Cutturidd — Basilicatan Lamb Stew

Basilicata — the shepherd country of the Apennines and the Pollino mountains. Cutturidd is the transhumant shepherd's preparation — the lamb braised slowly in the clay pot over the fire on the mountain pasture, with whatever herbs grew around the camp.

Cutturidd (sometimes written cotturiello) is the defining lamb preparation of the Basilicatan shepherd tradition: pieces of young lamb (or older mutton in the traditional version) braised slowly in a clay pot with wild herbs — oregano, bay, rosemary — and white wine, without tomato (predating the tomato's widespread adoption in southern Italian cooking) or strong spicing. The technique is minimal: the herbs and the quality of the lamb are everything. The result is a pale-golden stew with a clear, herb-scented broth and tender, falling-from-the-bone lamb. It is the antithesis of the strongly spiced preparations of Calabria — Basilicata's cooking is quieter, more reliant on ingredient quality.

Cutturidd is the opposite of Calabrian cooking — it is quiet, herb-scented, pale, and relies entirely on the quality of the lamb. The broth is slightly unctuous from the lamb's gelatin; the herbs are present but restrained; the wine adds acidity and depth without dominating. It is the most honest lamb preparation in southern Italy.