This August Radio Alice, the pizzeria in Hoxton and Clapham known for its crunchy, airy sourdough pizza, will dedicate an entire menu to ‘nduja, the superstar Calabrian salami that hails from the same region as Radio Alice’s founders, brothers Matteo and Salvatore Aloe.
In the town of Spilinga, perched on the toe of Italy’s ‘boot’, people spill onto the streets for a weekend of feasting and partying during an annual festival dedicated to the region’s most famed export. This summer, the Aloe brothers are bringing the party to London, with an entire month of feasting on fiery, soft ‘nduja.
Radio Alice’s own ‘nduja follows a traditional Calabrian recipe, combining off-cuts of pork including offal and fat with mouth-tingling peperoncino, or Italian hot chili peppers.
Head pizzaiolo Matteo has created an entire menu spiked with house-made ‘nduja; from creamy Burrata with ‘nduja and anchovies, to a new twist on Radio Alice’s organic sourdough pizza, topped with roasted peppers, ‘nduja, baked potatoes, fiordilatte and pecorino.
Even dessert comes with a hit of the spicy stuff: crispy bread will be topped with ‘nduja, honey, dark chocolate, mascarpone and fennel seeds. For those looking to soothe the heat, cocktails will include a cooling Mint and Rhubarb Spritz, as well as Radio Alice’s signature Negroni.
Matteo said, “Back home, ‘nduja is integral to the local community: not only does it support livelihoods all over the region, but every August it brings us altogether for a weekend of partying. The streets of Spilinga fill with crowds, live bands and, of course, stalls dishing up plenty of ‘nduja, and we wanted to bring a sense of this fun, crazy, chaotic festival to our little corners of London.”
Salvatore added, “It’s one of our favourite Calabrian traditions, so even though we can’t promise Mediterranean weather, we’re definitely bringing some southern heat with us.”