Acqua Pazza Ristorante

Acqua Pazza literally translates as Crazy Water.

Originating from the Tuscan region of Italy, the term itself was most likely coined by the 18th Century Mezzadria peasants who would make wine, but had to give most to the landlord, leaving little left for them to drink. The peasants were resourceful, howe'ver, and mixed the stems, seeds, and pomace leftover from the wine production with large quantities of water, brought it to a boil, then hermetically sealed it in a terracotta vase and fermented it for several days. Called lacqua pazza or lacquarello, the result was a water barely coloured with wine.

The fisherman in Naples may have been reminded of the colour of the peasant wine when referring to the dish they created using freshly caught fish sauteed in seawater, together with tomatoes and extra-virgin olive oil. The broth, slightly red by the tomatoes and oil, is said to be very similar in colour to the 18th Century wine. A deceptively simple dish to create, fresh fish and an exact cooking time are the key to creating a proper Acqua Pazza dish.

In the 1960s Acqua Pazza became very popular in the upscale tourist haven of the Capri Island but in recent times has not been used as extensively. Mario Percuoco will bring the term, back into popular culture with the launch of Acqua Pazza Ristorante.