Abruzzese cooking is mountain food brought down to the coast: lamb, mutton, hard cheeses, robust pasta, chilli, and saffron from the Navelli plateau. Chieti is a good place to try it without paying tourist prices.
Look for arrosticini — skewers of mutton grilled over wood and eaten by the handful, a sheepherder's snack now served as an aperitivo across the region. The local pasta is maccheroni alla chitarra, square-edged strands cut on a stringed wooden frame and sauced with lamb ragù or pomodoro and pecorino. Don't miss pallotte cacio e ova, fried balls of cheese and egg in tomato sauce.
The trattorias along Corso Marrucino and the streets behind the cathedral are reliable. Most close on Monday. Wash everything down with a glass of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, the dark, fruity local red.