Abruzzese arrosticini, the best example of Street Food able to conquer the whole of Italy. They are skewers of small cubes of sheep (or lamb) meat, typical of Abruzzo, but spread throughout Italy. Today street food, they actually derive from transhumance: Abruzzese shepherds used to prepare and cook the original arrosticini isolated in mountain huts, using meat from non-productive sheep or castrated lambs. Originally the skewers were made with stems of aquatic plants.
The authentic Abruzzese arrosticini acquire their characteristic taste thanks to the cooking method, which takes place strictly on the “rustillire” (or “furnacella“), small brazier, from which also originate name variants, from arrosticini to “rustelle” or “arrustelle”.
Arrosticini, a “must” of Sunday trips in the Abruzzese and Lazio countryside, fully representing the exquisitely Italian “street” vocation. A simple and tasty dish that does not need sauces, except perhaps a light marinade based on olive oil, salt and rosemary. Served in bundles of 25-50 pieces, traditional arrosticini must be eaten with the hands.
