The Final Supper- Blog #20

I can't believe that the semester is almost over. It seems like I just arrived yesterday and now it's almost time to go back home. Our final dinner was a sad reminder of how soon that semester is about to end. However, it was a wonderful celebration of the semester and the wonderful experience I have had this semester.

We went to a restaurant called Trattoria Da Cesare al Casaletto. I had never heard of it before but I am so glad I got the opportunity to go. It took us awhile to get there, the regional train and the tram are my saviors, but it was incredibly worth it. The restaurant was fairly small which created a cozy environment. Everyone at the restaurant besides us was Italian, which to me is always a sign of good food to come! I thought our professor was exaggerating when she told us to come hungry....but I don't think I've ever been so full in my entire life. I think I waddled out of the restaurant.

We had multiple courses and within each course, we had multiple dishes, I don't think I've ever seen so much food in my life. For antipasti we had two types of meatballs, one beef and one eggplant, I really loved the eggplant one because it was a little unusual but it was incredibly flavorful. The eggplant paired well with the tomato sauce the layered on top of it. We also had fried gnocchi with cacio e pepe sauce, I had never have had fried gnocchi before and now I'm on a mission to find some more. The cacio e pepe sauce was also interesting with the gnocchi as I have never had that pasta and sauce pairing. I think they worked really well together, the spice of the sauce was calmed by the basic flavor of gnocchi.

For our primi we had two dishes, a fish broth and broccoli soup and gnocchi all'amatriciana. Both are classic Roman dishes. I had never had the fish and broccoli soup before but it was absolutely delicious. The fish flavor was nice and delicate and the broccoli added a nice texture. The gnocchi all'amatriciana was interesting as well, normally amatriciana is served with bucatini so it was odd to have it with gnocchi.

The secondi round was incredibly interesting. I love ox tail, I usually have it in osso bucco, so when I heard that one of our secondi dishes was ox tail I was pretty excited!. Coda alla vaccinara is a delicious dish with ox tail, carrots, celery, tomatoes and garlic. It reminded me of the stew my mom makes back home, it made me a little homesick for all the delicious fall and winter foods my mom makes. We also had tripa alla romana. When it comes to food I'm a big fan of trying things and then finding out what they are. When I tried blood sausage for the first time my mom made me try it and then told me what it was. I'm glad she told me after because otherwise I wouldn't have tried it and I would have missed out on what is now one of my favorite Irish foods. Tripe follows along the same lines. Now I'm about to talk about what tripe is, so anyone who hasn't tried it STOP READING and go try it!

Tried it?

Good, you just at the stomach of a cow (well it could have been any ruminant animal but it was most likely a cow). I love tripe, I find it incredibly delicious (as long as I don't think about it too much) and this tripe was stewed in tomatoes, garlic and vegetables and all sorts of yummy ingredients that made it incredibly flavourful.

I have a serious sweet tooth so our dolce tasting plate was absolutely perfect! We had a tiramisu, creme caramel, mousse di cioccolato, two tarts-one was cherry and the other was apricot and we had a peanut brittle as well. All of the desserts were so wonderful. One of my favorite things about Italian desserts is that they have the perfect amount of sweetness, no dessert thatI have had here has been too sweet!

This dinner combined much of what we have talked about in class and a lot of what I have learned merely from eating out during my time here. Although Italians don't eat as much every day as we did during our dinner, we covered all of the courses of a big, tradiitonal Italaian meal. Starting with antipasti and moving through the primi, secondi, dolce, and after dinner drink (in our case an amaro, though it could have been an espresso or some other liqour). We also were able to try many specialties of Rome. Regionality is something we have talked about in class extensivley and something that can be seen in everyday life here in Italy. Each region has dishes they are known for and that are more commonly found on menus.Our final dinner was the perfect ending, to the perfect semester. Thank you professor Simari for what has been one of the most amazing classes I have ever taken. 

Ciao for now!

Veni. Vidi. Mangia. 

Slow Food in a Fast World- Blog #19

I found it interesting how the reading portrayed the Slow Food movement versus how the movie portrayed it. The movie was much more positive in its portrayal of the Slow Food movement than the reading was.

