Polpo (Octopus) is found in every ocean of the world including every coast of the United States. Yet, with less than 10% of the total land in the contiguous United States being coastal territory it’s no wonder octopus dishes are not easy to find on the average American menu. Coming from the land-locked state of Ohio myself, octopus was not something I tried until I was nearly 30 years old and living in New York City.

Fast forward a decade later after eating my way across Italy from Sicily to Venice with my polpo-obsessed Italian husband and octopus has been redefined for me by the Italian culinary world. A trip to Italy offers countless opportunities to dive into the world of Italian foods famous for their creative uses of polpo.

Polpo in Italian Food

Technically polpo (meaning octopus in Italian) is a solo, seafaring cephalopod with eight tentacles lined with suction cups used to hunt pray at night. In Italian, polpo is a masculine singular noun (the plural being polpi) and refers to both the animal and Italian foods starring octopus.

What Octopus Tastes Like

Polpo is similar in taste to lobster and in texture to squid. It’s meat is slightly sweet and tender when cooked perfectly.

Raw, boiled, grilled, or fried it is an incredibly versatile ingredient able to carry the characteristics and flavors of whatever it’s cooked with. So when it comes to understanding how octopus tastes, the most important factor to consider is how the dish is prepared.

For the culinarily adventurous eater, there’s Il polpo arricciato (the curled octopus). A tradition in Bari where polpo fresh from the sea is tenderized by hand against rocks. The final step is immersing it in a container of seawater and rocking it until the tentacles curl (as shown in the video below) thus the name. It tastes fresh, salty, and slightly sweet.

While most of the following videos are in Italian, the relatively few ingredients and the ease of preparation translate into any language.

While Polpo arricciato is as pure an octopus flavor as one can find, on the opposite end of the spectrum is Polpo fritto (fried octopus). Lightly breaded with semolina flour (made from durum wheat) and finished with a squeeze of lemon. This dish has an earthier, nuttier semolina flavor.

5 Polpo Dishes to Try in Italy

The South dominates Italian seafood cuisine totally 40% of all the fish consumed in Italy. Yet modern refrigeration and the creativity of today’s young Chefs have brought seafood including polpo to menus all across Italy. From Venetian Polpette di Polpo to Polpo con Patate here are the top five dishes that personally made me fall in love with octopus in Italy.

Polpo alla Griglia (Grilled Octopus)

Polpo alla Griglia (grilled octopus) provides the perfect way to taste the flavor of polpo itself. Similar to Pulpo a la Gallega from Spain this is the ultimate introductory dish for anyone squeamish about trying new foods.

Cooking octopus in water before grilling it marries the best of both textural worlds together. Under a snappy, crispy exterior lies succulent, slightly sweet bite with smokey infused from the grill.

Carpaccio di Polpo (Carpaccio of Octopus)

Carpaccio is an Italian hors d’oeuvre of thinly sliced raw beef that was invented by Giuseppe Cipriani (of Harry’s Bar in Venice) in 1963. To accomdate countess Amalia Nani Mocenigo avoidance of cooked meat, Mr. Cipriani prepared Carpaccio di Manzo (beef) for an art exhibit celebrating Vittore Carpaccio. Thus Carpaccio was born.

Unlike Carpaccio di Manzo which is truly raw, Carpaccio di Polpo is boiled octopus, that is pressed and then rolled into a cylindrical shape before being chilled for 24 hours in the refrigerator. Once chilled the Carpaccio is thinly sliced and seasoned with oil, citrus juice, and a dash of salt. The result is an elegant dish perfect for a light summer meal.

Side note, if you get a chance to try Carpaccio di Manzo in Italy, do! Carpaccio di Manzo is a surprisingly light dish often served with arugula and thin slices of Grana Padano cheese.

Polpette di Polpo (Octopus meatballs)

Venetians love their Cicchetti! Moscardini alla Veneziana (also called Folpetti alla Veneziana) is a classic Cicchetti dish of baby octopus boiled and served simply with oil, salt, and lemon juice.

However, my favorite Cicchetti in Venice is bite-sized Polpette di Polpo (Octopus meatballs). These crunchy little nuggets give way to a creamy center that will have you instantly ordering a second round of Prosecco and Cicchetti in Venice.

Planning a trip to Venice, Italy? Here are our Top 20 Cicchetti Bars & Restaurants in Venice!

