Join us this February 9 as we honor National Pizza Day! The wonderful pie grew to become a symbol of designed craft everywhere it is found. Let's hear it for pizza! Why not celebrate the origin of pizza with a wonderful glass of wine at a place that makes pizza just like they did for Queen Margherita 130 years ago! Though flatbreads with toppings were enjoyed by ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians, Pizza as we know it originated in Naples, Italy. Legend says that in 1889 when King Umberto I visited Queen Margherita, the couple became bored with their steady diet of French food and asked their local Pizzeria Brandi for an array of...

We are so proud to be featured in one to the Atlanta Eats spotlights!! https://www.youtube.com/embed/ADRC6SbyTww Thank you for voting for us, and for all the support you show to the Campania Family every day. We are grateful to all our clients for their continuous business, which helps us thrive and offer you an always incredible experience and fragrant food from our authentic Italian recipes. Read below the article that Atlanta Eats dedicated to us. https://www.atlantaeats.com/restaurants/campania/

Last year we dug into the history of one of the most characteristic Italian Christmas traditional food: "il Panettone." https://campaniaga.com/panettone-the-traditional-christmas-cake-in-italy Though, this luxurious decadent bread is not the only way Italians like to end up their festive meals. There is another contestant on the table: "Pandoro" (Golden bread) Pandoro and glasses of champagne to celebrate Christmas It is pretty standard in every family that at the end of the meal, the fierce debate will start upon the choice of the cake.Provided you still have room in your tummy, you will have to pick which delicious loaf will be sealing...

If you have ever been to a top-quality Italian Restaurant (like us), you surely have noticed that some of the most gourmet pizzas are with Buffalo Mozzarella. Ingredients for Italian caprese salad But if you want to be sure, you need to ask about its origins.Italians like to certify the origin of their "flag products," hence Mozzarella. So if this delicious world-famous cheese comes from the Region of Campania, it will be labeled as a DOC product ("Controlled designation of origin"). However, in 1996, the EU added an extra-label PDO(Protected Designation of Origin). The Policy Document states they can only produce it in the 3 regions and...

The Italian Flag, also called the “Tricolore," features three equally sized vertical pales of green, white, and red. The Italian Constitution states that the green is on the left side, followed by the white and the red, and regulates its use, display, and protection.Damaging or offending the Tricolore can be punished with a fine from 1,000 Euros up to 5,000. If this offense will be carried out during a ceremony, a festivity, and so on, the penalty is double.Anyone who publicly and intentionally destroys, throws away, damages, makes useless, or stains the national Flag will be punished with a 2-year sentence in jail. So even if the Italian...

If you are around Italy early in the evening (around 6-7 pm), you will see most of the bars getting crowded little by little. It could be a couple of people, or it could be a full table. However, they will all have a drink in their hands while snacking on some food.While here in the US, we celebrate happy hour, Italian will break their working day in a fancier way: with an Aperitivo. Processed with VSCO with a6 preset It's is all year round event; however, when the warmer season arrives, that's when bars will start crawling. Tables and chairs are "blossoming" everywhere in the streets as most bars will prepare for the warmer season...

In Italy, coffee is more than just a beverage, more than a caffeine fix in the morning or during the day. Coffee is a proper ritual, starting from in the morning when you wake up and prepare your Moka, to that very quick pause in the bar to have a quick coffee "al banco." And, to be precise, a bar is where you have a coffee, eat a croissant or a sandwich: the equivalent of our cafè in America. You can get alcoholic beverages too, but it is the coffee they thrive on. Un caffè per favore! When Italians talk about coffee, they talk about Espresso. However, if you order one at the bar, you will only need to ask for a coffee and specify how you...

Colomba is a fragrant and delicate cake, shaped like a dove, with a dough-like Panettone but crafted following a slightly lighter recipe.

According to Taste Atlas, Pasta alla Carbonara directly ranks n. 2 in the top ten World famous Italian pasta dishes, just after Tagliatelle al Ragù , or best known as “Tagliatelle alla Bolognese”. Like many other traditional dishes, a veil of mystery is wrapped around the origins of this tasty dish.  Let’s unveil the most popular stories on the creation of this masterpiece of  Italian cooking. Unveiling the mystery throughout history and traditions It is hard to establish the "Carbonara sauce" origin because there is no written record until 1950.  Still, a similar sauce was mentioned already in 1839 in Ippolito Cavalcanti's...

