FOOD
Italians are among the world's greatest cooks.
Just ask any one of them. Despite the unification
of Italy, regional tradition still dominates
the various kitchens, ranging from Rome to Lombardy,
from the Valle d'Aosta to Sicily. The term "Italian
cuisine" has little meaning unless it's
more clearly defined as Neapolitan, Roman, Sardinian,
Sicilian, Venetian, Piedmontese, Tuscan, or
whatever. Each region has a flavor and a taste
of its own, as well as a detailed repertoire
of local dishes.
Food has always been one of life's great pleasures
for the Italians. This has been true even from
the earliest days: To judge from the lifelike
banquet scenes found in Etruscan tombs, the
Etruscans loved food and took delight in enjoying
it. The Romans became famous for their never-ending
banquets and for their love of exotic treats,
such as flamingo tongues.
Although culinary styles vary, Italy abounds
in trattorie specializing in local dishes --
some of which are a delight for carnivores,
such as the renowned bistecca alla fiorentina
(cut from flavorful Chianina beef and then charcoal-grilled
and served with a fruity olive oil). Other dishes,
especially those found at the antipasti buffet,
would appeal to every vegetarian's heart: peppers,
greens, onions, pastas, beans, tomatoes, and
fennel.
Incidentally, except in the south, Italians
don't use as much garlic in their food as many
foreigners seem to believe. Most Italian dishes,
especially those in the north, are butter-based.
And spaghetti and meatballs isn't an Italian
dish, although certain restaurants throughout
the country have taken to serving it "for
homesick Americans."
Rome is the best place to introduce
yourself to Italian cuisine because it boasts
specialty restaurants representing every region.
Throughout your Roman holiday, you'll encounter
such specialties as zuppa di pesce (a soup or
stew of various fish, cooked in white wine and
flavored with herbs), cannelloni (tube-shaped
pasta baked with any number of stuffings), riso
col gamberi (rice with shrimp, peas, and mushrooms,
flavored with white wine and garlic), scampi
alla griglia (grilled prawns, one of the best-tasting,
albeit expensive, dishes in the city), quaglie
col risotto e tartufi (quail with rice and truffles),
lepre alla cacciatore (hare flavored with tomato
sauce and herbs), zabaglione (a creamy dessert
made with sugar, egg yolks, and Marsala), gnocchi
alla romana (potato-flour dumplings with a meat
sauce, covered with grated cheese), abbacchio
(baby spring lamb, often roasted over an open
fire), saltimbocca alla romana (literally "jump-in-your-mouth"
-- thin slices of veal with sage, ham, and cheese),
fritto alla romana (a mixed fry likely to include
everything from brains to artichokes), carciofi
alla romana (tender artichokes cooked with herbs
such as mint and garlic, flavored with white
wine), fettuccine all'uovo (egg noodles with
butter and cheese), zuppa di cozze (a hearty
bowl of mussels cooked in broth), fritto di
scampi e calamaretti (baby squid and prawns,
fast-fried), fragoline (wild strawberries, in
this case from the Alban Hills), and finocchio
(fennel, a celerylike raw vegetable with the
flavor of anisette, often eaten as a dessert
or in a salad).
From Rome, it's on to Tuscany,
where you'll encounter the hearty cuisine of
the Tuscan hills. The main ingredient for almost
any meal is the superb local olive oil, adored
for its low acidity and lovely flavor. In Italy's
south, the olives are gathered only after they've
fallen off the trees, but here they're handpicked
off the trees so that they won't get bruised
(ensuring lower acidity and milder aroma). Typical
Tuscan pastas are pappardelle and penne mingled
with a variety of sauces, many of which are
tomato-based. Tuscans are extremely fond of
strong cheeses such as Gorgonzola, fontina,
and parmigiano. Meat and fish are prepared simply
and might seem undercooked, although locals
would argue that it's better to let the inherent
flavor of the ingredients survive the cooking
process.
The next major city to visit is Venice,
where the cookery is typical of the Venezia
district. Long ago it was called "tasty,
straightforward, and homely" by one food
critic, and we concur. Two of the most typical
dishes are fegato alla veneziana (liver and
onions) and risi e bisi (rice and fresh peas).
Seafood figures heavily in the Venetian diet,
and grilled fish is often served with the bitter
red radicchio, a lettuce that comes from Treviso.
