Europe at Present [Spring 2003]
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Abruzzo and MoliseThe most commonly served pasta in this region is maccaroni alla difarre, long serpentines with tomatoes or pecorino sauce or with lamb meat. Abruzzo cusine is characteristic for spicy and strong tastes – spaghetti al’aglio, olio e peperoncini are the favorite dishes. Umbria and MarcheImportant elements of Umbrian cuisine are mushrooms, wild meat and birds but above all pork meat in the form of ham, sausages, salami and the famous porchetta. Perugia city is well known for Biscuits and chocolate. Campania Original pizza, baked in wood-heated ovens was born in Naples but there is no pizza Napoletana. The most typical one is called Marinara and includes tomatoes, garlic, basil but no sea food as you could juge by the name. Street restaurants offer also calzone – pizza filled with ham, cheese and vegetables. Pasta with tomato sauce was also invented in Naples but in typical Naples sauces garlic, onion and parmesan do not go together. Northern Campania and Naples region traditionally produce other Italian speciality, mozzarella. Among the most delicious desserts Naples offer sfogliatelle filled with orange skin and ricotte as well as Easter pastiera. Calabria and BasilicataCalabrian cuisine is very similar to Campanian one. Greek influence can be recognized through aubergine use and sweets containing figs, almonds and honey. Basilicata, a very poor region with little population, attracts with simple cheap products, pasta, tomatoes, bread, olives and pork meat. Peppers and ginger that cannot be found anywhere else in the country are their flag products. ApuliaApulia is described as a land of grapes and a lake of wine. Regional wines and olive oil are highly valued. The typical products are breads, pasta and sea food. People in Apulia love pasteurizing vegetables, for instance tomatoes are dried, salted or boiled and bottled, while mushrooms and aubergines are poured with oil and aceto. Pork meat is the most preferred there while seaside towns Bari, Tarento and Brindizio tempt with excellent seafood. SiciliaOne can distinguish numerous foreign influences in Sicilian Cusine: Greek, Arab, Spanish, Norman. Cassate ice cream and delicious sweet pasta with sweet ricotta poured with chocolate made Sicilia famous for sweet tastes. Foreign elements can be found in kuskus salad with oranges. Also wonderful Sicilian cheese cannot be forgotten; provolone, ricotta, pecorino. PiedmontIn this region connections with France are clearly visible. We may try there fondutta that is almost the same as French fondue and in general butter and cream are added to any dish. As in the whole North Italy olives and tomatoes are rarely known and its is only in big cities where the Southern cuisines and recipes can be tried as they were brought there by many southern immigrants. The Piedmont speciality are the truffles, especially from Alba city. As they are awfully expensive, only few thin plasters of them are added to traditional pasta or risotto. LiguriaGeographically this region belongs to North but its climate and long sea side aboundant in fishes and sea food make it much Mediterrenian in tastes to encounter. The symbol of Genoa is pesto, green sauce made of garlic, basil, pine nuts, pecorino and parmegiano that can be eaten with pasta or anything else you wish. The cheese in that sauce comes from Sicily and indicates the old connections between those regions. Other Ligurian favourite food is farinata, something between cake and pizza made from Italian peas. Also very widespread in Italy bread foccacia and sweet bread pandolce come from Liguria. LombardyLomabrdy’s cuisine is not homegenous. Everywhere a lot of rice and polenta is eaten (Lombardy and Italy produces greatest amounts of rice in Europe) but the sub-Alps areas have heavier cuisine that Milan and Pad valley. Milan is known for its great veal recipes and for sweets. In fact, panettone and biscotti are the most popular eaten sweets in Italy that first one usually is served during Christmas. Most famous cheeses come also from Lombardy, only to mention Gorgonzola, Mascarpone, Bel Paese or Grana Padano (similar to Parmegiano). Friuli – Venezia GiuliaThis region competes with Lombardy for a name of risotto specialist but Veneti itself can attract with unique and exotic fish dishes where raisins, almonds and other sweet fruits are added. From this part of Italy takes its origin raddichio - red salad and wonderful dessert called tiramisu. Some influence of Yugoslavian cuisines can be recognized as well. Trident –Alto