When you think of Italian food, we are sure that you will think immediately of  Pizza and pasta. However, Italian Restaurants' majorities will have on their Menu a surprising variety of rice or better "risotto."  Italy produces 1,6 million tons of rice every year, therefore is the top producer in Europe. So how did rice end up on the Italian tables?  Chinese domesticated rice about 8000 years ago, but it was only in 320 BC that Alexander the Great introduced it to the Greeks on returning from the Asia expeditions. Among the ancient Greeks and Romans, rice was considered very precious and used only as a medicine to settle...

Artichokes are those refined vegetables that are unmissable in winter in any Italian kitchens. Here in the USA, you have most likely tasted this delicacy on a pizza topping or salads.  However, fresh (either raw or cooked) artichokes taste quite different from those you find in a jar. Although it is classified as a vegetable, an artichoke (Cynara cardunculus) is the immature flower bud of a thistle, and it is harvested before it can blossom. Artichokes are among the world’s oldest food in the world, and originated in the Mediterranean basin: the exact region is uncertain, but many facts lead to Sicily, in Italy.  Greek and the Roman...

A slice of Panettone and a glass of bubbly (either Prosecco or Moscato), and you know that the Christmas season is right upon you. Even the most adverse person to Christmas festivities will not give up on a slice of this moist and delightful cake. From legend to history Like many other food and traditions, the Christmas cake could be an ancient Roman invention, as they used to bake a soft bread sweetened with honey. However, the history of how this deliciously sweet loaf was born is wrapped around several legends, all going back to Renaissance times.Nonetheless, the most popular took place at the Castle of the Duke of Milan: Ludovico il...

All around the world, Italian cold cut meats (called "salumi") are considered an incredibly delicious ingredient. They can be used in gourmet recipes or to be enjoyed by themselves while sipping a glass of rich wine. Even their story is part of what makes them so unique. Let's take a step back and explore the fascinating history that preserved them throughout times. Selection of cured meats served with grissini From Prehistoric Times to our tables Cold meats make themselves known starting from Paleolithic times, as sun-dried meats for longer conservation times. However, the concept of deli meats, as we think of them today, goes back to...

We are now halfway through Fall, and trees are turning into a gorgeous and vibrant palette of yellow, orange, and red.Just like trees, crops are following the same flow, and Pumpkins are undoubtedly letting us know that the cold season is approaching. Indeed, you have seen the carved vegetables on the night of Halloween, but did you know that this vegetable is very versatilein the kitchen and super healthy too? Conquering tables around the world, one dish at the time! Pumpkins, also known as Squash (Cucurbita’s family), are remarkably close relatives to cucumbers, zucchini, melons, and watermelons and originated in the area of Mexico and...

Vanilla, saffron, and truffles.What do they have in common, you might wonder? Although both Vanilla and Saffron come from flowers, they all belong to some of the world's topmost expensive food by weight.Quality and the country of origin are some of the critical elements to build up the price, but in the case of truffles, the size plays a big part. In 2014 Sebastiano Tartufi (an Italian truffle company) found the largest ever white truffle, which he flew to NYC and sold at a Sotheby's auction for $61.250. You might think of giant truffle, but the truth is that the super expensive fungus was only 62.99 oz. ( 1,786 Kg)!In 2019 the price of...

Did you know that you are sipping on thousands of years of history every time you have a glass of wine? The divine drink consumption could be as old as humankind, and its discovery is most likely accidental. Fermentation happens naturally and spontaneously because the yeasts that ferment the sugar are present on the grape's skin. Just a couple of crashed fruits and the magic would start happening. Although there is evidence that fermented grapes were typical in Asia in 6000 BC, the oldest archeologic winery ever found was in Armenia, dating 4000 B.C: the site had a wine press, fermentation vats, jars, and cups. In ancient Egypt, the wine...

According to archeological evidence, grapes are among the most ancient fruits on Earth. However, its cultivation began 6,000-8,000 years ago in the Near East, when peoples gave up the nomadic life to finally settle down. We can find purple grapes in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, as well as written records about its cultivation and consumption (both for eating and wine production) among the ancient Greeks, Phoenicians, and Romans, often describing it as food of the Gods. The growing of grapes (mainly Vitis Vinifera) would later spread to other regions in Europe and North Africa, and eventually in North America, where wild grapes –...

For most Italians, the smell of sweet basil is the fragrance of the summer.You simply cannot have a tomato salad without the delicate aromatic herb in it! Although it is an extremely popular herb in Italy and all over the Mediterranean countries, basil is originally from India. In the Asian Continent, however, it is known mainly as "Tulsi" (Sacred Basil in Hindi), and it is widely used in Indian and Thai cooking.Like many other popular culinary herbs, basil has a dozen varieties. Still, Sweet Basil (Ocimum Bacilicum) and Basilico Genovese are the only varieties used in Italian kitchens. The basil leaves are not only a fantastic addition to...

