Readers Cafe in East Maitlland makes all’Amatriciana to raise money for earthquake victims

The spaghetti dish originated in the town where a magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck the central Italian town last month.

Slow Food Hunter Valley leader Amorelle Dempster has joined a global call to make the dish and raise money for the historic town, which was near the epicenter of the quake and suffered extensive damage. 

The dish will be made at her Readers Cafe alongside East Maitland library until the end of the month.

 Three dollars from every bowl sold will go to the earthquake appeal. 

“We can’t forget the people from this earthquake region, we forget so quickly because it is part of the news cycle,” she said. 

“It is was a very humble dish when it originated from that town, it was made by the shepherds and it had ingredients that they could carry.”

Ms Dempster makes the dish with the ingredients the shepherds used – smoked ham, tomato, cheese and a little bit of chilli. She mixes it with spaghetti. 

“It’s a really special dish and it’s very easy to make – it’s one of those dishes without too many ingredients,” she said.

“The work we do at Slow Food is about protecting traditional recipes and food culture that is related to the region.

“This was a way where we could do a little bit to raise funds and keep the awareness about the disaster that has happened in peoples minds.”