| Good Spending is the Basis of Good Cooking
We as Americans often seem to have little regard for what goes into our mouths often judging the quality of food on what's fastest and easiest. Now don't get me wrong I'm all for convenience but not at the expense of quality. Spend wisely but well seems to be the motto of most Italians who value the food they eat. In Italy the food is fresh and vibrant, it is arranged and well cared for. It is treated with respect and in return adds so much to the Italian experience.
Giuseppe (Beppe) Bigazzi, RAI TV host and author of La Cucina del Buonsenso (The Cuisine of Common Sense) seems to get it. He believes that "good spending is the basis of good cooking".
Use the best ingredients that are available and use them well and you will be rewarded with memorable meals and good health as evidenced by the benefits of the Mediterranean Diet practiced by most Italians. He gives the example of extra virgin olive oil, the most "sublime" of foods. Americans generally buy off the shelf olive oil at the local supermarket which is convenient and less expensive and . . .often a mixture of cheap foreign oil blended with local oil and labeled Made in Italy.
Chef Mario Batali says "You can't skimp on Olive Oil". Americans need to follow Batali's advice and pay more attention to how they buy their olive oil because "not all olive oil is created equal" and you want to be sure you get what you're paying for.
Read more about Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil and find out if Being Extra Virgin Is Really Better? Read what WebMD thinks. |
Italian Pizza
I think we just don't get Italian pizza. One summer when my friend Luca from Perugia stayed with us he was severely traumatized by an American pizza. He went so far as to say "it frightened" him. Overloaded, over indulged American pizzas are far from the true interpretation of the Italian pizza; thin crust, simple toppings, fresh ingredients.
The classic version of the Italian pizza was first created in Naples in
1889 for Queen Margherita of Italy. A pizza was made in honor of the Queen's visit with tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and basil (representing the colors of the Italian flag; red-white-green). The mozzarella cheese was made from buffalo's milk which had never been used to make a pizza before. The Queen was pleased and the pizza was named Pizza Margherita in her honor.
Up to that point, pizza had been considered peasant food and could not be made in the royal ovens. But Queen Margherita loved food and was not to be denied, after all why should the peasants have all the good food to themselves. She wanted to eat in the common way as evidenced by this catchy little rhyme my cousin Lidia made me memorize on my first trip to Italy " la regina Margherita mangava un pollo con ditta" translated loosely to mean even the Queen eats (chicken) with her fingers so relax . . enjoy Italy and it's food!
Try to find an authentic Italian pizzeria for a Pizza Margherita. In Italy neighborhood pizzaioli (pizza makers) follow strict guidelines for ingredients, dough and cooking The.dough must be kneaded by hand or mixers which do not cause the dough to overheat and the dough must be punched down and shaped by hand. Only wood-burning, bell-shaped brick ovens are used to cook the pizza on the surface of the oven (often made of volcanic stone) and not in any pan or container, with oven temperatures reaching at least 400-430° C (750-800° F). These ovens often have to heat up for hours before the first pizza is cooked. My friend Luca says that if a pizza takes longer than 10 minutes it's not a true Italian pizza!
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Italian Coffee 
Branded coffee houses have been trying to get Italy right since Italian coffee beans first arrived in Seattle. But most Italian espresso bars in the US still fall short and often give "gli Americani" the wrong impression of the way Italians enjoy coffee. Italian coffee bars are not trendy, wi-fi camping grounds serving $4.00 cups of coffee that are often inconsistently prepared.
Italians enjoy coffee in the same way Americans use to enjoy coffee, simply, experiencing the pure flavor of the coffee bean without any synthetically flavored additives. In Italy, the only addition some people make to their espresso is a dash of grappa, cognac or some other spirit. This is called a caffé corretto. And the only flourish is a dusting of cacao, cocoa powder on a cup of cappuccino.
In America, Italian inspired coffee companies are still trying to "pull the perfect shot" of espresso and continue to search for the perfect cup of coffee which the Italians have never lost. Starbucks has now introduced the Clover, "a gorgeous stainless-steel device about the size of a microwave that makes just one cup of coffee at a time and requires a special electrical outlet and more training than a nuclear sub to operate". No, it is not made in Italy and by the way it costs $11,000. Starbucks ended up buying the company that developed the Clover and will now offer Clover crafted small batch coffees at selected Starbuck stores.
What do I drink in Italy? A latte macchiato tepido. Which is warm milk with a touch of espresso often served in a tall glass (al vetro). Remember in Italy, latte simply means milk. The branded caffe latte (one third espresso and two-thirds steamed milk, sometimes flavored) is an American style invention.
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| Travel in Italy
Italians have a deep affection for their country. It goes beyond political parties and general elections. The love for their country and its traditions goes back thousands of years to the roots of Western civilization. So when they travel they have a lot to reflect on!
Americans often travel through Italy superficially on a "show and tell" tour. A trip like this will leave you overwhelmed and unsatisfied. Remember traveling to Italy is not a once in a lifetime experience. It should be a series of experiences that are built upon over time and shared with family and friends. You must take the time and effort to see Italy in depth and let it reveal it's layers to you.
Read more to find out why we think Italy is the best place to invest in the experience of travel in 2009 and why A Taste of Cositutti in Italy will be the most memorable travel experience you will ever have. |
