Fruit, vegetables and pulses

Altino sweet pepper

Altino sweet pepper, a little red horn that grows pointing skywards

Small, horn-shaped and fully red, it is picked from early August on the hills between the Sangro and Aventino around Altino. Threaded on string into long crolli, it air-dries for days before a brief turn in the oven or in hot oil. Dried, it is sweet rather than hot: a Slow Food Presidium and a traditional agri-food product (PAT) of Abruzzo.

• Its fruits stand upright on the plant, 'a cocce capammonte', heads up, as locals say
• Sweet once dried, with none of chilli's heat and a gently toasted aroma
• Whole in its crolli or ground to powder, it keeps a vivid red that colours dough and sausages

How to enjoy it. Crumble it over pasta, salt cod, vegetables or pork, or work it into bread and fresh pasta dough: a few flakes bring colour and a sweet, toasted scent.

Production areas

Abruzzo

Season

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