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Impepata di cozze – peppered mussels
’a ’mpepata ’e cozze
Impepata di cozze
Mussels opened over a high flame with black pepper and lemon.
Contains
The simpler sister of the mussel soup Neapolitans make on Holy Thursday, one of the city's Holy Week traditions. The juices left at the bottom are mopped up with bread: in Naples this is called “fare la scarpetta”.
The story of ’a ’mpepata ’e cozze
’A ’mpepata ’e cozze, peppered mussels, is the simplest way to cook mussels in Naples: they are opened in a pan over a high flame with plenty of black pepper and brought to the table with lemon. There is no tomato. Some versions add olive oil, garlic and parsley.
Mussels have a long history in the Gulf. Their farming in the Phlegraean area is traced back to Greek times, and the anthropologist Marino Niola recalls Greek coins with the head of Athena on one side and a mussel on the other.
On Maundy Thursday, Neapolitans queue for mussel soup, made with tomato and chilli: the impepata is its simplest version. Tradition has it that the custom goes back to King Ferdinand of Bourbon, who was very fond of mussels: the Dominican friar Padre Rocco, a much-heeded figure in eighteenth-century Naples, is said to have advised him to give them up during Holy Week, and the king fell back on a simpler dish. There are no documents to support the story, but everyone in Naples knows it.
What is the difference between impepata di cozze and mussel soup?
The impepata is made with mussels alone, opened over a high flame with black pepper, and served with lemon. The soup has tomato and chilli and is eaten with bread.
Does impepata di cozze have tomato in it?
No. The traditional impepata has no tomato: mussels, black pepper and lemon, sometimes olive oil, garlic and parsley.
Why do people in Naples eat mussels on Maundy Thursday?
It is a custom linked to the Holy Week fast. The most widely told story involves King Ferdinand of Bourbon and Padre Rocco, but it is a legend with no documents behind it.