This Summer’s Spicy, Zesty Flavor Trends Point To Southern Italy

Consider this your Hot Southern Italian Summer—Calabria is setting spicy, zesty flavor trends for food and beverages this season.

This southernmost region on the Italian peninsula has long been overshadowed by its northern neighbors. Around the world, we’ve come to know and love dishes and drinks from all over Italy—from Parma’s famous cheese to Naples’ beloved pizza and Florence’s classic negroni—but as we head into the warmer months of 2025, more restaurants and bars are turning their attention to the place many Italians choose for their annual beach getaways. In particular, two uniquely Calabrian ingredients are having their moment in the spotlight: bergamot and chili pepper.

Bergamot: The Bitter, Bright Flavor Of Calabrian Citrus

Bergamot is a type of citrus that is likely a cross between an orange and lemon. In shape and size, it appears more like the former, while the tart taste is more like the latter, and it’s often harvested unripe when it has the same green hue of a lime. About 90% of all bergamots are grown in Calabria. Unless you travel there, it’s rare to find them in the form of fresh fruit, but bergamot has long been a familiar flavor around the globe—since 1831, it has complemented the black tea in Twinings Earl Grey.

While bergamot continues to be an important ingredient in hot teas, research from the food and beverage market research firm Datassential indicates that this citrus is ready to stand on its own as a primary ingredient in other creative preparations—especially in cocktails and desserts. With 17% growth in the past four years and 34% growth predicted for the next four years, get ready to see a lot more bergamot.

Calabrian Chili Pepper: A Red Hot Versatile Spice

When the word “Calabrian”—or the Italian equivalent “Calabrese”—appears on a menu, you can usually expect a little something spicy. Undoubtedly the region’s most famous export, Calabrian chili peppers are gaining popularity far beyond Italy’s borders. In the past four years, their presence on U.S. menus has seen a 27% increase, according to another report by Datassential.

With their slightly smoky flavor and medium heat level, these peppers are highly versatile. Though they’re most commonly used in their dried form as flakes atop pizzas and pastas, they can also be infused in honey or steeped in simple syrup to add complexity to desserts or cocktails.

Where To Try A Taste Of Calabria

Fortunately, it’s becoming easier to get your first taste of bergamots and Calabrian chili peppers outside Italy.

“Calabrian chili peppers are one of my favorite ingredients,” says Chef Denali Whaley of Alloro Vineyard in Oregon’s Tualatin Valley. Inspired by both the southern Italian heritage of the vineyard’s owner, David Nemarnik, and local ingredients, Whaley makes her own Calabrian chili oil and has drizzled it over pasta dishes, such as ricotta gnocchi with spring alliums, as well as butter poached halibut served with fava beans and herbs.

Head to nearby Portland to experience these peppers in a more traditional way, sprinkled over one of the USA’s 50 Top Pizzas at Ken’s Artisan. At the city’s Little Bitter Bar, enjoy cocktails infused with the distinct flavor of bergamot from two of Calabria’s most famous bitter spirits: Vecchio Amaro del Capo and Italicus.

Vecchio Amaro del Capo—which is flavored with twenty-nine herbs, flowers, fruits, and roots that are typical of Calabria and was featured on the Forbes 100 Italian specialties list in 2023—is starting to pop up at U.S. bars across the country, all the way from the Pacific Northwest to Amor y Amargo in New York City. Most locations offer the classic version of this liquor, but you may even come across their Red Hot Edition, spiked with Calabrian chili.

It’s not just bartenders who are experimenting with Calabrian ingredients. In Los Angeles, two natives of the region have created a full menu drawing on flavors from their homeland at Civico 2064, including several vegan pasta dishes. These particular peppers also appear on pastas and a spicy caesar salad on the menu at Sagra in Wisconsin. Meanwhile in Maryland, Ruse combines both Calabrian chili and bergamot on scallops, and in California, Street Social whips the citrus into ice cream sandwiched between black sesame pizzelle.

If you want to bring a little of Calabria home with you, order bergamot as candied peels or marmalade from Italian suppliers like Gustiamo. To add a touch of southern Italian heat in your kitchen, buy organic Calabrian chili flakes like these from Kitchen Garden Farm or grow your own with seeds, such as these from Foraged.

Wherever you are this summer, keep an eye out for these spicy, zesty flavor trends and other tastes of Calabria.