Zuppa di Soffritto Abruzzese — Pork Offal Soup in Spiced Tomato Broth

Pescara and Chieti provinces, Abruzzo — the soffritto preparation is most strongly associated with the coastal cities (Pescara, Ortona) and the adjacent interior. It is a winter preparation consumed at the taberna (wine and food tavern) level — the working-class cucina of the Adriatic coast.

Zuppa di soffritto (not to be confused with the Neapolitan soffritto which is similar) is the Abruzzese offal preparation — a thick, heavily spiced tomato broth enriched with diced pork offal (heart, lung, liver, and sometimes kidney) cooked slowly with sweet paprika (or dried sweet pepper), peperoncino, bay, rosemary, and white wine. The soffritto term here refers to the 'suffritto', the frying of the offal in hot lard before the tomato is added — a technique that seals the offal and prevents it from toughening during the long cooking. It is a cucina povera preparation of the Pescara and Chieti provinces, eaten in winter on bread or with polenta.

Zuppa di soffritto abruzzese is a preparation that does not apologise for itself — the offal flavours are direct and assertive; the spiced tomato broth is deeply coloured and rich; the paprika provides a warm, slightly smoky backdrop. Over bread in a wide bowl, it is one of the most fortifying preparations in the Abruzzese winter repertoire.