Mushroom Festival (Sagra dei Funghi) – Cusano Mutri (BN)
Delicious Autumn in Campania. It’s such a wonderful time of year to sip, taste, and explore with the wide-variety of local seasonal and artisanal products that are available throughout the region. During this time I like to attend the food festivals, called sagre in Italian, as they offer a chance to celebrate the season’s best as you delve into the very soul the culture of each respective place and their food traditions.
One of my autumn favorites is the Mushroom Festival (Sagra dei Funghi), which takes place in the charming medieval village of Cusano Mutri —deep within the hills of Benevento. It’s a lively event, so deliciously rich in festivities that it attracts crowds of people from all over Italy. And I must say, it’s no surprise.
During this festive time, roaming through the quaint, cobblestone streets of Cusano Mutri provides a lovely glimpse back in time, with its medieval buildings and little squares so well-preserved, the local folk dressed in traditional costume and adornments of the era—and all the rhythmic music, art and dance. And all the while, one gets to take in deep breaths of air deliciously perfumed with the intoxicating autumnal aromas of porcini mushrooms, chestnuts, truffles, and so on —taste the local specialities, and sip nouvelle wines. It’s a real treat for all the senses —and an absolute haven for food lovers of all kinds.
But especially for lovers of porcini mushrooms, which are grown in abundance in the local lands, and make their grand appearance at the festival to be celebrated in every delicious way and form.
One of my favorite stalls along the way uses the porcini mushrooms to make a fantastic autumnal snack, Benevento style. Over the glowing coals of a piping hot grill, one of the Campania region’s favored spun cheeses, called Caciocavallo, hangs on a cord until the cheese begins to melt. Then the oozy-melted cheese is scraped off, smeared over warm toasted slices of rustic bread, and topped with a savory porcini mushroom spread made with extra-virgin olive oil, minced garlic and parsley, and salt. Take a look!
From the magical setting in the medieval village of Cusano Mutri, to the celebrated porcini mushrooms; the aroma of chestnuts roasting over the open fire, the large rounds of artisan cheeses flavored with the porcini mushrooms, truffles, and mountain herbs, the variety of grilled and roasted meat, the massive rounds of fresh aromatic breads, the taralli (little cracker-like rings flavored with mushrooms, onions, pepper, and fennel), the nouvelle wines and delicious desserts— stall after stall this wonderful autumn food festival has it all. Tantalizing sights, tastes, and aromas, I can assure will be remembered fondly.
Ciao for now from Cusano Mutri! And until the next time I must leave you with an taste of the local autumnal cheer 🙂