Sapore Antico friggitello peppers by Spirito Contadino are sweet, thin-walled green peppers grown in Borgo Tressanti, on the plain of Cerignola (Foggia) in northern Puglia, and deep-frozen with the IQF method within hours of harvest. Each food-grade bag contains 2 kg of whole peppers — around 85 to 90 pieces per kilo — and each carton holds 2 bags for 4 kg in total. Single ingredient, no declared allergens, 24 months of shelf life at -18 °C: a ready-to-cook Southern Italian classic for professional kitchens, available all year round.
What Is the Friggitello Pepper
The friggitello is a small, elongated sweet pepper of the Capsicum annuum family and a cornerstone of Southern Italian cooking from Campania to Puglia. Its name comes from the verb friggere, to fry: generations of peasant selection produced a pepper with thin flesh and a delicate, sweet taste, made to be cooked whole in a hot pan in just a few minutes. Pan-fried friggitelli — simply sautéed in olive oil with garlic, or finished in tomato sauce with basil — are one of the great traditional side dishes of the Italian South.
Sapore Antico: The Traditional Variety
Sapore Antico is the friggitello selection that Spirito Contadino cultivates to bring back the traditional flavours of the Apulian vegetable garden. The peppers are harvested at the right point of ripeness and processed immediately: selection, washing, IQF freezing and packing follow one another in a single integrated chain, so the colour stays bright green and the typical aroma and sweetness remain intact.
The Producer: Spirito Contadino
Soc. Agricola Spirito Contadino De Palma s.a.s. is a family farm based in Borgo Tressanti, a rural hamlet of Cerignola (Foggia). Antonio and Donato Gervasio, third-generation farmers, cultivate over 100 hectares of local vegetable varieties — turnip greens, Mignon aubergines, courgette flowers, artichokes and friggitello peppers — and process them on site under IFS Food certification. The company has made the recovery of traditional and almost forgotten Apulian varieties its signature, working with seeds and selections tied to the territory.
IQF Freezing: Why It Matters
IQF (Individual Quick Freezing) freezes each pepper separately at very low temperature instead of in a single block. The practical benefits in a professional kitchen are immediate: you take from the bag only the quantity you need, the pieces do not stick together, and damage to the cell structure is minimal. The technical sheet sets a minimum shelf life of 24 months at -18 °C, with the standard rule for all frozen vegetables: never refreeze a thawed product.
Nutritional Profile
Friggitello peppers are naturally light and rich in micronutrients: per 100 g they provide 31.7 kcal, 5.6 g of carbohydrates (of which only 0.2 g sugars), 1.78 g of protein, 1.96 g of fibre and just 0.67 g of fat. The standout figure is vitamin C, with 174.8 mg per 100 g, alongside 280.5 µg of vitamin A and 172 mg of potassium. The product is GMO-free, gluten-free and carries no declared allergens; it is produced in a facility that also handles mustard.
Professional Uses in the Kitchen
- Classic pan-fried friggitelli: score the side, blanch from frozen for 2-3 minutes in boiling water, drain well, then sauté for 3 minutes in hot extra virgin olive oil with a crushed garlic clove. Salt only at the end.
- Friggitelli with cherry tomatoes: after pan-frying, add semi-dried or fresh cherry tomatoes and a few basil leaves; serve as a side for grilled meat or fish.
- Pizza and focaccia topping: pre-sautéed friggitelli added after the oven step keep their colour and bite; they pair naturally with sausage, burrata and smoked provola.
- Antipasti and aperitivo service: whole sautéed friggitelli finished with flakes of sea salt make a fast vegetable starter with high perceived value and low food cost.
- Pasta sauces: sliced sautéed friggitelli with guanciale or anchovies build quick southern-style sauces for spaghetti and orecchiette.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Thawing before cooking: the peppers must go into boiling water or the pan straight from the freezer; slow thawing makes them soft and watery.
- Skipping the lateral cut: without scoring, steam builds up inside the pepper and it can burst in hot oil instead of frying evenly.
- Overcrowding the pan: too many pieces drop the oil temperature and the friggitelli stew instead of frying; work one portion at a time.
Delivery and Logistics
B2B and B2C frozen delivery from the LAPA warehouse in Embrach (Zurich) with the cold chain held at -18 °C in certified isothermal vehicles. The LAPA fleet serves Zurich, Winterthur, Kloten, Aargau, St. Gallen, Lucerne, Zug, Bern and Basel directly; for Ticino (Lugano, Bellinzona), French-speaking Switzerland (Geneva, Lausanne, Fribourg), Valais and the mountain regions (Chur, Davos, St. Moritz) delivery takes 24-48 hours with certified food-grade partner couriers such as Swiss Post, Planzer and Galliker, using insulated packaging with dry ice.
Who It Is For
This 2 kg format is designed for restaurants, pizzerias, trattorias, hotels, delicatessens, caterers and Italian grocery stores that want an authentic Apulian vegetable available twelve months a year, plus private customers who cook Southern Italian dishes at home. With around 85-90 pieces per kilo, one bag covers roughly 20 side-dish portions with zero cleaning waste and a constant food cost.