Polpo alla Luciana (Luciana octopus)

On the more savory side of Italian food favorites is Polpo alla Luciana (Luciana octopus). Luciana refers to the inhabitants of Santa Lucia, a waterside district of Naples where octopus had been cooked in a savory sauce of cherry tomatoes, capers, and olives for generations. The sauce is outstanding and never left behind rather soaked up with crusty bread.

Polpo con Patate (Octopus and potatoes)

If there is only one dish you try in Italy with polpo make it Polpo con Patate.

Polpo goes well with beans, pasta, mixed vegetables, crunch bread, but above all potatoes. Potatoes compliment the texture and versatility of polpo perfectly. Each region of Italy has it’s own version of this dish. Consequently it’s a light summertime favorite all across Italy.

Insalata tiepida di polpo e patate is warm octopus and potato salad while Ligurian-style octopus and potato salad incorporates Taggiasca olives and olive oil and is served chilled.

Along the Italian Riveria in Liguria you’ll find Insalata di polpo alla Ligure (Ligurian octopus salad). Octopus, potatoes, and carrots or celery are seasoned with pesto. Meanwhile in Sicilay celery, garlic, and cherry tomatoes are mixed in with the potatoes while they are cooked.

In short, warm or cold the magical combination of octopus and potato is a classic all across Italy.

How to Cook Octopus at Home

Cooking octopus at home is a bit of an art. Undercooked or overcooked it can be too tough or rubbery to eat. This is where the Italian tradition of handing down recipes and cooking techniques comes in.

Italians have been cooking octopus for a long, long time. You’ve heard of slow cooking right? That’s the way to go with octopus. The golden rule is 20-25 minutes for every 500 grams of polpo.

To cook the octopus perfectly, the heat must be minimal and the cooking slow; moreover, the water must never boil, but only just simmer.
Once cooked, the octopus must rest for about twenty minutes in its still hot broth, remaining in the pot, which will be covered with a lid.
An ancient tradition, halfway between truth and legend, has it that in order to obtain an excellent cooking of the octopus, corks must also be immersed in the pot. 
It is no coincidence that many street vendors, offering boiled octopus as street food, have huge tubs in which you can find corks.
In reality, the use of corks is due to the fact that the seller, to avoid immersing his arm in the tub to take the octopus lying on the bottom, uses to tie its tentacles to a string attached to a cork which, remaining at afloat, it helps him in recovery.

Italian Food Academy

Shortcuts to Cooking Polpo at Home

These days cooking polpo at home is easier. You can easily find Cotto a vapore (steamed) packages in Italian supermarkets. If you have an Eataly near you, this is definitely the easiest way to cook octopus at home.

Anthony Bourdain Dead Octopus in Sicily Video

Finally, my own love story. My first introduction to Polpo was a Parts Unknown episode gone wrong. In it, the late great Anthony Bourdain went snorkeling for octopus in Sicily. Well, sort of. Take a look.

When not filming for an American TV series, Italian fishermen play on natural instinct using an amphora fishing technique to catch octopus. Historically terracotta vases called amphora were tied to cords and lowered to the seabed offering the octopus a safe hiding place for eating their prey and sleeping.

Pots with the remains of crabs or shells scattered outside are hoisted up early in the morning revealing an easily caught banquet. A far more romantic portrayal of an iconic Italian culinary staple if you ask me.

As much as I loved learning about food from Anthony Bourdain, it was my husband Paolo who taught me to love polpo.

In Conclusion

While I grew up eating hotdogs in Ohio all summer, Paolo grew up eating Insalata di polpo alla Ligure. Always trying to return to those sweet memories, Paolo constantly orders octopus dishes.

The more Paolo and I began to explore Italy the more of Paolo’s dishes I got to steal bites of. By the time I tried Polpo alla Griglia on the Amalfi coast, I was a goner. Ever since then, polpo and Paolo are the polpette del mio cuore (meatballs of my heart.)

Subscribe to ALOR Italy to discover what authentic Italian cuisine really is one bite at a time.

References

• Octopuses — The National Wildlife Federation
• The Most Popular Octopus Dishes in Italy — Taste Atlas
• What Percentage of the American Population Lives Near the Coast — NOAA.org
• Carpaccio — Wikipedia
• Carpaccio di Manzo — GialloZafferano
• Polipetti alla Luciana — Storie Napoli
• Il Polpo Arricciato una Tradizione di Bari — Visit Italy