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The reading focused more on gastronomy and how it is a more modern concept. This is because for gastronomy to develop the population needed to have enough money that they could spend freely on luxury food and enough time in the day to devote to simply enjoying food as an experience. The reading also talks about how slow food is important to gastronomy, slow food is rooted in food that is grown and prepared in classical or traditional ways. The slow food movement wants to 'save the world from the excesses of modernity' and bring people back to their roots. The French Terroir Strategy was incredibly interesting to read about, I love how it is based on the idea that regional specialties are just that, special. They can not and should not be replicated anywhere else because the quality will be diminished since the ingredients will be of a lesser quality or the producer won't have knowledge of how to properly produce the product. The author discusses how the Slow Food movement can be quite artificial however, he gives the example of how Petrini basically fabricated stores and ways of production that aren't necessarily authentic or traditional, He almost forces producers and farmers into ways of production that might not be true to their origins. The author seems to have a cynical view of the Slow Food movement because of this fact, He also seems cynical towards it because the Slow Food movent doesn't seem to have a plan on how to handle world hunger. The author also states that 'Slow Food's elite is reserved for those who have already reaped the benefits of Culinary Modernism.' However, this is clearly contradicted in the movie.

As mentioned above, the movie has a much more positive view of the slow food movement. It comes at the subject from a much more humanistic point of view than the reading. It does so by telling the stories of multiple groups or individuals around the world who are doing something that is recognized by the Slow Food movement, at the end of the movie we see all of these individuals or groups receiving awards from the Slow Food movement. The movie was interesting as it bounced all around the world, giving viewers a chance to see the Slow Food movement in a very cross-cultural way. The movie focused on how bringing back or going back to traditional practices has helped encourage biodiversity (with the example of the Sanmarzano tomato in Italy) and given a boost to local economies (with the example of how Vanilla has given the people in a region of Mexico a reason to stay in their hometown and in the Mixteca region to resume farming amaranth.)

The reading and the movie both talk about the importance of biodiversity. The movie especially talks about this in Australia when we are taken to the Botanical Ark which protects species from around the world. Biodiversity is something that I  am very interested in. We live in a world where corporations have patents on seeds and where those seeds have taken over, leaving the world with less and less biodiversity of incredibly important plants. The Irish famine was in part caused by a lack of biodiversity in potatoes, it should be a warning of what the consequences of a lack of biodiversity can be.

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In Italy, I have been able to enjoy such a wide range of fruits and vegetables. Since Italy has areas with incredible growing potential and a fairly temperate climate for most of the year, Italian farmers are able to produce an incredible variety of vegetation. Not only that but the Italians have a clear focus on making sure what is on your table is as local as possible and as fresh as possible. I love knowing that the food I am eating is both fresh and close to home. Even in Mensa we always have many choices in vegetables and fruit every day. We usually have 3-4 different vegetables waiting for us and there are always baskets of fresh, whole fruit at the start of the line (including oranges from our own courtyard)!

Ciao for now!
Veni. Vidi. Mangia.

I Want A Pizza Named After Me- Blog #18

I firmly believe pizza should be its own food group. So living in a country where you can find pizza anywhere you go had lead to a food fulfilled life and many Eat. Pray. Love. moments. You know that scene, the one where she has eaten so much pizza she needs to buy new jeans so she and her friend go out shopping and the hilarity of trying to button the jeans ensues. 

The pizza that caused this scene? Pizza Margherita in Napoli.

Pizza Margherita has to be one of the better-known types of pizza and the supposed history of its name is quite the story. According to the reading, Queen Margherita and King Umberto I were visiting Naples and the Queen was bored with the French cuisine being served to them and desired something local. A local pizza maker was called to prepare a variety of pizzas for the Queen, one of which consisted of tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. This was the Queen's favorite and thus the pizza maker changed the name of the pizza from pizza alla mozzarella to pizza Margherita. Although, as the author points out, there are many flaws and issues with this story it's a celebrated story to this day!

One of my favorite things about Italy is that they will put ANYTHING on pizza, and I do mean anything. From sweet Nutella pizza to savory artichoke and tomato; from normal Margherita to the wild french fry and hot dog....every taste can be satisfied. I also love the difference between street pizza, which tends to be almost focaccia-like, compared to the pizza you get when you order in a sit-down restaurant, which is our typical circular thin crust. My favorite pizza I've had here was a little unusual by our standards. It was the focaccia-like street pizza that was topped with a tomato sauce, artichokes, green olives, and sausage and....it had no cheese (cue the gasps). It was simple, fresh, and delicious. Pizza is practically a religion here, so it's no wonder there's such a diverse sample to pick and choose from; everyone can have what they want...and if you're lucky, someone might just name a pizza after you.

