romito, has chosen to remain and utilise his local feel and sensitivity for the place. Together with his team, he is creatively redefining Italian food and cuisine by delving into the rich flavours and history of the Abruzzo region. With support from the Museum of the People of Abruzzo, Como and his team offer diners a unique experience grounded in lost stories by merging ethnographic research with contemporary cooking.
"From Niko Romito I learned diligence, purity of taste, and respect for the ingredient. But my challenge today is different," said Domo, before adding: "It is to write a cuisine that is truly my own. I start from what I have learned, and I carry it with me, but not to repeat it. I want that knowledge to grow within a personal vision, one born from my land and its character."
"I want my professional knowledge to grow within a personal vision, one born from my land and its character."
Agro-pastoral culinary heritage
Daniele Kihlgren, now internationally acclaimed as a visionary and village saviour, is the driving force behind the restaurant and the revitalisation of the previously abandoned village of Santo Stefano, as part of the Sextantio project. He explained how the ancient cooking techniques uncovered by Kihlgren's team and the museum emphasise the area's unique food history, found to be based on the 'agro-pastoral calendar.'
Even though the traditional "agro-pastoral" farming system was closely tied to the ancient local "poor cuisine", by integrating communities, crops, and livestock, this way of using the land ensured an abundance of food, also during festive periods, Kihlgren noted.
"Through our research, we discovered over seventy previously unrecorded recipes," Kihlgren explained. "It is all thanks to stories from the older locals. They are the living custodians of a nearly vanished cultural world." So, the recipes and culinary expertise, preserved through generations by oral tradition, are now starring in the Cucina kitchen.
The Puppet and the Horse
It might be difficult to envision these ancient cooking methods, yet they could be more familiar to us than we realise, and explains Kihlgren: "An example of such ritual, agro-pastoralism dishes includes all the sweets of Easter," he said, and added. "They celebrate abundance with the return of the new season and the end of winter."
A Sextantio spokesperson explained that the region's agro-pastoral culinary heritage includes pastries like 'taralli,' 'pupazze,' and 'cavalli,' originally traditional gifts for children. These symbolic foods, with the horse representing strength and the Abruzzese pupa symbolising love and sharing, have been part of engagement ceremonies since the 1800s. The pupa is given to the groom's family and the horse to the bride's family, connecting the tradition to Easter and Christian symbols.
Italian Food and Local Lands
Today, forgotten ancient seeds and rare fruits from the region are being reintroduced into local agriculture and cuisine of Cucina.
According to Kihlgren cooking in this manner represents a cyclical perspective of the world and time, and today, it appeals to many who yearn for a simpler way of living. "This way of cooking is one that is far removed from that of today," he reflected. To which he added: "These dishes often transcended their nutritional role and became a means of communication with the supernatural world."
"Staying in Abruzzo was a natural choice," rounds off chef Como, "here I know the seasons, the silences, the living matter from which everything begins. Here I can express my identity, in coherence with the values of the Sextantio project."
"Staying in Abruzzo was a natural choice. Here I know the seasons, the silences, the living matter from which everything begins. Here I can express my identity, in coherence with the values of the Sextantio project."
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