Bagna Calda

One of the most traditional Italian dishes my family eats is called Bagna Calda. Many of you may have never heard of this dish, however, it is very possible that you all have tried it. Bagna calda in its simplest form is an anchovy paste. For those of you who don't know, the OED (Oxford English Dictionary) defines an anchovy as a small fish of the Herring family ( Engraulis encrasicholus) found on the European coasts, especially in the Mediterranean, where it is extensively caught, and pickled for exportation. I know, sounds disgusting, but from what I’ve seen, once people try it, they absolutely love it. To go into more detail, bagna calda consists of garlic cloves, olive oil, the perfect amount of chili pepper, salt and pepper, minced parsley, and then of course anchovies. These distasteful ingredients on their own blend together to form one of the most heavenly dishes my family enjoys every Christmas and Easter. Now, there is a reason why I didn’t list the exact measurements of each ingredient that goes into the bagna calda. Every year, my family makes this dish together. When I say “together,” I literally mean “TOGETHER!” We all sit around the kitchen telling my Mom or Grandma that the dish needs more garlic or more olive oil, or maybe more parsley! This is half the fun and regardless of what actually goes into the bagna every year, it always ends up tasting the same. To go along with our traditional Italian meal, we buy freshly baked bread from the Strip District in Downtown Pittsburgh every time we make it. If you ask my Grandma, this is the secret to an outstanding bagna calda. The bread needs to be tossed in the oven, drizzled in olive oil, and then covered in sea salt and garlic. My Grandma also says there is a secret ingredient that she throws in and that she’ll tell me one day. So, I’m sorry I don’t have that to share at this time. Now that our bread is done and bagna is ready to be eaten, I will share with you how we traditional Italians dig in.

1.     Pour the bagna into a large bowl (and pour all of it in because it will definitely be eaten).

2.     Take a second bowl and rip the bread into small bite size pieces (yes, I literally mean rip the bread). The fewer questions you have here the better because I promise my family has been perfecting this for longer than you’ve been alive.

3.     Take the bread and drowned it in the bagna so you cover the whole piece.

4.     Then toss that sucker in your mouth and enjoy! Maybe even say “Mangia! Mangia!” (eat! eat!) since that is what my Grandma is always yelling at these things.

I urge you and your family to attempt this recipe as it is a great way to spend quality time together and indulge in a culture that you're familiar with or maybe even one that you aren’t familiar with and just want to get to know!

Mangia! Mangia!