AdigeAs name indicates this region consists of different ones that have also two diverse cuisines. Alto Adige is widely influenced by Austrian cooking style and offers German sounding food like speck (kind of dried ham), knodel, sauerkraut while in Trident reigns more Italian style. The best thing to try in Trident are gnocchi (type of fresh pasta with addition of cheese) and typical north polenta. Emilia –RomagnaCuisine of Emilia –Romagna is considered to be the best and the richest one in Italy. Parmigiano, Aceto Balsamico di Modena, Prosciuto di Parma are only few flag products of this area that became flag products of Italian export. From this region also come, so popular abroad, dishes like lasagna, pasta alla Bolognese, tortellini, ravioli, etc. The dishes are always rich, aboundant in meat, tomatoes and olive but not too aromatic. Tuscany This cuisine has influenced whole Italy with its simplicity. Meat in here is often prepared with almost no spices. Pasta is often served only with Parmigiano and butter (al bianco). Plenty of spinach, ricotta and Italian peas is eaten as well as fresh prepared pasta. The most typical dish is minestre, very dense soup and sweet panforte from Siena. Tuscany next to Sicily is known for best olive oil. LazioLazio is dominated by Rome also in cuisine and is as simple as in Tuscany. Most commonly served is penne pasta with huge variety of sauces: all’amatricana (bacon, pork meat, tomatoes), all’arabiata (tomatoes and little spicy chillies), alla carbonara (cream, egg, bacon). From vegetables aubergines, zucchini, carcioffi should be mentioned and from cheese ricotta, pecorino romano and provetura. Coffee in Italy, no matter what region, is drunken at any time as tea in Great Britain. Italian start their morning and their evenings with espresso coffee, usually in numerous bars (the coffee is always good!) and by the counter (al banco). Having a coffee is also a way of socializing, having a chat with neighbours or colleagues form work. At home also everybody has a coffee maker, at least one that makes mocca coffee. Capuccino, another famous Italian coffee drink is also given to children for example for mentioned merenda. Wine is served to every meal in Italy. Drinking in Italy doesn’t have bad meaning. In fact people do not go out to drink something but to meet friends and show off their ”bella figura”. To get drunk would be thought as something unfortunate and a silly accident. In reality there is even no such a word in Italian that directly means hang-over. People drink most of all mineral water and wine, more and more popular is becoming beer and soft drinks and as always fruit juices.238 There are plenty of sorts of wine in Italy. Italians Created DOC system – Denominazione d’Orgine Controllata which guarantees that the wine is produced in a certain region and according to the traditional regional standards. Nevertheless, it is not a system of quality standards and is meant to promote regional wines. However, DOC introduction did contribute to quality improvement. Piedmont is regarded to be the best together with Tuscany, wine producer. The most famous wines are Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera (the most expensive) but the most commonly drunk wines are made of sweet delicate grapes, particular young and lightly chilled Dolcetto d’Alba. The most famous one is the sparkling Asti Spumante (sparkling). The three north-eastern regions Alto Adige, Venetia-Frulia and Veneto developed production of typical French and German wine e.g. Merlot, Cabernet, Pinot Grigio, Rieslieng. Wine sorts in Europe: Bandolino, Valpolicelle come from Verona neighbourhood and taste the better, the closer to the region they were produced. Tuscany though leads in wine industry with its flag (and export) product– Chianti. The two other famous red wines from Tuscany - Brunello di Montalciano and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano belong to the most expensive wines in Italy. The two popular white ones are Vernaccia di San Geminiano and the refreshing Galestro. Tuscany is also known for Vin Santo, sweet strong wine, drunk together with biscuits for the ‘merenda’ that is Italian ‘five o’clock’. Lazio, Umbria and Marche are excellent in production of white dry wines. Wine from Lazio is produced mainlu on the hills surrounding Rome. In the South, apart form few sorts, wine do not hold a good image. The typical southern region is Apulia that ‘exports’ grapes north to strengthen regional wines. What is interesting the best wines in Italy are not exported but consumed with pleasure and care in Italy.
