Mmmm! Mamma mia! Here's how you should do it. Lovingly begin at the top and slowly work your way down. That's the only way to taste Italy, simply because each of the twenty geographical regions has it's own cuisine and there is no such thing as Italian cuisine. Does that come as a surprise? Then allow me to add another one to it, there is plenty for vegetarians in this vibrant country.Vegetarian buddies, finding this hard to swallow? Especially since even a veggie soup here has a meat stock? Is that why you prefer to carry your own theplas and pickle to Italy? Now while I love theplas and pickle, I am convinced that the best way to experience a country is through it's food and that restaurants are not merely "restaurants" but better than local museums because here you can see, smell, touch and even taste the culture of the country. And feel satiated too! So, if you really want to experience Italy, it's crucial that you eat your way through it, watch the Italians at the table, see how food is central to their life and savor the flavor of the magnificent country.
This is true in Italy more than anywhere else, Italy's sensuality is expressed through it's food and wine, it's music, flavors, fragrances, sensational scenery and art. All these are sources of pleasure, known in Italy as "piacere" and believe me the Italians are maestros at pursuing this skill. My mind and senses are always engaged here, I roam around like (what author Fred Plotkin would say) Garibaldi with a fork and I come back wondering why the world thinks that Italian food is all about pizzas and pastas when there a world of food out here. And what a world! A vegetarian one too!
Just take a look at how the Italian meal is structured and you'll get an idea of what I mean. Their lunch and dinner consists of a primo-secondo-contorno-fruit or dolci course.
Antipasti or appetizers normally consist of oil-cured veggies and cold cuts. Ask for these and take your pick. Though I must prepare you for the fact that many a time the veggies are topped with meats too. So check!
The Il Primo (first course) includes a choice of soup, pasta, risotto, polenta (the last three being potentially vegetarian).
Il secondo (the entrée of main course mainly non-vegetarian)
Il Contorno (the side dish is primarily vegetarian, potatoes, beans and superb salads or insalata ) Must make it a point to sample the salad of the region, the crispness and flavor of the local vegetables and greens is unrivalled.
La frutta e I dolci (fruit and desserts) outstanding desserts, be they tiramisu or budino, cakes or sorbets. Italians are maestros at this, even the smallest eateries serve up good desserts. Each region has it's signature desserts and wow! What a stunning line-up there is.
I have had outstanding "Bonet" (chocolate dessert with coffee and Amaretti) in Torino in the North, tripped out on Caprese cake in Capri in the South and so on and so forth. During my recent trip I attended a "Chocolate tasting" in The Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners and was completely bowled over by the quality and the variety of chocolate here. Simply mindblowing. Ditto for their icecreams! The best in the world!
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Vegetables: One of my greatest joys of dining in Italy is the amazing range of vegetables, almost always of superb quality. The Italians dote on primizie, the first vegetables of the season for their delicacy and flavor. Each region has vegetable specialties: tomatoes in Campania, eggplant in Sicily, beans in Toscana and so on.
Pasta, Veggies (who don't eat eggs) zoom in for the most famous primo of all the pastascuitto (the commonly available dried pasta, which is boiled until al dente and then tossed into a sauce. Therefore the flavoring is outside the pasta) this is made of wheatflour and water. Whereas the pasta fresca (fresh pasta that is cut into noodles and served with sauce or cut into sheets filled with ingredients, the most interesting flavoring s inside the pasta) is made of wheatfloor and eggs. The dried pasta has an infinite variety of shapes, spaghetti, linguine, trennette, strand , tubular, curly, butterfly, you name it. Out of the 182 codified pasta sauces, half are vegetarian.
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Polenta has always been popular for centuries, till the sixteenth century it used to be made with millet, chickpeas or buckwheat and now with maize which was brought into Italy in the sixteenth century.
Risotto; Veggies be watchful of this one, because the short grained Arborio rice is invariably cooked with meat or chicken broth that is added little at a time.
The pizza in Italy tastes superlative! It is the great culinary creation of Napoli, its origins date back to 2500 years when flat breads were dressed with oil, salt, herbs and sometimes cheese. The standard tomato, basil and cheese variety is called a margherita, but there are so many more choices, you'll want to try a few. The best restaurant pizza is cooked in a wood-burning oven: Look for the sign, "Forno al Legno" outside.
Gelati: The Italian icecream is the best in the world. Eat it in a Gelataria, make sure the words "Artiginale" or "Produzione propria" written outside which indicate that the icecream is made in house. Do remember that Italian icecream is made of whole milk (no cream) fresh eggs , sugar and whatever flavor is selected.
Il Fromaggio (cheese) Heard Charles de gaulle's famous lament? "how can one govern a nation that produced 365 cheeses?" Actually the official count is 451 and these come in all shapes, sizes and flavors. My favorite is the blue veined Gorgonzola, try the creamy, rich, cow's milk cheese Taleggio and keep experimenting you'll find plenty you love, eat them with the Italian bread (Il Pane) and a magnificent salad and you'll be in seventh heaven.
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Coffee; Don't come back without getting high on their coffee. A good espresso should fill a demitasse cup only halfway, usually a well made espresso (which Italians call un café) will have a crema, a slight orange brown foam on top. A more intense coffee uses less water (café ristretto) and less intense is caffe lungo. A cappuccino (meaning little hood) is an espresso in a large cup that has a hood of foamed milk on top of it. The Ferrari of coffees here is the Illy coffee, I love it for it's heady taste and also because the 79 year young Dr Ernesto Illy inspires me with his knowledge of coffee. |
