December is a month of many celebrations, both religious and secular. Often each celebration is accompanied by the serving of a particular food or dish. December 8 is the feast of the Immaculate Conception in the Roman Catholic Church, and marks the beginning of the Christmas holiday season and its wonderful dishes in Calabria. My town also has a non-religious celebration that day, known as “Perciavutta” day. The word “percia” means “to make a hole” and “vutta” means “barrel”; therefore “put a hole in the barrel”, and as I remember it when I lived in Calabria, Perciavutta is the day when all the townspeople that made wine that year would go to each other’s cellars and taste the new wine. Two snacks are traditionally served to the guests. One is grispelle, in which dried peppers are softened and folded in yeasted dough. I’ll be writing more about this Calabrian specialty as the holiday season continues.
The second snack that is brought to the wine cellars is peperoni cruschi, called pipi arruschkati in my dialect.
For peperoni cruschi, you need sun-dried sweet Italian peppers. Peperoni di Senise are ideal but any dried sweet Italian pepper will work. In future posts, you will see how we use these dried peppers in various dishes throughout the winter months.
To make peperoni cruschi, first remove the seeds and stems from the dried peppers and cut into pieces. Place the cut peppers with some extra virgin olive oil in a pan. Toss to coat with the olive oil and place the pan over medium heat.
Keep on stirring them with a fork as the oil in the pan warms up. As soon as they puff up and become crispy you can remove them from the heat; be careful not to burn them. Add a sprinkle of salt and you’re done. They are sweet and smoky, unbelievable good and downright addictive!
If you have bought peperoni cruschi that are packaged and exported, you’ve wasted your money. They need to be eaten as soon as they are prepared, not months later out of a cellophane bag. So plan to dry some sweet Italian peppers next summer or buy the whole dried peppers and then make this easy dish yourself.
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
Hello Rosetta and thank you for the recipe! We took your advice and dried several dozen peppers both sweet and hot that we picked at Larry’s Produce this summer. We’ll be trying this recipe for the Christmas holiday for sure! Please say hello to your Mom for me too! I am already counting the days until I can plant my tomato seeds for next year.
Hollie,
I am happy to hear that you dried some peppers. Give it a try and make this snack, and let me know what you think of it.
I enjoyed these peppers at several parties (thrown by the same people.) I have been searching for the recipe forever as the family will not give it out. Where can I purchase the dried peppers? I am so happy that I finally found it! Thank you so much for sharing!
Michelle,
I don’t have a source for these dried peppers. We grow and dry our own peppers. If you go to Calabria or Basilicata you can buy a ristra of the dried peppers there and bring them back home. If you like to grow your own peppers next year let me know and I can send you some seeds.
Rosetta
Rosetta,
Your site is beautiful! I love the recipe for Penne with wild fennel! It looks delicious. Thank you! Tricia
Are there any resources where I can purchase the dried peperoni senise?
Cathie,
I don’t know of any resources where you can buy the peperoni di senise seeds. I am happy to share some.
Rosetta,
I too have looked on line for peperoni di senise seeds and can not find one seed company that carries them. Do you know why?
I am not aware of any company that sell those seeds in this country. I don’t think these peppers are well known outside of Calabria and Basilicata. I am happy to share some seeds.
i have been trying to find these peppers for a year.
do you know of any seed companies that carry them? Seeds for Italy has a few pepper but not these.
bill
Bill,
I don’t know of any seed company that sells these seeds in the US. I am happy to share some seeds. I have been sharing them all over the world so hopefully someone will grow them in a farm and sell the seeds in the future. I will send you an e-mail with my address.
These peppers sound amazing. I would love to try some seeds! Please let me know how I can buy some from you. Thanks!
I don’t know of any place to buy them. I will send you some.
Rosetta,
I am a 68 year old retiree and among my hobbies are gardening and cooking. I would appreciate it if I could perhaps trade you some of the seeds I have for Chili Petin wild peppers for a few of the seeds you have for peperoni di senise. If you would be so kind to send me your email address, I will send you the seeds for a trade. I have a friend about my age who came here as a four year old child from Calabria. I had her husband buy your cookbook for her as a Christmas gift and she was delighted.
Harry Moran
Elkview, WV
Hi Rosetta,
I too was looking for peperoni di senise seeds when I found your astounding website just the other day. I noted it as something I had to come back to and explore and then continued on my search for the senise seeds, to no avail. So today, I came back to read through your site and very pleased that I did. At the moment I am drooling over the Spaghetti con Alici Fresche and can’t wait to take a crack at it with fresh sardines that I cast net locally that are running right now. Based off what I have seen and read on your site I am excited about receiving your cookbook. I am hoping that perhaps you have some seed left to share and in turn, I will do the same.
Cheers, Ryan
P.S. Your San Marzano’s look amazing. My neighbor and I have both grown these but have determined that the seeds might not be true San Marzano despite the packaging and the fact that we each purchase from a different seed house.
Rosetta, I was searching for the Pepperoni de senise seeds and discovered your wonderful Calabria from Scratch site. I have flagged it as a favorite and will be checking in often. The food and and Garden pictures tell a beautiful story of one who enjoys growing and sharing the best from the garden!
Are the Pepperoni de senise seeds available via a seed company? I look forward to hearing from you.
I just found your website looking for a source of seeds for peperoni di senise. We spend six months of the year in France, in the department of the Sarthe. It can be very overcast and damp like this past summer, but is occasionaly quite warm. Do you think that we could grow the peppers there. By the way, I love Basilicata and its food.
Thanks for your help. Chloe Erkenbrecher
Rosetta,
The Peperoni de Senise seeds you sent me have provided me with some wonderful plants full of large peppers. I can’t wait for them to ripen so I may make peperoni cruschi Senise. The plants are as higher than my waist and have so many peppers. Thanks again. I enjoy your website very much.
Thank you for the delicous recipes.Do you know where I can get peperoni di senise seeds? you are in my fav. thanks again.