Zungri – only a stone’s throw away from the popular town of Tropea – is the site of an ancient settlement from a bygone era. The ‘Grotte Rupestri Zungri’ are ancient cave dwellings, and walking through the rooms carved out of the rock, you’ll feel a prehistoric energy from one of the oldest sites in Italy, never mind Calabria.
Yet it’s not the hidden gem of this historic wonder that is Zungri’s only highlight in our opinion. Here, don’t miss witnessing the delightful Zungri ‘Bread Day’. The association is one that epitomizes the heart and soul of the region of Calabria. In this peaceful spot of countryside, Franca Crudo heads an association of ‘nonnas’ (for want of a better term). These fantastic women – aged 60 to 90 years old – represent the traditions of cooking in Calabria, and host visitors to join in the ritual (and art) of breadmaking.
But this bread isn’t any old pane you’ll find in a modern-day bakery even in Calabria. Instead, you’ll stick to the roots and use a blend of ancient grains which grow in the Zungri area – and this bread will be like nothing you’ve ever tasted before. Join them in their outdoor kitchen for a full initiation with aprons and the traditional hats of Calabresi housewives of this area. But don’t think you’ll get away with just observing the ‘nonnas’ at work. Put your money where your mouth is and get kneading, pushing and punching the mixture to form the dough.
All the while, it’s enchanting to hear the stories and tales of your knowledgeable hosts. It’s up to you whether you trust all of the stories – if the old wives’ tales are to be believed, the yeast you’re using in the dough is older than the hosts themselves!
After all of that hard work, it’s the dough that needs to rest. But you’ll join your wizened hosts in preparing more traditional dishes, including the local fileja pasta, and of course sampling the local wine as you go. After two hours of rising, the loaves will go in the old stone ovens, and you’ll enjoy the fruits of your labour piping hot alongside your traditional Calabrese feast.
In a world
full of technology, spending time with the bread women of Zungri is a chance to
slow down and preserve the precious traditions. We can’t let them die out with
their generation. Yet what clearly strikes me is that this clearly isn’t a show
put on for tourists, where the local old women are ‘rolled out’ to appease the
foreigners. It’s just a way for them to continue to practice and share the
traditions of their ancestors, who would gather in this way and bake huge
batches of over twenty loaves, firing up the fire oven with all of the extended
family and friends. Join the ‘bread ladies’ to taste great local products and
discover their secrets.
