Molise is a region just south of Abruzzo between Abruzzo and Puglia on the Adriatic coast of Italy north of Campania. It shares much of its cuisine with Abruzzo, though there is a signficant Albanian presence which has some influence. Vegetables are grown and chillis and tomatoes abound. Meat is generally provided by pigs. Traditionally the men of Abruzzo and Molise were shepherds and their way of life, involving constant movement and lack of a stable setting, created a cuisine based on the requirements of that life-style - foods that were easy and quick to prepare and could be carried easily. This movement of herders is called the "transumanza".
