L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JULY 10, 2025 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano I t's not every day that a sandwich becomes a symbol of an entire town, especially in a place like Scilla , a small fishing village perched on the tip of Calabria, over- l o o k i n g t h e S t r a i t o f Messina. While Calabria's culinary identity is typically land-based, centered around p o r k , s p i c y ' n d u j a , a n d m o u n t a i n c h e e s e s , S c i l l a offers a rare exception: this town, with roots in Greek m y t h a n d f e e t i n t h e Tyrrhenian Sea, built part of its modern-day fame on a grilled swordfish sand- wich. The town of Scilla owes its n a m e t o t h e m y t h i c a l s e a monster Scylla, who, along with Charybdis, haunted t h e w a t e r s d e s c r i b e d i n Homer's Odyssey. That stretch of sea, now known as the Strait of Messina, has long been surrounded in leg- ends of perilous currents and narrow escapes, but while the myths remain rooted in literature, Scilla's connection to the sea is unmistakably real and, in this case, deli- ciously edible. Scilla is the kind of place where narrow stone alleys too tight for cars run through cliff-hugging houses and pic- t u r e s q u e s t a i r c a s e s , l i k e those of the historic neigh- borhood of Chianalea, slip d o w n i n t o t h e s e a . S m a l l fishing boats dock directly b e n e a t h b a l c o n i e s , a n d you're more likely to hear the sound of waves than traffic. Locals love to call it "the lit- tle Venice," and while com- parisons like this are often o v e r u s e d , i n C h i a n a l e a ' s case, it almost makes sense. U n l i k e o t h e r C a l a b r i a n coastal towns, where the sea is mostly for swimming and views, Scilla always lived off it, with swordfish fishing still being widely practiced using t r a d i t i o n a l m e t h o d s . Between May and August, the strait becomes a hunting ground for feluche, boats with long lookout towers and forward-mounted gangways from which fishers still har- poon swordfish by hand. It's a physically demanding, pre- c i s i o n - d r i v e n m e t h o d , passed on from fathers to sons. A n d t h a t ' s w h e r e t h e sandwich comes in. To be frank, it's hard to pinpoint who came up with the idea of stuffing grilled swordfish into bread; ask around in Scilla and you'll get different stories depend- ing on where you stop. One o r i g i n t a l e s t a r t s a t t h e town's small port, at a food truck called Il Furgoncino di Callore. At first glance, it looks like the usual local burger-and-sausage joint, but it's been serving grilled swordfish sandwiches for decades, possibly since the 1 9 9 0 s . A c c o r d i n g t o t h e y o u n g m a n m a n n i n g t h e truck, the idea came from t h e o r i g i n a l o w n e r s , w h o b e g a n s e r v i n g f r e s h l y c a u g h t , s i m p l y g r i l l e d swordfish in baguette-style b r e a d w i t h a s p l a s h o f s a l m o r i g l i o , a l e m o n y , g a r l i c k y , o r e g a n o - l a c e d d r e s s i n g w i d e l y u s e d i n southern Italy, especially in Calabria and Sicily. Soon, what started as a dockside lunch soon spread: t o u r i s t s d i s c o v e r e d t h e truck, local beach bars took notice, and then came the more upscale venues, each offering their own version. At Lido Francesco, on the main beach just under the castle, the sandwich goes up a notch: served in home- made ciabatta baked by a local woman living nearby, the swordfish is marinated in salmoriglio, grilled, then layered with olives, toma- toes, and crunchy lettuce. The portions are so generous the bread barely closes. It's the kind of sandwich that's meant to be eaten with your e l b o w s o u t , o v e r a p a p e r napkin, in full view of the sea. To pleasantly top up the experience, with a glass of house wine, the whole meal c o s t s s e t y o u b a c k j u s t around €10 (less than $12). Then there's Civico 5, a m o r e p o l i s h e d p u b - s t y l e venue in Chianalea, right above the water: their menu includes multiple swordfish sandwich options, from the classic to modern twists like t h e P a i s a n u ( w i t h l o c a l herbs) or the Athos (sword- fish aromatized with citrus); they also lean into the lore, including a printed origin story on the menu, which explains how the sandwich first appeared at the town's Swordfish Festival in the m i d - 1 9 8 0 s a n d b e c a m e a local favorite. Whether or not it started exactly there is debatable, but the festival itself is very real and still draws crowds every August. In fact, swordfish is not a n u n u s u a l i n g r e d i e n t i n C a l a b r i a n k i t c h e n s , a n d along the Tyrrhenian coast, and especially in Scilla and nearby Bagnara Calabra, it's been part of the diet for cen- turies. You'll find it grilled, in pasta sauces (delicious!) or even raw in thin carpac- cio-style slices (my personal favorite), so what makes the panino so interesting is not the ingredient, but the for- mat. Sandwiches are not a prominent feature in Cal- abrian tradition, as street f o o d h e r e u s u a l l y m e a n s f r i e d t h i n g s : a r a n c i n i , crispelle, or fritto misto. The swordfish sandwich is a bit of a revolutionary addition, where tradition adapted to tourism but without giving anything up in the process. In fact, the formula is always roughly the same: the fish is f r e s h , o f t e n m a r i n a t e d , always grilled and, while the bread might change – some use baguettes, others ciabat- ta – the rest stays consistent, with tomato, a hint of onion or herbs, maybe some salad, a n d t h a t u n m i s t a k a b l e salmoriglio. Some versions go creative, adding mint, capers, or local chili; others stay ultra-traditional. But t h e f o u n d a t i o n i s s t r o n g enough to support variation without losing what makes the sandwich work. C a r e f u l , t h o u g h : t h e panino col pesce spada is not something you can replicate easily outside of Scilla. You can try, of course, but without the right fish, the salt breeze, and the con- text, it's just not the same. That might be why it became a low-key tourist attraction in itself: people seek it out, some make it a goal of their FRANCESCA BEZZONE The swordfish sandwich of Scilla: Calabria's unusual street food icon Nothing is better than a swordfish sandwich by the sea! (Photo: Lapa Smile/Shutterstock) LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES

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