The ancient "Trattoria Bacco"of Furore, opened in 1927 by our grandfather Raffaele Ferraioli, prepares the "Vermicelli ( and not Spaghetti!) clam" since its inception, dating back some 90 years.
We specify that the correct term to use is "Vermicelli". It is no coincidence that in Neapolitan slang we say "Vermecielle cu' e Vongole". The term "spaghetti." is, however, Italian and was first reported in 1819 by Tommaseo's Dictionary of the Italian Language.
At our place, this dish is prepared with rare expertise Erminia Cuomo, on an ancient recipe, using a few but irreplaceable cherry tomatoes from the piennolo, capable of imparting additional scents to seafood and, most importantly, acting as a sponge and absorbing all the aromas of the seafood when they open. One can even do without clams and prepare the famous "Vermicielle cu' e vongole fujute." which tastes of the sea despite the absence of clams and is a monument of so-called poor cuisine.
In front of this dish the great Raffaele Viviani, our regular guest during his Sunday trips "out of town," in a beautiful poem dedicated to Grandfather Raphael, had to exclaim:"'Nu piatto 'e vermecielle ca par' oro!"
This is, in any case, the signature dish of Christmas Eve in the Neapolitan tradition, when the cherry tomatoes are dehydrated just right and, freed from their seeds, act as a cushion for the clams.