There are not so many national holidays in Italy, but there are lots of local celebrations that tighten together local and regional communities. Days of saints are usually a perfect excuse for having a lot of fun . All cities, towns and villages have their local saint and organize musical and artistic events for his or hers holiday which are rather a reminiscence of theatre plays than en religious events. Every reason is good for festa, anniversaries of historical events, legendary miracles, presentation of works of local artist, etc. Most of them take place during Easter, May, September and about Ferragosto (15th August). The most famous is the carnival in Venezia or Livorno which is competing with great Sicilian feasts. The most common local traditions in Italy are, sometimes very spectacular, religious processions. Majority of them dates back from non-Christian times when they were the celebrations of important dates in astronomic calendar and then they were modified and accepted by Church. A well-known example of such a procession is organized in Cocullo in Abruzia mountains on 6th May – Sante Domenica Abate when the statue surrounded by snakes id carried in the town. Obviously the Good Friday is also a day of numerous processions. In many towns and villages figures of crucified Christ are carried in the streets, followed by people singing religious songs. Other ritual feast are of less religious character. In Gubbio on May 5th , there is a crazy race around San Ubaldo church with 8 meter long wooden sticks. Around 22nd June in Nola next to Naples 8 enormous lilies are carried with little lit lamps along the streets.239 The number of Catholics in Italy decreases but there is still a great interest in all the holidays and feast like that and particularly in food festivals (Città delle Pieve in Umbria, or Orvietto) and pilgrimages. The last ones are not only religious but also social events. Some of them are more important to Italians than to Christians in general. For example the Sanctuary of Madonna di Polsi in Aspromonte Mountains in Calabria is visited in September by almost million pilgrims yearly.240 Besides food, wine and fun Italians have three more passions. Cars, football and women. When it comes to women Italians bad reputation concerning their attitude towards women does reflect reality. On the whole, the more to the south we move, the worse it is.241 A woman that is alone or travelling on her own or in the company of other women may expect to be picked up by men. Or at least whistled off and called bambola (doll, baby) on the street. However, a woman is not and object but a subject in Italian culture. Judging by the role of Saint Mary the Virgin in religion, women are regarded to be predistinated to be mothers. Strict rules which used to be obeyed in the North still are obeyed in the South. Marriage and motherhood are treated as synonyms. The level of emancipation depends on the region. The highest is in North and in Milan (which is in fact the economic capital of Italy) where it is similar to Western Europe standards while in Calabria, Basilicata and Sicily it is the lowest. Rome is said to be still more south orientated in this aspect than North. Football is believed to keep modern Italian family together besides being the most controversial and emotional subject of Italian conversations. Some say that if not the favourite soccer team fathers and sons wouldn’t talk much with each other any more242. And so on Sunday everybody is following the matches or going to the game or watching TV or at least listening to the radio (there are some men going round with little radios on the street) to be up to date on Monday morning when everybody will discuss it. The other thing is, that talkative Italians love to argue about are cars. As Italy itself produces only the best (Ferrari, Maserati) and worst cars (FIAT) the discussions are usually really hot. Lastly one of the most popular Sunday entertainments is F1 Grand Prix where Ferrari team is lately winning. Italy is considered to be on of the most beautiful and interesting countries in Europe and in the world being also on of the world strongest economies. It is a country of variety, fashion, wonderful food and cheerful people but also a country with many economic issues to solve. And all that fascinating matters come from its deeply historical, social and structural regionalism that is not good and not bad but certainly troublesome and opportunity offering one.
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