Food & Wine

TASTES AND FLAVOURS

Eat well, drink even better

"The trouble with eating Italian food is that 5 or 6 days later you're hungry again."
George Miller, British writer.

Viva! Viva spaghetti, pizza, tomatoes, olive oil, espresso coffee and cappuccino! But is it all really Italian in origin? The answer is of course "no" but even food products from other continents have been enhanced in a way only the Italians know. A thousand mouth watering dishes await the intrepid traveller, hundreds of gastronomy specialities, a host of truly tasty typical products, and all kept very much alive by a modern agricultural system that is careful about preserving the traditional flavours and nutritional values.

Wholesomeness and freshness are the watchwords in all Italy's table specialities, in all of their countless variants, from the Piedmont's fondue in the north to Sicily's caponata in the south, from the risotto alla milanese to Campania's mozzarella cheese, from the Veneto's risi e bisi (sweet-peas and rice) to Rome's porchetta, from the trenette al pesto of the Ligurian coast to the Florentine steaks, to the lasagna of Emilia Romagna or the spaghetti alla chitarra of Abruzzo.

Another great reason for coming to Italy is therefore (and in many cases, indeed, simply is) the desire to taste Italian cooking as the Italians really make it. So whether you're enticed by the food at one of the best-known restaurants in the cities famous for their gastronomy, or are quite happy to try the fare of the thousand small trattorie dotted around the country, you are sure not to be disappointed. Or, to try something slightly different, what about the family-run osterie (literally hostels) and ristoranti you can come across in the most characteristic parts of the historic centres? They specialise in reinventing traditional dishes or rediscovering typical agricultural products such as spelt, barley, wheat, vegetables, and olive oil. The perfect way to delight your taste buds without adding to your waistline. To complement your meal perfectly you will want to order a good wine that is free from the chemical processes so much in use today. So relax and choose an Italian wine - again, the choice is broad, but always satisfying; the bright whites to go with white meats, the robust reds for red meats, and then there are the rosés, the sparkling wines, the fortified wines, the liqueurs and the grappas: something to go with every stage of your meal, from an aperitivo at the beginning to a refreshing lemon or strawberry sorbet to round off a perfect evening.

In sum, never has there been a better time to eat and drink well in Italy.

REGIONAL CUISINE OF ITALY

The amazing diversity

“There are two Italies.... The one is the most sublime and lovely contemplation that can be conceived by the imagination of man; the other is the most degraded, disgusting, and odious. What do you think? Young women of rank actually eat -- you will never guess what -- garlick! Our poor friend Lord Byron is quite corrupted by living among these people, and in fact, is going on in a way not worthy of him.”  - Percy Bysshe Shelley in a letter from Naples (22 December 1818).


Discover Italy's gastonomic specialities in their countless variants, from Piedmont's fondue in the north to Sicily's caponata in the south, from the risotto alla milanese to Campania's mozzarella cheese, from the Veneto's risi e bisi (peas and rice) to Umbria’s porchetta, from lamb cooked Roman style to the trenette al pesto of the Ligurian coast, from the Florentine steak, to the tortellini of Emilia Romagna or the spaghetti alla chitarra of Abruzzo.

Italy is made up of twenty regions, each with its own very distinct characteristics, equally as diverse as their dialects and their traditional costumes. Local cooking methods and customs have been shaped by geographic, historical and climactic differences: some regions are landlocked and mountainous, others hug the coast where the mountains fall into the sea; some regions have absorbed Arab or Greek influences, others have been marked by the French or Austrians; some regions live under the dazzling Mediterranean sun most of the year, others have cold winters, snow, fog, and harsh winds.

To tell the truth there is no such thing as "Italian cuisine”: rather, Italy is made up of many distinct cuisines, each with its own palette of aromas, flavours and cooking techniques. Thus, the magic of la cucina italiana lies in its diversity. Viva l’Italia!

TUSCANY

THE FOODS
Country cooking is a hymn to the seasonal garden produce and the splendor of the green-gold extra virgin olive oil. Some wonderful seasonal produce includes fava beans, artichokes and asparagus in the spring; tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers (capsicum), eggplant and zucchini in the summer; all sorts of greens and mushrooms (especially plump porcini) in the fall; cabbages, leeks and chard in the winter. Herbs such as rosemary and sage are available year-round, as are the fresh or dried white beans toscanelli, cannellini, zolfini that earned Tuscans the nickname of mangiafagioli (bean eaters). 
 