In Lombardy, of which Milan
is the center, the cookery is more refined and
flavorful. No dish here is more famous than
cotoletta alla milanese (cutlets of tender veal
dipped in egg and bread crumbs and fried in
olive oil until they're a golden brown) -- the
Viennese call it Wiener schnitzel. Osso buco
is the other great dish of Lombardy; this is
cooked with the shin bone of veal in a ragout
sauce and served on rice and peas. Risotto alla
milanese is also a classic -- rice that can
be dressed in almost any way, depending on the
chef's imagination. It's often flavored with
saffron and butter, to which chicken giblets
have been added, and it's seemingly always served
with heaps of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Polenta,
a cornmeal mush that's "more than mush,"
is the staff of life in some parts of northeastern
Italy and is eaten in lieu of pasta.
The cooking in the Piedmont,
of which Turin is the capital,
and the Aosta Valley is different from that
in the rest of Italy. Victuals here are said
to appeal to strong-hearted men returning from
a hard day's work in the mountains. You get
such dishes as bagna cauda, a sauce made with
olive oil, garlic, butter, and anchovies, in
which you dip uncooked fresh vegetables. Fonduta
is also celebrated: It's made with melted fontina
cheese, butter, milk, egg yolks, and, for an
elegant touch, white truffles.
In the Trentino-Alto Adige
area, whose chief towns are Bolzano, Merano,
and Trent, the cooking is naturally influenced
by the traditions of the Austrian and Germanic
kitchens. South Tirol, of course, used to belong
to Austria, and here you get such tasty pastries
as strudel.
Liguria, whose chief town
is Genoa, turns to the sea
for a great deal of its cuisine, as reflected
by its version of bouillabaisse, a burrida flavored
with spices. But its most famous food item is
pesto, a sauce made with fresh basil, garlic,
cheese, and walnuts, which is used to dress
pasta, fish, and many other dishes.
Emilia-Romagna, with such
towns as Modena, Parma, Bologna, Ravenna,
and Ferrara, is one of the great gastronomic
centers. Rich in produce, its school of cooking
produces many notable pastas now common around
Italy: tagliatelle, tortellini, and cappelletti
(larger than tortellini and made in the form
of "little hats"). Tagliatelle, of
course, are long strips of macaroni, and tortellini
are little squares of dough stuffed with chopped
pork, veal, or whatever. Equally popular is
lasagne, which by now everybody has heard of.
In Bologna, it's often made by adding finely
shredded spinach to the dough. The best-known
sausage of the area is mortadella, and equally
famous is a cotoletta alla bolognese (veal cutlet
fried with a slice of ham or bacon). The distinctive
and famous cheese Parmigiano-Reggiano is a product
of Parma and also Reggio Emilia. Zampone (stuffed
pig's foot) is a specialty of Modena. Parma
is also known for its ham, which is fashioned
into air-cured prosciutto di Parma. Served in
wafer-thin slices, it's deliciously sweet and
hailed by gourmets as the finest in the world.
Much of the cookery of Campania
(spaghetti with clam sauce, pizzas, and so forth),
with Naples as its major city,
is already familiar to North Americans because
so many Neapolitans moved to the New World and
opened restaurants. Mozzarella, or buffalo cheese,
is the classic cheese of this area. Mixed fish
fries, done a golden brown, are a staple of
nearly every table.
Sicily has a distinctive cuisine,
with good, strong flavors and aromatic sauces.
A staple of the diet is maccheroni con le sarde
(spaghetti with pine seeds, fennel, spices,
chopped sardines, and olive oil). Fish is good
and fresh in Sicily (try swordfish). Among meat
dishes, you'll see involtini siciliani (rolled
meat with a stuffing of egg, ham, and cheese
cooked in bread crumbs) on the menu. A caponata
is a special way of cooking eggplant in a flavorful
tomato sauce. The desserts and homemade pastries
are excellent, including cannoli, cylindrical
pastry cases stuffed with ricotta and candied
fruit (or chocolate). Their ice creams, called
gelati, are among the best in Italy.
DRINKS
Italy is the largest wine-producing country
in the world; as far back as 800 B.C. the Etruscans
were vintners. It's said that more soil is used
in Italy for the cultivation of grapes than
for the growing of food. Many Italian farmers
produce wine just for their own consumption
or for their relatives in "the big city."
However, it wasn't until 1965 that laws were
enacted to guarantee regular consistency in
wine making. Wines regulated by the government
are labeled "DOC" (Denominazione di
Origine Controllata). If you see "DOCG"
on a label (the "G" means garantita),
that means even better quality control.
The Vineyards of Italy--Following
traditions established by the ancient Greeks,
Italy produces more wine than any other nation.
More than 4 million acres of soil are cultivated
as vineyards, and recently there has been an
increased emphasis on recognizing vintages from
lesser-known growers who might or might not
be designated as working within a zone of controlled
origin and name. (It's considered an honor,
and usually a source of profit, to own vines
within a DOC. Vintners who are presently limited
to marketing their products as unpretentious
table wines -- vino di tavola -- often expend
great efforts lobbying for an elevated status
as a DOC.)
