Typical dish of Catanzaro
Pitta cu morzeddhu
Pitta cu morzeddhu is a hearty, intensely aromatic sandwich: a round, soft pitta is opened and filled with the famous morzello, a dark, spicy stew of offal slowly cooked in tomato sauce. The thick sauce soaks into the bread, while chili pepper and oregano release an intense, fiery aroma. The result is juicy, rustic, and deeply flavorful. In Catanzaro it is often eaten for lunch or as substantial street food in the city’s historic morzellerie.
Season: Tutto l'anno€5–8
Why it matters
It is one of the absolute gastronomic symbols of Catanzaro. Pitta cu morzeddhu tells the story of the city’s traditional home cooking and the culture of the "morzellerie", historic eateries where this sandwich has been prepared and enjoyed for generations. For many people from Catanzaro, it is a daily ritual and a marker of urban identity.
Origin story
Morzello originated as a humble dish of peasant and working-class cuisine, prepared with the less prized parts of veal slowly cooked in tomato sauce and chili pepper. In Catanzaro, the custom developed of serving it inside pitta, a local round, compact bread that holds the sauce without falling apart. Over time this pairing became the city’s signature sandwich, widely found in the historic shops known as morzellerie.
Typical ingredients
pitta catanzaresetrippa e frattaglie di vitellopassata di pomodoropeperoncino piccanteoriganoalloro
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Where to eat Pitta cu morzeddhu in Catanzaro
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