Each week I will post a way that you can incorporate things Italian and la dolce vita into your every day life. Because, in my opinion, life is better with something Italian everyday.
Today's Dolce Vita hint: Eat Local.
The Farm to Table movement is a growing one here in the US and I for one could not be happier. This is an effort to eat not only seasonal ingredients, but local ones as well. This is nothing new in Italy. No movement necessary, it's just how it is.
Much of the culinary traditions of Italy have long historic roots. For example, one of the staples of Roman cuisine is innards of various animals. The reason for this is that the high quality meats were reserved for the Pope and those in high places but what was left over after the slaughter was given to the common people of Rome. The Romans made the most of it and to this day the one of Rome’s most typical dishes is pajata or sheep’s intestine. In the area that was once home to the slaughterhouses in Rome you will find restaurants that feature these traditional dishes.
Each region has its own unique bread that is indicative of that region - go to Rome and you won’t find Tuscan (unsalted) bread but you will find some of the most divine chewy bread that makes your jaws hurt to eat it. Up north in the Emilia Romagna you will find a flat bread called piadina and in Sicily you will find bread with sesame seeds (from the East) and also pane arabo or Arab bread which speaks to the cultural influence that the Arab world had on this island off the toe of Italy.
The regional differences in food are really incredible. You will not find risotto or polenta in the South just as you would be hard pressed to find eggplant or a large variety of tomato based dishes in the North. What is fantastic about it when you travel in Italy is that you can have a different culinary experience in every region. If you are going to Italy, I do suggest that you research the regional dishes and try them in that region. It is well worth it - some examples:
Umbria - wild boar, papardelle with hare sauce
Tuscany - ribollita, bistecca alla Fiorentina, pappa al pomodoro
Sicily - pasta alla norma (with eggplant and tomatoes)
Venice, Veneto - sarde in saor, risotta with nero di seppia (squid ink)
Rome - pasta all’amatriciana, cacio e pepe, carciofi alla giudea
Liguria - pesto
You could spend an entire trip in Italy studying this country studying its culture and history through food. Informative and tasty. Who's in?!