Italy's wine producers range from among the
most automated and technologically sophisticated
in Europe to low-tech, labor-intensive family
plots that turn out just a few hundred bottles
per year. You can sometimes save money by buying
directly from a producer (the signs beside the
highway of any wine-producing district will
advertise VENDITA DIRETTA). Not only will you
avoid paying the retailer's markup, but you
also might get a glimpse of the vines that produced
the vintage that you carry home with you.
Useful vocabulary words for such endeavors
are bottiglieria (a simple wine shop) and enoteca
(a more upscale shop where many vintages, from
several growers, are displayed and sold like
magazines in a bookstore). In some cases, you
can buy a glass of the product before you buy
the bottle, and platters of cold cuts or cheeses
are sometimes available to offset the tang (and
alcoholic effects) of the wine.
Regional Wines--Here we've
cited only a few popular wines. Rest assured
that there are hundreds more, and you'll have
a great time sampling them to find your own
favorites.
Latium: In this major wine-producing
region, many of the local wines come from the
Castelli Romani, the hill towns around Rome.
Horace and Juvenal sang the praises of Latium
wines even in imperial times. These wines, experts
agree, are best drunk when young, and they're
most often white, mellow, and dry (or "demi-sec").
There are seven types, including Falerno (straw
yellow in color) and Cecubo (often served with
roast meat). Try also Colli Albani (straw yellow
with amber tints, served with both fish and
meat). The golden yellow wines of Frascati are
famous, produced in both a demi-sec and a sweet
variety, the latter served with dessert.
Tuscany: Tuscan wines rank
with some of the finest reds in France. Chianti
is the best known, and it comes in several varieties.
The most highly regarded is Chianti Classico,
a lively ruby-red wine mellow in flavor with
a bouquet of violets. A good label is Antinori.
A lesser known but remarkably fine Tuscan wine
is Brunello di Montalcino, a brilliant garnet
red served with roasts and game. The ruby-red,
almost purple, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano
has a rich, rugged body; it's a noble wine that's
aged for 4 years. The area around San Gimignano
produces a light, sweet white wine called Vernaccia.
While you're in Tuscany, order the wonderful
dessert wine called Vin Santo, which tastes
almost like sherry and is usually accompanied
by biscotti that you dunk into your glass.
Emilia-Romagna: The sparkling
Lambrusco of this region is, by now, best known
by Americans, but this wine can be of widely
varying quality. Most of it is a brilliant ruby
red. Be more experimental, and try such wines
as the dark ruby red Sangiovese (with a delicate
bouquet) and the golden yellow Albana, somewhat
sweet. Trebbiano, generally dry, is best served
with fish.
The Veneto: From this rich
breadbasket in northeastern Italy come such
world-famous wines as Bardolino (a light ruby
red often served with poultry), Valpolicella
(produced in "ordinary quality" and
"superior dry," best served with meats),
and Soave (beloved by W. Somerset Maugham),
which has a pale amber color with a light aroma
and a velvety flavor. Also try one of the Cabernets,
either the ruby-red Cabernet di Treviso (ideal
with roasts and game) or the even deeper ruby-red
Cabernet Franc, which has a marked herbal bouquet
and is served with roasts.
Trentino-Alto Adige: This
area produces wine influenced by Austria. Known
for its vineyards, the region has some 20 varieties
of wine. The straw-yellow, slightly pale-green
Riesling is served with fish, as is the pale
green-yellow Terlano. Santa Maddalena, a cross
between garnet and ruby, is served with wild
fowl and red meats, and Traminer, straw yellow,
has a distinctive aroma and is served with fish.
A Pinot Bianco, straw yellow with greenish glints,
has a light bouquet and a noble history, and
is also served with fish.
Friuli-Venezia Giulia: This
area attracts those who enjoy a "brut"
wine with a trace of flint. From classic grapes
come Merlot, deep ruby in color, and several
varieties of Pinot, including Pinot Grigio,
whose color ranges from straw yellow to gray-pink
(good with fish). Also served with fish, the
Sauvignon has a straw-yellow color and a delicate
bouquet.
Lombardy: These wines are
justly renowned -- and, if you don't believe
us, would you instead take the advice of Leonardo
da Vinci, Pliny, and Virgil? These great men
have sung the praise of this wine-rich region
bordered by the Alps to the north and the Po
River to the south. To go with the tasty, refined
cuisine of the Lombard kitchen are such wines
as Frecciarossa (a pale straw-yellow color with
a delicate bouquet -- order it with fish), Sassella
(bright ruby red -- order it with game, red
meat, and roasts), and the amusingly named Inferno
(a deep ruby red with a penetrating bouquet
-- order it with meats).