 THE WINES
Tuscany, with its capital Florence, continues to produce some of the nation’s premium wines, following decades of turning out popular Chianti in straw-covered flasks. The modern day renaissance in Tuscan wine began in Chianti, in the central hills around Siena and Florence, but it rapidly spread to take in the coastal areas not previously noted for vineyards. Now we can enjoy many classical reds based on the native Sangiovese varietal: Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and Carmignano, all DOCG. But increasing success with other reds (especially the stylish non-DOC wines known as "Super Tuscans" and the wines from the coastal areas of the Maremma (Morellino di Scansano) has been complemented by new styles of whites which are also enhancing the regional reputation.


Traditional Dishes

Some traditional Tuscan dishes are the following
Acquacotta: cooked water, soup of vegetables and herbs, often salt pork, mushrooms and other ingredients, depending on the season.

Baccalá alla fiorentina: salt cod fried and then stewed with tomatoes, onions, garlic.

Cibreo: classic Florentine chicken stew includes giblets, embryonic eggs and cockscombs.

Gramugia: soup of fava beans, artichokes, peas and asparagus, an ancient recipe of Lucca.

Pappardelle alla lepre: noodles with sauce of hare braised with wine, carrots, celery, onions.

Trippa alla fiorentina: tripe with tomatoes, broth, wine, herbs and grated Parmigiano Reggiano„served on a slice of bread at FlorenceÍs markets as lampredotto.

UMBRIA

THE FOODS
Umbria is a compact land-locked region in the very heart of the peninsula and is known as the green heart of Italy. Its attractions include the art and architecture of its many beautiful hill towns such as Todi, Perugia, Assisi, Orvieto, Spoleto and Spello and the legends of its many saints, led by Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Clare. But connoisseurs also know that nowhere in Italy are the pleasures of country cooking and local wines offered more graciously than in Umbria.

Since the region has no access to the sea, the population, beginning with the ancient Umbri and Etruscans who inhabited territories on opposite sides of the Tiber River, have always relied on the generosity of the land. There are few secrets to Umbrian cooking, other than the natural insistence on home-grown produce: fresh vegetables and fruit, dense green olive oil, roast meats, poultry and game, pecorino cheese and the herbs, greens and mushrooms that grow spontaneously on wooded hillsides.

THE WINES
Umbria has long been renowned for white wine, thanks mainly to the historical importance of Orvieto. But the "green heart of Italy" now offers a multitude of varietals, white and red, native and foreign. The region's two DOCG wines, Montefalco Sagrantino and Torgiano Rosso Riserva, are red. Orvieto was once the most celebrated of Italian whites with a semisweet or abboccato wine lauded by the popes, princes and painters who sojourned in the majestic hill town north of Rome with its splendid Cathedral and sweeping views over the Umbrian landscape. But as tastes changed the Orvieto white moved from a soft, golden wine into a pale, pure, crisp delight of modern winemaking.


Typical regional dishes from Umbria include

Agnello arrosto: baby lamb with rosemary, sage, garlic and oil cooked to tender perfection in a covered roasting pan amid the dying embers after bread is baked in a wood oven.

Anguille alle brace: freshwater eels marinated in white wine, pepper and bay leaf and grilled.

Ciaramicola: eggs, lard, lemon rind and Alchermes (a spicy liqueur) go into this circular cake topped with candy-specked meringue.

Cipollata: onion soup with tomato, salt pork, basil and grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Gobbi alla perugina: deep fried cardoons topped with meat and tomato sauce.

Lepre alla cacciatore: hare braised in red wine with sage, bay leaf and garlic.

Minestra di faro: thick soup of spelt with onion, tomato, celery and grated pecorino.

Palombacci alla ghiotta: spit-roasted wood pigeons with an elaborate sauce of wine, lemon, vinegar, sage, garlic, rosemary, juniper berries and chicken livers
Spaghetti alla nursina: black truffles heated in olive oil with a hint of garlic and anchovy flavor this special pasta from Norcia.

Stringozzi al pomodoro: handmade noodles with tomatoes, black olives and garlic.

Tegamaccio: stew of freshwater fish--pike, carp, tench, eel--with garlic and peppers.

Torcolo: sponge cake with raisins and candied fruit, specialty of Perugia.

