Ciambotta or giambotta is a summer vegetable stew of southern Italian cuisine. The dish has different regional spellings;[1][2] it is known as ciambotta or ciambrotta in Calabria and elsewhere,[2][3] ciammotta in Basilicata[3] and Calabria,[2] cianfotta or ciambotta in Campania[3][2] and Lazio,[3] and ciabotta in Abruzzo.[2]

Ciambotta
Alternative namesCiambotta, giambotta, ciambrotta, ciammotta, cianfotta, ciabotta
TypeStew
CourseSide dish or entrée
Place of originItaly
Region or stateSouthern Italy
Main ingredientsVegetables

Ciambotta is popular throughout southern Italy, from Naples south[4] and many parts of Argentina going by the name "chambota". There are many individual and regional variations of ciambotta, but all feature summer vegetables.[4][5][2] Italian eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, potato, onion, tomatoes, garlic, basil, and olive oil are common ingredients.[3][4][5] Ciambotta is most often served as a main course, or alongside grilled meats, such as sausage[4][5] or swordfish.[4] It is sometimes served with pasta, polenta, or rice.[6]

Ciambotta "is a member of that hard-to-define category of Italian foods known as minestre, generally somewhere between a thick soup and a stew".[1] It is frequently likened to the French ratatouille;[1][7] both are part of the broader family of western Mediterranean vegetable stews.[2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Michael Scicolone, Make It Your Way: Ciambotta, Los Angeles Times (June 20, 2001).
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Anthony F. Buccini, "Western Mediterranean Vegetable Stews and the Integration of Culinary Exotica" in Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery 2005 (ed. Richard Hosking: Prospect Books, 2006), p. 132-34.
  3. ^ a b c d e Joyce Goldstein, Italian Slow and Savory (Chronicle Books, 2004), p. 260.
  4. ^ a b c d e Rosetta Costantino with Janet Fletcher (2010). My Calabria: Rustic Family Cooking from Italy's Undiscovered South. W. W. Norton & Company. pp. 244–245. ISBN 9780393065169. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  5. ^ a b c Diane Darrow & Tom Maresca, The Seasons of the Italian Kitchen (Atlantic Monthly Press, 1994), pp. 198-99.
  6. ^ Mary Ann Esposito, Ciao Italia Slow and Easy: Casseroles, Braises, Lasagne, and Stews from an Italian Kitchen (Macmillan, 2007), p. 124.
  7. ^ Frank Pellegrino, Rao's Classics: More Than 140 Italian Favorites from the Legendary New York Restaurant (St. Martin's Press, 2016), p. 128.