Many may be surprised to discover that Italy is home to scores of local specialties that are inherently plant-based.
Italo-Australian foodie Nadia Fragnito is on a mission to showcase these delicious dishes with humble origins.
Having appeared on national television programs and written for various food publications, Fragnito is an in-demand expert and pioneer of vegan Italian.
She shares her passion for veganising Italian dishes on her blog and recently published her second cookbook, A Vegan Summer in Southern Italy: Recipes and culinary adventures, which is due to hit the shelves of bookstores in January 2022.
Fragnito’s work is a fusion of her vegan beliefs, love for food and passion for her Italian heritage.
Born in South Australia to an Italian father and Australian mother, Fragnito was raised on the flavours and aromas of the south, savouring recipes that her grandmother brought with her when the family migrated to Australia from the town of Molinara, in Campania.
“Growing up, food equalled love, comfort, generosity and giving,” she said.
“That was instilled in me from a very young age through my nonna, but also through my mum, who was a great cook and lover of food.”
Fragnito first went vegan as a 20-something in 2001, for moral reasons.
“I really didn’t want to harm animals anymore,” she explained.
“I went vegetarian for a few months but then I read a little further about what happens in the egg and dairy industry and I didn’t like how the animals are treated so I decided to go vegan in order to be really consistent.
“When I became vegan, my passion for cooking was reinvigorated.
“I wanted to recreate the dishes that I’d always loved and couldn’t eat anymore, particularly years ago when veganism wasn’t really a thing.”
As Fragnito experimented in a bid to veganise her favourite dishes, she began sharing her adaptations on her blog and social media.
“There are a lot of fun things you can do which allow you to enjoy [non-vegan] dishes in a cruelty-free way,” she said.
“For example, when you blend tofu up and add some extra oil and seasoning, you can turn it into something quite similar to ricotta.
“In summer, a great way to recreate calamari is to use king oyster mushrooms; you slice them up into rounds and marinate them with things like vegan fish sauce or dried seaweed and a bit of lemon, and the texture ends up quite similar to that of calamari.”
In her first cookbook, Discovering Vegan Italian: Classis dishes made easy (2019), Fragnito shares many of her secrets to replicating traditionally non-vegan dishes, such as ragù, carbonara, osso buco and tiramisù.
Meanwhile, the author’s new cookbook is a love letter to southern Italy, its people and its inherently plant-based recipes.
“There are a lot of ‘accidentally’ traditional plant-based dishes within the Italian cuisine, particularly in the south, but even in other regions,” Fragnito said.
Nadia Fragnito’s new book. (Photo supplied)
Part cookbook, part travel guide, Fragnito’s latest labour of love comprises 70 vegan Italian recipes and is based on her own travels through southern Italy.
“In 2019, I spent three months in Italy and I called it my culinary research trip,” she said.
“Historically, many dishes were created without meat or dairy because families simply couldn’t afford that; southerners made vegetables, grains and legumes the heroes.
“In the end, we’ve got all these wonderful traditional recipes that were created out of hardship but just happen to be really great for vegans and vegetarians today.
“Take pane e panelle – which are chickpea fritters – for example; Sicilians have been making this street food for centuries and it’s always been vegan.”
Fragnito’s book takes readers on a tour through towns such as Nocelle in the highlands of the Amalfi Coast, her father’s hometown of Molinara and the cultural melting pot of Palermo.
Each chapter showcases the towns and their vegan specialties, accompanied by vivid descriptions and photography.
“I begin each chapter by telling the story of the place and exploring its local produce,” Fragnito said.
“Then it culminates in the recipes of that place.
“I want readers to open the pages and be whisked away to Italy and enjoy the spirit of the south.”
We can already feel the Mediterranean breeze beckoning...
A Vegan Summer in Southern Italy: Recipes and culinary adventures is available for pre-order from November 18, 2021, and will be released in Australia in selected bookstores and online from January 18, 2022. To find out more about Nadia Fragnito, follow her on Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.