LE MARCHE

THE FOODS
In this region of mountains and gentle hills sitting between the Adriatic and the Apennines, cooks draw from sea and land to bring the best of both to the table. Fish arrives in the port of Ancona, where the local brodetto calls for 13 types of fish in a spicy broth with garlic and tomato. The Adriatic provides the freshest of seafood, sardines, hake, bream, sole, red mullet, crustaceans and mollusks. Ancona is also famous for a dish based on dried cod called stoccafisso or stocco all'anconetana.

The Marches (Le Marche), like all central Italian regions, produces its own fine olive oil and pecorino cheese, as well as unsalted bread. But it also feels the culinary influence of Emilia-Romagna with its fresh egg pasta and salumi. In the university town of  Urbino, they make a version of  Romagna's cheese-based passatelli by adding meat to the mixture. Macerata is the home of vincisgrassi, a legendary lasagne crowned, in season, with white truffles, which flourish in the Marches as nowhere else outside of Piedmont.
 
THE WINES
Verdicchio is the long-reigning king of the wines of this almost undiscovered Adriatic region, though the long-time devotion to whites is losing ground to the increasing merits of its reds. The Castelli di Jesi DOC zone, covering a vast tract of hills west of the port of Ancona, is the home of the Verdicchio that made an early impression abroad in its green amphora bottles. Class has risen so steadily that even wine still sold in the hourglass-shaped amphora seems a cut above the general level of popular whites. Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico has been described as Italy's premier wine to serve with fish and is increasingly ranked among the noblest native white varieties of Italy.

Traditional Dishes from Le Marche
 
Anatra in porchetta: roast duck stuffed with wild fennel, salt pork, garlic

Minestra di ceci: soup of chickpeas with pork ribs, tomato, herbs and grated pecorino served over slices of toasted bread.

Muscoli arrosto: mussels filled with ham, breadcrumbs and parsley roasted in tomato sauce.

Passatelli di carne: ground beef and bone marrow, spinach, cheese, breadcrumbs and eggs worked into paste and forced through slots to form thin dumplings, cooked in broth as soup.

Pollo in potacchio: spring chicken braised with onion, tomato, white wine, rosemary.

Quaglie in tegame: quails braised in a pot with white wine, salt pork, tomatoes, peas.

Ravioli ai filetti di sogliola: pasta envelopes with a ricotta-parsley filling dressed with a sauce of sole with white wine and tomatoes.

Stocco all'anconetana: dried cod cooked with olive oil, white wine, milk, tomatoes, carrots, garlic, rosemary.

Vincisgrassi: lasagne layered with a sauce of chicken giblets, mushrooms, veal brains and sweetbreads, ham, bechamel, Parmigiano Reggiano and, in season, truffles, preferably white.

Zucchine ripiene: small marrows hollowed and stuffed with ground veal, tomato, onion, parsley and grated Parmigiano Reggiano and fried.
 
 

LAZIO (Latium)

THE FOODS
Rome has been a melting pot for foods from other places ever since the Roman times when soldiers brought back recipes, produce and, in some cases cooks, from the farflung countries of the Roman empire. Since those times, as the capital of Italy, Rome has drawn culinary inspiration from its own regions north and south, though most substantially from the nearer regional provinces of Latium (Lazio).

Today, as a global hub of art, religion, politics, tourism and trade, Roman eateries cater to visitors ranging from diplomats and jet-setters to pilgrims and backpackers. This cosmopolitan mix of visitors may explain why precious little has been preserved of the eating traditions of the ancient Romans or of the papal and princely courts which followed. Notwithstanding the changes through the centuries, la cucina romana offers some of the tastiest foods of Italy served in its lively surroundings. The fact is that, beyond purely gastronomic aspects, eating is a social event to Romans, who at any time will gather family and friends around tables to enjoy the hearty food and wine that is to be enjoyed in Rome. Not to be forgotten are the important dishes traditionally offered by Rome’s Jewish population, such as deep fried artichokes (carciofi alla giudea) and filetti di baccala’!
 
Some of the Roman favourites are:

Abbacchio alla cacciatora: baby lamb cooked with rosemary, garlic, anchovies, vinegar.

Baccalá in guazzetto: salt cod in a sauce of olive oil, onions, tomato, pine nuts, raisins.

Cozze alla marinara: mussels steamed in their juice with garlic, tomato, parsley.

Fettuccine al burro: feather-light egg noodles with butter, cream and grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Involtini alla romana: veal rolls with chopped guanciale and garlic braised with tomatoes.

Mazzancolli alla griglia: large prawns grilled with a brushing of olive oil and lemon.

Pasta e ceci: soup of chickpeas with garlic, rosemary and pasta noodles.