The Piedmont: The finest wines
in Italy, mostly red, are said to be produced
on the vine-clad slopes of the Piedmont. Of
course, Asti Spumante, the color of straw with
an abundant champagnelike foam, is the prototype
of Italian sparkling wines. While traveling
through this area of northwestern Italy, you'll
want to sample Barbaresco (brilliant ruby red
with a delicate flavor -- order it with red
meats), Barolo (also brilliant ruby red, best
when it mellows into a velvety old age), Cortese
(pale straw yellow with green glints -- order
it with fish), and Gattinara (an intense ruby-red
beauty in youth that changes with age). Piedmont
is also the home of vermouth, a white wine to
which aromatic herbs and spices, among other
ingredients, have been added; it's served as
an aperitif.
Liguria: This area doesn't
have as many wine-producing regions as other
parts of Italy, yet it grows dozens of different
grapes. These are made into such wines as Dolceacqua
(lightish ruby red, served with hearty food)
and Vermentino Ligure (pale yellow with a good
bouquet, often served with fish).
Campania: From the volcanic
soil of Vesuvius, the wines of Campania have
been extolled for 2,000 years. Homer praised
the glory of Falerno, straw yellow in color.
Neapolitans are fond of ordering a wine known
as Lacrima Christi ("tears of Christ")
to accompany many seafood dishes. It comes in
amber, red, and pink. With meat dishes, try
the dark mulberry-color Gragnano, which has
a faint bouquet of faded violets. The reds and
whites of Ischia and Capri are also justly renowned.
Apulia: The heel of the Italian
boot, Apulia, produces more wine than any other
part of Italy. Try Castel del Monte, which comes
in shades of pink, white, and red. Other wines
of the region are the dull red Aleatico di Puglia,
with a mellow taste so sweet and aromatic that
it's almost a liqueur; Barletta, a highly alcoholic
wine made from grapes grown around Troia; the
notably pleasant and fragrant Mistella, a really
fleshy wine usually offered with desserts; the
brilliant amber Moscato della Murge, aromatic
and sweet; Moscato di Trani, which is velvety
and tastes of a bouquet of faded roses; and
Primitivo di Gioia, a full-bodied acid wine
that, when dry, appears with roasts and, when
sweet, appears with desserts. One of the region's
best wines to drink with fish is Torre Giulia,
which is dark yellow tending toward amber --
a "brut" wine with a distinctive bouquet.
Sicily: The wines of Sicily,
called a "paradise of the grape,"
were extolled by the ancient poets, including
Martial. Caesar himself lavished praise on Mamertine
when it was served at a banquet honoring his
third consulship. Marsala, an amber wine served
with desserts, is the most famous wine of Sicily;
it's velvety and fruity and sometimes used in
cooking, as in veal Marsala. The wines made
from grapes grown in the volcanic soil of Etna
come in both red and white varieties. Also try
the Corvo Bianco di Casteldaccia (straw yellow,
with a distinctive bouquet) and the Corvo Rosso
di Casteldaccia (ruby red, almost garnet, full-bodied
and fruity).
Other Drinks--Italians drink
other libations as well. Their most famous drink
is Campari, bright red in color and flavored
with herbs; it has a quinine bitterness to it.
It's customary to serve it with ice cubes and
soda.
Limoncello, a bright yellow
drink made by infusing pure alcohol with lemon
zest, has become Italy's second most popular
drink. It has long been a staple in the lemon-producing
region along the Amalfi Coast in Capri and Sorrento,
and recipes for the sweetly potent concoction
have been passed down by families there for
generations. About a decade ago, restaurants
in Sorrento, Naples, and Rome started making
their own versions. Visitors to those restaurants
as well as the Sorrento peninsula began singing
limoncello's praises and requesting bottles
to go. Now it's one of the most up-and-coming
liqueurs in the world, thanks to heavy advertising
promotions.
Beer, once treated as a libation
of little interest, is still far inferior to
wines produced domestically, but foreign beers,
especially those of Ireland and England, are
gaining great popularity with Italian youth,
especially in Rome. This popularity is mainly
because of atmospheric pubs, which now number
more than 300 in Rome alone, where young people
linger over a pint and a conversation. Most
pubs are in the Roman center, and many are licensed
by Guinness and its Guinness Italia operations.
In a city with 5,000 watering holes, 300 pubs
might seem like a drop, but because the clientele
is young, the wine industry is trying to devise
a plan to keep that drop from becoming a steady
stream of Italians who prefer grain to grapes.
High-proof grappa is made
from the "leftovers" after the grapes
have been pressed. Many Italians drink this
before or after dinner (some put it into their
coffee). It's an acquired taste -- to an untrained
foreign palate, it often seems rough and harsh
