A Culinary Mystery: The Genovese “Salernitana”

Despite the fact that the name recalls the Ligurian city, Genovese is an undisputed mainstay of Campania’s Sunday. In Salerno, however, tradition claims an extra bit of pride: in fact, there is a hypothesis, as intriguing as it is uncertain, that the name derives from a family called precisely “Genovese,” originally from Salerno.
Legends aside, the recipe is an exercise in patience. Half a pound of meat (preferably lacerto stuffed with prosciutto) must “pippiare” together with half a pound of finely sliced onions until the latter turn into an amber, fragrant cream. It is a sauce that takes hours, perfect coverage and constant attention, ideal for dressing tagliolini or ziti and gathering the family around a table that tastes like home.