Garlic: you either hate it, or you simply love it. We are sure that you ate it more than once in your life, but did you know this fantastic vegetable can do more than add taste to your dishes? The main reason it spread worldwide is for its medicinal properties.Let's take a journey through time and around the world together to discover more! From where does garlic come? Garlic is originally from Central Asia, where it is still growing wild.It is easy to cultivate in most of the climates, and easy to carry around once dried. It is no surprise that every ancient population started to grow garlic as soon as they were introduced to it. According...

In Italy, Easter (Pasqua) is the second biggest holiday after Christmas. It is celebrated on the first Sunday after the full moon following Spring Equinox. It is also linked to the Carnevale celebration, at the end of which the period of Lent (Quaresima) starts. This period symbolizes the 40 days that Christ spent in the desert before His Death on the Cross. Consequently, it terminates on Easter Sunday. The week leading to Easter is called Holy Week (Settimana Santa), and has a calendar rich in events. They focus on the Passion (meant as suffering) and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The end of this period is marked with a massive feast on...

The well-being of our Guests, Staff and the Community we serve will always be our primary concern. In addition to our perpetual and unyielding attention to cleanliness, we have implemented the following measures at both Campania locations in response to the Coronavirus issue: We will utilize single-use, pre-wrapped utensils as opposed to our normal silverware.We will utilize only single-use menusWe will utilize single-use Parmesan and Red Pepper packetsThere will be hand sanitizer at server stations and hostess stands for both Employees as well as Guests.There will be a formal check-in process for all employees to ensure they are not...

The word Tiramisù means "pick me up," and it comes from the Treviso dialect, "Tireme su."The main ingredients are Mascarpone cheese, Zabaglione cream, Espresso coffee, Savoiardi cookies (also known as Ladyfingers), and a topping of chocolate.According to a few historical records, this amazing dessert was created in 1800 as an aphrodisiac pudding. However, it is not until 1980 that we can find its recipe, described in one of the most prestigious cooking books. Tiramisu cake on a plate History and fun facts! As the Tiramisù grew in popularity, several Italian regions tried to claim its origins.In Piedmont, they alleged it was created to...

You are probably familiar with Carnival celebration in New Orleans (called Mardi Gras) and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, but Carnevale is also one of the most famous festivals all around Italy. Celebrations usually are held from the second weekend of February until mid-March, depending on the region. Carnevale was originally a Catholic holiday that takes place 40 days before Easter, just before the start of Lent, where people traditionally gave up all sorts of things, starting with meat. The world Carnevale, in fact, has its roots in the Latin word “carnem-levamen”, which means “giving up meat”. The oldest records of celebrations for this...

If you have been to Italy during the Christmas holidays, good chances are that just past the New Year Celebration, you might have seen in shops colorful stocking full of sweets, or dolls of an old lady with a broomstick. Both the socks and the "old lady" are related to the Epiphany day, celebrated almost worldwide on the 6th of January, and called "La Befana " in Italy. La Befana vien di notte con le scarpe tutte rotte col cappello alla romana: Viva viva la Befana! (The Befana comes by night, with her shoes all tattered and torn, she comes dressed in the Roman way, long live the Befana!) The legend There are many versions of the story about...

Make your Christmas celebration extra special this year with a new fantastic cocktail! White Russian with an American twist Bianco Natale is our new Holiday cocktail inspired by a great classic, the most loved White Russian cocktail, with a personal touch of Christmas taste! Our bartenders created a new version of a beloved classic cocktail, and we are sure that you will love it as much as we do. Bianco Natale (which in Italian means White Christmas) is a White Russian with an American twist: a splash of Coke and some cinnamon to warm you up and add to your festive mood! Celebrate your holidays at Campania and try our other recipes for a...

What do you know about our Good Ole’ Tomato? That we love it, we know for sure! Tomatoes originated in Central and South America, where the Aztecs were growing and eating them as early as 700 AD. It was only in 1493 that the Spanish conquistador Hernàn Cortès took the seeds back to Europe, understanding all the potential of this plant.It started growing in the warm Mediterranean climate without any problem, and it soon became available on pretty much all tables. Raw or Cooked? Tomatoes come in many different shapes, colors, and sizes reaching an incredible number of varieties that are close to 7000!You can eat tomatoes both raw and cooked....