Penne all'arrabbiata: pasta tubes with a fragrant hot sauce of tomatoes, garlic and chili pepper.

Pollo alla romana: young chicken braised in olive oil and white wine with green peppers, tomatoes and garlic

Pomodori ripieni: large tomatoes hollowed and baked with a filling of their pulp, rice, potatoes, garlic and basil, usually served as antipasto.

Rigatoni con la pajata: squat pasta tubes with sauce based on milk-fed calf's intestine cooked with tomato, salt pork, garlic, herbs and spices, topped with grated pecorino.

CAMPANIA

THE FOODS
The ancient Romans dubbed the region south of Roma Campania Felix. They marvelled at the fertility of its volcanic soils, as did the ancient Greeks who founded Neapolis on the gulf bounded by Mount Vesuvius, Pompeii, Sorrento and the islands of Capri and Ischia. Naples, under the royal houses of Anjou and Bourbon, long reigned as a capital of haute cuisine – it was the Pearl of Europe. Yet, despite the noble resources from the sea and countryside, the city became famouse for its street food.
 
The primadonna of the back streets is pizza napoletana, in authentic versions known as marinara (with tomato, garlic and oil) and Margherita (with tomato, mozzarella and basil) baked in a matter of moments in a searing hot wood-fired oven turning out the thin pasta base with a puffy and crunchy.
 
THE WINES
The ancient Romans favored the vineyards along the coast north of Naples where Falernian, the most treasured wine of the empire, was grown. They also praised the wines of volcanic Vesuvius and the wooded hills of Avellino. Even earlier, the Greeks had recognized the privileged nature of the area, introducing vines which still today produce the exciting whites such as Aglianico, Greco and Falanghina.

For many years, though, the wine producers of Campania, with a few exceptions, had forgotten about the glories of the past; growers left the land and winemakers largely ignored DOC. But now, Campania is undergoing a revival that has dramatically improved quality.

While in Campania you will enjoy these dishes:

Baccalà alla napoletana: salt cod with tomato, black olives, raisins, pine nuts, capers, garlic.

Cianfotta: peppers, eggplants, zucchini, onions and basil stewed in olive oil and served cold.

Coniglio all'ischitana: rabbit braised with tomatoes, rosemary, basil and white wine Ischia style.

Coviglie al caffé: coffee mousse topped with toasted beans and whipped cream.

Coviglie al cioccolato: is the chocolate version served with a candied cherry.

Empepata di cozze: mussels cooked in their juice with lemon, parsley and black pepper.

Peperoni imbottiti: red and yellow bell peppers stuffed with anchovies, black olives, capers, garlic, breadcrumbs.

Polpi affogati: baby octopus "drowned" in boiling salt water, then sautèed with olive oil, tomatoes and hot peppers.

Spaghetti alla puttanesca: with tomato sauce, black olives, capers, anchovies, garlic, chili pepper--specialty of Ischia.

Taralli: ring-shaped biscuits baked with almonds and lard, or sometimes fennel seeds; the sweet types with vanilla, cinnamon and liqueur are called tarallucci dolci.

Zeppole di San Giuseppe: puffy pastry fritters sometimes with a creamy filling.

Ziti ripieni: large pasta tubes stuffed with chopped pork and salame, onion, raw eggs and caciocavallo cheese.

Zuppa di cozze: mussels in a soup of tomatoes, white wine, parsley and hot peppers.
 

SICILY

THE FOODS
The culture of fine dining could well have been born in Sicily when Archestratus, a Greek poet born at Gela in the 4th century B.C., wrote Gastronomia as an ode to the pleasures of the Sicilian table. Outsiders before and since have sung the praises of the bountiful seas and fertile volcanic soils of this island crossroads of the Mediterranean.
The Greeks, among their other contributions to Sicilian cooking, introduced whole grain and refined flours for flatbreads that were forerunners to focaccia. They planted the Malvasia and Moscato vines that are still prominent today. They also seem to have used the snows of Mount Etna to make ices based on fruits and honey.


