The spaghetti alla chitarra
Abruzzese gastronomy is closely linked to pasta and egg pasta; the latter is the symbol of the traditional Sunday in Abruzzi and over the years has also taken on a socialising function within villages and families.
Among the first courses, spaghetti alla chitarra, one of the signature dishes of Abruzzo cuisine, stands out, particularly in the province of Teramo. The name derives from the instrument from which this type of pasta is made: the chitarra.
The latter is a specific rectangular-shaped loom usually made of wood and equipped with a series of parallel steel wires very close to each other; a single sheet of pasta is placed on the loom, pressed by a rolling pin and cut from the steel wires, thus creating these extraordinary spaghetti. This variety of egg pasta, when viewed in section, has a characteristic square shape, with a width and thickness of about 2-3 mm.
It is generally prepared with a mixed meat sauce of pork, beef or lamb, but the sauce most closely linked to regional tradition is the typical 'pallottelle' (meatballs less than 8 mm in diameter).
In recent years, these spaghetti, linked to the tradition of the Abruzzi hinterland and thus to meat-based sauces, have also been used to make fish-based dishes, constituting an amazing combination that has produced excellent results, reconciling different elements of a heterogeneous gastronomic culture.
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