[July 2024] Ischia, an island in southern Italy, is also famous for rabbit dishes.
Because it is an island surrounded by the sea, seafood is certainly delicious, but if you ask a local what their specialty is, they will tell you it is rabbit dishes.
When we first arrived, we asked a cafe staff member what souvenirs we should buy, and he replied, “They make rabbit dishes at the market, so you can have them packed and take them home.”
And there is also a restaurant that specializes in rabbit dishes.
It is a restaurant called Taverna Verde, located at the top of the mountain, which we tried to go to a few days before but failed.
This time, we made a reservation and went there.
It seems that reservations are required.
We arrived at around 7:40 pm and were the first to arrive, but every table had a reservation tag with a name on it.
When we sat down, an old man came and explained the food.
There is no menu as such.
The man’s explanation began with a question like, “You’re going to eat rabbit, aren’t you?”
Since all the customers are here for rabbit dishes, no one would say “no”.
For starters, we had a simple tomato bruschetta and some delicious fried zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta cheese.
Each one was €2.50, so the bill was clear.
Then, almost by force (?), we had pasta.
This is called Bucatini al Coniglio, and the sauce is made from the juices left over from cooking the rabbit and tomatoes.
Bucatini is a long, thin pasta like spaghetti, but it’s hollow inside.
It was quite oily and heavy, so my husband helped me with most of my portion.
By the way, this was €11 per person.
And then for the main course, half a rabbit.
It seems that half a rabbit is the norm for two people.
It was stewed with tomatoes, herbs and oil, and the meat was stuffed with herbs that tasted like Shungiku (edible chrysanthemum) and bacon.
The most surprising thing was the head, which was split in half!
This was just for seasoning, I suppose, as there was no part that could be eaten.
However, there was a white, slimy part, which I thought might be the brain, so I ate a little bit, but it didn’t taste anything special.
I once ate calf brains in France, and I remember it being delicious.
So, was this rabbit dish delicious?
Well, it was pretty good.
But to be honest, I think I prefer the roast rabbit that my husband makes at home.
My husband seemed to really like it, though.
We ordered zucchini as a side dish, which had an unusual taste with vinegar mixed in.
And the wine was something similar to sangria, with peaches in the house wine.
The peaches soaked up the wine and were delicious, so I munched them down instead of dessert.
I also had a sorbet dessert.
The total bill was €86.
My impression is that rather than having eaten something incredibly delicious, I had an interesting experience.