THE WINES
According to legend, Dionysus (whom we know as Bacchus) was the God who brought pleasure to mankind, and wine to Sicily. What we know for certain is that wine has been made in Sicily for many centuries with evidence that Greek traders cultivated grapes in the Aeolian islands as early at 1,500 BC. One usually associates fine wines with eastern Sicily and the areas near Mount Etna, but many new wineries have sprung up across the island. Sicilian eniculture is not just varietals. Sicily's vintage wines are a magical creation. Sicily has its own table and dessert wines, and a number of regional liqueurs.
A major share of the DOC is represented by Marsala, a wine originated by English merchant traders two centuries ago. Marsala remains Sicily's proudest wine despite the not so distant era of degradation when it was used mainly for cooking or flavored with various syrups and sweeteners. Recently it has enjoyed a comeback among connoisseurs, who favor the dry Marsala Vergine and Superiore Riserva with the warmly complex flavors that rank them with the finest fortified wines of Europe.


Localculinary delicacies to discover include:

Agghiotta di pesce spada: swordfish cooked with tomato, pine nuts, raisins, olives and herbs.

Arancini di riso: fried rice balls with a core of cheese, peas, chopped meats and tomatoes, which give the "little oranges" their color.

Braccioli di pesce spada: grilled swordfish fillets wrapped around a cheese-vegetable filling.

Carciofi ripieni: artichokes stuffed with sausage, sardines and cheese and baked.

Fravioli di Carnevale: fried sweet ravioli filled with ricotta and cinnamon.

Gnocculli: semolino gnocchi with ricotta and meat sauce.

Melanzane alla siciliana: eggplant fried and then baked with mozzarella and tomato sauce.

Peperonata: bell peppers stewed with onion, tomato and olives, often served at room temperature.

Pignolata or pignulata: confection of sweet fried dumplings (sometimes chocolate coated) shaped in a mound or cone held together by caramelized sugar with liqueur.

Scorzette di arance candite: candied orange peels.

Sfincioni or sfinciuni: thick focacce with tomato and cheese, specialty of Palermo; sweet fried rice balls are also called sfuncini.

Zite al pomodoro e tonno: short pasta tubes with tomato and tuna sauce.

LIGURIA

THE FOODS
The Mediterranean diet takes on touches of genius along the Italian Riviera, which extends in narrow strips to the east (Levante) and west (Ponente) of the ancient port city of Genoa.  Ligurian dishes come in great part from the sea, yet there are some memorable dishes made with produce from the steep hillsides above the coast: pale golden olive oil, garden and salad greens, artichokes, meats and poultry, mushrooms, nuts, herbs, the ingredients for the sauces they call tocchi (touches), above all basil and garlic for the glorious green pesto. Did the Ligurians bring pasta to Italy, as they still claim today? Whether it’s true or not, they have created several delightful types that are local specialties.  Pansotti are a triangle-shaped ravioli-style pasta, stuffed with a mixture of vegetables (such as swiss chard, borage, and endive) and ricotta cheese, and are often served with salsa di noci, a walnut sauce. Trenette, made from whole wheat flour, come in long, flat strips, either fresh or dried and, like trofie, a spiral-shaped gnocchi made by hand, are served with a pesto sauce with boiled green beans and cubes of potato.


As you enjoy the wonderful climate in Liguria sample some of these specialties:

Buridda: Genoese soup of various fish in a stock with plenty of garlic, anchovy, tomato.

Capponada: the poor man's cappon magro includes biscuits and mainly preserved fish.

Ciuppin: the humblest of fish stewed with tomato, garlic, onions, white wine and eaten as soup thickened with stale bread.

Coniglio alla carlona: rabbit braised in white wine with black olives, pine nuts, capers, herbs.

Gianchetti all'agro: tiny white bait, served raw or poached with lemon, oil, parsley.

Mes-ciua: chick-peas, beans, farro and olive oil blend in an antique soup of La Spezia.

Pansùuti con la salsa di noci: pasta envelopes filled with ricotta and bouquet of herbs, topped with walnut sauce and grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Sbira or sbirra: tripe with tomatoes, potatoes and herbs served over slabs of toasted bread with Parmigiano Reggiano, eaten by Genoa's stevedores and Sbirri (cops) after a day's work.

Siluri: torpedoes, the nickname for totani or flying squid, stuffed with cheese, breadcrumbs and garlic and stewed with wine and tomatoes.

Stecchi fritti: wooden skewers of various pieces of veal coated with thick batter that includes artichokes, mushrooms and grated cheese and fried in olive oil.

Stocchefisce accomodou: dried cod cooked with pine nuts, olives, mushrooms, potatoes, vegetables, herbs and anchovies, in white wine and tomato sauce.

Tomaxelle veal rolls with a filling of mushrooms, pine nuts, breadcrumbs and eggs braised in tomato sauce.

VENETO