Ciao for now!

Veni. Vidi. Mangia. 

An American in Rome- Blog #17

Post WWII Italy saw many changes. There was huge economic and industrial growth, especially in the north, which caused a large number of southerners to move to the north. This no doubt had an impact on the food culture in more ways than one. Emigrants from the south had two choices once they moved to the north, as mentioned in the reading, they could forget their food traditions and fully immerse themselves in the culture of the north or they could bring their food traditions with them and share them with those in the north eventually. There was also a modernization of society in general; cars, trains, tv and radio all saw further advancements that made it easier to get around and helped introduce the 'consumer culture.' Companies were able to combine advertisement with the television to spread the image of their products into homes across the country.

In the post-WWII era, Americans became heroes, the people to emulate. Americans had freed Italians from the Nazis and Fascists and then their aid had helped rebuild Italy. Many Italians, especially the younger generation wanted to become American, and if they couldn't do that they wanted to bring America to Italy. American culture became a fascination for many, from the celebrities to cinema and music to what they ate. In them move An American in Rome, this is clearly seen in the character of Nando Moriconi. Although the movie is a comedic satire of the way some Italians acted, it gets at the truth. I love how the reading points out that although there was a lot Italians wanted to emulate about American culture, it was hard to argue that food was better in the US than in Italy.

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Regional differences in food can still be seen, each area has specialties that they are known for. Recently my parents came to visit me and we took a driving trip through Tuscany. We stopped at so many adorable towns and had some amazing food! There were lots of porchetta sandwiches.

I'm officially one of those people who takes pictures of their food and the gorgeous sites in the distance, but I just couldn't help myself. This is quite literally a roll and some sliced up porchetta. 

Then while we were in Sienna I had an amazing dish! It was called up Ravioli dello chef, it had arugula, walnuts, and cream in the filling and was covered in a parsley, arugula, and cream sauce.

It was super simple but it was like I was eating comfort food. It was a specialty at the restaurant which always draws my eyes if they call it their specialty you are pretty much guaranteed some delicious food! Tuscany was probably one of my favorite food places that I've been to overall, everywhere we went to the food was amazing and, being in wine country and all, the wine was exellent!

Ciao for now!
Veni. Vidi. Mangia.

I'm Glad I'm Not A Fascist Or A Futurist- Blog #16

Tactile Pajama Parties.

I feel like that should clue you into the insanity that is the Futurist movement. I don't think I'll every quite understand the Futurist movement, I don't think it's meant to be understood, it's just that wild. Futurism was a movement that had a focus on speed, violence (especially the glorification of war), and modernity. The 1800s were the perfect time for this kind of movement, there were all sorts of technological advances (the train, preservation, and steam power to name a few) that help modernize the world and made it more efficient and quicker to get around in the world.

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The Futurists had already made their way through almost every other art form with little to no success and so they took a last chance gamble with the culinary arts, and failed spectacularly yet again. The Futurists were simply too outrageous for the Italians. The whole idea of the futurist culinary experience was to be multi-sensory, eating with your hands, touching a pad that had various textures, having perfume sprayed at you, and the visual stimulation of their restaurant (Taverna del Santopalato) itself with its modern, metal look. The nail in the coffin however was when Marinetti, the leader of the movement abolished pasta because it was 'too weighty and bulky for the speed and dynamism of modern life.' If there is one thing you don't mess with in Italy, it would be pasta. The amount of pasta I have consumed here is bordering on gluttony. Pasta is so important to the Italians they've even made it fast food like! On a recent trip to Venice our first stop was lunch at Dal Moro's-Fresh Pasta To Go. We went to a shoebox of a restaurant that had no tables and was tucked into the maze that is Venice. You can see them making fresh pasta in the window, all shapes and sizes. You get to customize what shape of pasta you want, what sauce and any add ons! Its quick, fresh and they use natural ingredients.

I got the pesto with chicken sausage. I told them to give me whatever pasta shape they thought was best and they gave me rotini. It was absolutely delicious! 

