Cannazze (hand-broken pasta of Calitri)

History and origin

Cannazze are the signature dish of Calitri, a village in upper Irpinia in the province of Avellino, and the Campania Region lists them among its traditional food products. Their history rests on a precise document: a deed drawn up by the Calitri notary Eligio Rinaldi on 26 September 1749 records the sale of equipment for drying pasta on canes. That small workshop stood in a low house facing the parish church of San Canio and is remembered as the first pasta maker in the village to produce cannazze.

It began as a farmhouse dish. The ragù was made with an old hen, a meat that needed very long cooking: a sauce left to simmer for hours.

Over time the dish became the one served on feast days, above all at weddings. In the Calitri dialect bride and groom are called zita and zito, like the ziti the pasta is made from, and the meat roll tied with string recalls the ballo r' li zit, a dance in which the couple moves close together while relatives and friends wrap them in paper streamers.

Sources: Regione Campania, Assessorato Agricoltura — Prodotti tradizionali: cannazze · Comune di Calitri — Gastronomia calitrana · Masaf — Elenco nazionale dei prodotti agroalimentari tradizionali, XXVI revisione (2026)

Area and method of production

The regional record gives the production area as the municipality of Calitri alone. The base is mezzi ziti, also called mezzani, bronze-drawn and broken by hand into pieces about a palm long; the traditional recipe splits each ziti into five parts before boiling.

The sauce is a slow-cooked meat ragù. Thin veal slices for braciola are spread out, seasoned with grated cheese, salt, pepper, parsley and garlic, then rolled and tied with kitchen string. The rolls are browned in extra virgin olive oil with onion, bay leaves and a splash of white wine; they are set aside while tomato paste and then tomato sauce, preferably made locally, cook in the pan, and finally they go back into the sauce for at least two hours.

The pasta is drained and layered in a bowl, alternating plenty of sauce with a mix of grated local cheeses, cow's milk and pecorino.

Sources: Regione Campania, Assessorato Agricoltura — Prodotti tradizionali: cannazze · Masaf — Elenco nazionale dei prodotti agroalimentari tradizionali, XXVI revisione (2026)

In the kitchen

Cannazze come to the table in a deep bowl, layered with pasta, ragù and cheese, with ground hot chilli to add to taste. The Municipality of Calitri presents them this way, served with ragù and grated pecorino, as one of the two signature dishes of the village.

The municipality places cannazze in a simple, long-standing cuisine, alongside cingul', a short pasta related to cavatelli, and acqua sala, slices of bread soaked in boiling salted water and topped with hard-boiled eggs and oil fried with garlic and chilli. Other home-made pastas include lahan', tagliatelle sometimes boiled in milk and dressed with tomato and beans, orecchiette and vermicelli.

Next to these first courses the Calitri table brings sausage, soppressata, prosciutto, capicollo, cheese and ricotta made in the village, and baccalà alla ualanegna, dressed with oil, garlic and chilli.

Sources: Regione Campania, Assessorato Agricoltura — Prodotti tradizionali: cannazze · Comune di Calitri — Gastronomia calitrana

Where to taste it

The home of cannazze is Calitri, on the hill above the upper Ofanto valley, where Campania meets Puglia and Basilicata. Its historic centre, the Borgo Castello, has been restored after the earthquakes and now houses the Ceramics Museum, so a visit pairs the table with the town's majolica.

The municipal calendar offers more than one chance to taste local produce. Between late August and early September the Interregional Fair showcases the typical products of Campania and the neighbouring regions; in December the Sagra della Scarpegghia brings tastings and crafts to the streets of the old town. August is the month of the Estate Calitrana, the international folk group gathering and the Sponz Fest, and the weekly market is held on Thursdays.

For travellers exploring Irpinia, between Avellino, Taurasi and the villages of the Monti Picentini, Calitri is the easternmost stop and the place to find the village's feast-day dish.

Sources: Comune di Calitri — Gastronomia calitrana · Comune di Calitri — Manifestazioni e fiere · Comune di Calitri — Cenni storici

Protection

• Traditional agri-food product (PAT) — Campania, n. 416, 26th revision (Masaf — Elenco nazionale dei prodotti agroalimentari tradizionali, XXVI revisione (2026) · Regione Campania, Assessorato Agricoltura — Prodotti tradizionali: cannazze)

When

• The sources consulted give no months.

Where

Campania

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