The olive oil is unique, as it is the olive tree. It is an evergreen and it grows in subtropical climates all over the world, growing between 10 and 40 feet tall in size, and living up to hundreds of years!! During spring, it is covered in white flowers that will then turn into olives. Olives will be harvested between late September up to December, depending on the area they are located. Then, they will go to the pressing almost immediately to preserve their quality.Let’s have a look at where and when it all began! 6000 Years of Flavor! The olive tree has been part of the Mediterranean culture for about 6000 years. It played a vital role in...

One of the most loved food in the world is Italian gelato, with a history dating back right to the Egyptians, where Pharaohs used to offer their guests a chalice divided into two parts: one with snow and the other with fruit juices. However, to see a version of Gelato which is more similar to the one we know, we have to fast forward until 1565 where Bernardo Buontalenti, a native of Florence, Italy, delighted the court of Caterina Dei Medici with his creation: a delicate mixture of snow, salt, lemon, sugar, milk, and egg white. Lemon sorbet is one of the best options to end a perfect meal with a taste of freshness Around the world It was...

May is the perfect month to celebrate fresh greens! We think fresh and crisp salads are the perfect way to cool off when the heat turns up! The chefs at Campania have created many delicious and healthy Italian recipes that can be enjoyed during National Salad Month this May! Creating the perfect Italian Salad Around the world, people have celebrated National salad month for 27 years by chefs, foodies, and just about anyone who loves a great fresh meal. Did you know that salad has been around since the 4th Century BC, when Aristotle would eat a bowl of leafy greens? From there it has taken on many versions! From iceberg lettuce, spinach, and...

Spring is here! After a long, dreary winter, there is nothing better than gardens starting to pop with color. Seeing Farmer’s Markets filling up with the fresh vegetables of Spring awakens our spirits from the cold winter to the fresh veggies that we’ve all been craving! Our favorite veggie options and greens Spring yields some of the very best tasting and most nutritional produce. When the air is still cool, many vegetables have the chance to shine before the harsh summer heat takes them away. While there are a lot of spring fruits and vegetables to mention like carrots, beets, collard greens, strawberries, and more, here are a few of the...

The capital of the Campania region of Italy is Naples, Italy. It is a breathtaking city full of sites to see and food to eat. Come tour with us!

Many would call ‘prosciutto’ an Italian ham or bacon. They may go as far as to say it is very thinly sliced and slightly salty. But do you really know what prosciutto is? Do you know how it differs from pancetta? Do you know what makes prosciutto di Parma so unique? Prosciutto di Parma: like the old times All prosciutto is made from the hind legs of pigs, not from the pork belly like pancetta or bacon. It is dry-aged, through generous salting, anywhere from 2 months to 3 years in a dry and cool place. Once fully cured, the excess fat around the legs is removed leaving only a thin layer around the outside. This layer of fat gives prosciutto...

Pasta! It’s the Italian food that most people visit Italian restaurants for. Pasta dishes, however, are not exclusive to Italy, pasta is simply, a mixture of flour and water or egg, and is a staple food that comes in many shapes and sizes. From simple sides to complex dishes bursting with flavor pasta is loved all over the world - not just Italy. Pasta did not originate as Italian food and is in fact found as a staple in most countries around the world. Have you heard of some of these far away pasta dishes? Just a Few Pasta Dishes by Origin: Pasta originally came from Asia and today is found in Wonton Soup in the Cantonese region of China....

HISTORY In 1889, the famous pizzaiolo Raffaelle Esposito of Naples created a special pizza for Queen Margherita of Savoy. As pizza during this time was not a dish consumed by the privileged, Esposito wanted to honor the Queen by recreating the colors red, white and green of the Italian Flag. Queen Margherita enjoyed the pizza so much that the food became popular with all walks of life, and over a century later we know it throughout the world as the Margherita Pizza. DEFINITION OF WORDS (or La definizione di parole) All you need to know about Italian Language Cornicione An Italian term for the outer puffy edge of the pizza, known as the...

Though we don’t exactly know how old pizza is, historians speculate that pizza-like foods were found as early as 6th century BC and the first document of the word pizza was in 997 AD in central Italy (the Campania region). From there, Italians continued eating and perfecting their pizza craft. The Beginning of Neapolitan Pizza and Pizza Margherita Around the 16th -18th century pizza began to take form as the dough and tomato version we know today. During WW2 pizza became a popular meal for allied troops stationed in Italy and spread from to the rest of the world. Today, many versions of pizza exist, but to pizza purists there are only 2...