Although Marinetti's reasoning behind abolishing pasta seems to fit within the Futurist mindset, the real reason he did it was to try and gain Mussolini's favor. Mussolini was a politician who liked to have every aspect of society under his control, and food was no different. To Mussolini food was yet another political tool that he could use to reach his goals. Mussolini wanted Italy to be self-sufficient and not rely on other countries for food imports, one of these imports was grain. Mussolini's "Battle for Grain" is probably one of his most well-known feats, the government pushed farmers to grow grain so that Italy wouldn't have to import it anymore and even drained swamps and destroyed vineyards to make more land to grow this grain on. They also promoted the eating and growing of rice as a substitute Marinetti abolishing pasta and promoting the eating of rice went right along with what Mussolini wanted, Marinetti did so with the false hope that Mussolini supporting the Futurist movement.

At the end of the day all I can say is that I'm glad I didn't have to experience the culinary trials of the Fascist or the Futurists, imagine a world without pasta!

Ciao for now!
Veni. Vidi. Mangia. 

A Unified Country and Cookbook -Blog #15

Italy is a fairly young country, it was only fully unified in 1870. The unification process is one with a long story, it is a story filled with violence and struggle. Italy was a deeply divided country, and many would argue that it is still heavily divided today. Italians were divided in many ways; economy, social structures, language, and food. However, there is a Risorgimento food hero, Pellegrino Artusi. 

Unification was a slow process

Artusi's life story honestly sounds like a movie. Originally from the Emilia-Romagna region, he and his family fled to Florence after being robbed and terrorized by brigands. Artusi eventually amassed a wealth that allowed him to live a comfortable life, one where he could turn his focus to food. Artusi wrote a cookbook (Science in the Kitchen) that included recipes from all over the country, helping bridge the divide. He asked his readers to send in their own recipes and with each edition of his cookbook, more and more recipes were added. Artusi also helped with the language barrier many Italians faced by defining Florentine words in a way that would be understandable to other Italians, something that as a non-native Florentine speaker he well understood. 

I mean, just look at that facial hair!

Although regional food difference may be a sign that Italy was never fully unified, I think these differences are also incredibly important. They add diversity and innovation to the culinary experience of Italy as a whole, just like the differences between food in the North-East and South add diversity in the US. I have loved exploring all the different food every region of Italy I've visited has to offer me. When I was in Venice I was able to get incredibly fresh and local seafood that I wouldn't have been able to get in Umbria and in Umbria, I was able to have incredibly fresh and local truffles that I wouldn't have been able to get in Venice. The differences between the regions are fascinating and tell stories about the area and the people who live there, every region has different 'classic' dishes that they are known for and I think thats amazing. 

You Say You Want A Revolution- Blog #14

We had chocolate in class. I say this and it may seem kinda silly to mention, 'So what?' Anyone who knows me knows what a sweet tooth I have, especially when it comes to chocolate. Now why did I mention that we had chocolate in class? Because it was the best chocolate I've had in my life. I'm talking fly to Italy just to get this chocolate, good. Our professor picked the chocolate up from a place called Confetteria Moriondo e Gariglio and let me tell you, this place has an amazing history.

Look at how cute it is!

 It was founded in 1850 in Turin but then moved to Rome after the unification of Italy. We got to try a chocolate (mine was a dark chocolate) and a fruit jelly (I had an apricot one) and both were amazing, the chocolate was just sweet enough and the fruit jelly, which was made using real fruit juice, by the way, didn't taste artificial in any way. Seriously, if you're ever in Rome you should check this place out, it is definitely worth your time. 

It was amazing to learn about the European Food Revolution, and how it impacted Italy. Although France became the center of Nouvelle cuisine, the impact of the changes nouvelle cuisine brought could be felt in Italy. Whereas eating food out of season had been a popular trend, it now became popular to only eat fresh and as local as possible. There also started to be a distinction between sweet and savory, with sweets now being eaten at the end of the meal. One of the largest changes in my mind was the fact that spices became less important and prominent in cuisine and trade, though tea, chocolate, and coffee seemingly replaced them.

Hot chocolate is very different here in Italy than it is at home in the US. Here in Italy is much thicker and always made with milk, it's practically chocolate pudding. On a trip to Verona, my friends and I stopped in a small cafe for something warm to drink and for a light lunch. This cafe had a huge list of different flavors of hot chocolate that you could order, I decided to get the chocolate, hazelnut one and it tasted like Nutella pudding! I don't know how they get it so thick but I need to learn because I absolutely love hot chocolate here!

Ciao for now!
Veni. Vidi. Mangia.