Prosciutto, Parmiggiano, Balsamico – Italian Gourmet Treasures from Emilia–Romangna, Italy

A non-Italian person aspiring to be an Italian Gourmet spends a significant amount of time learning about the foods, flavors and cooking techniques of particular regions of Italy. As you study this appetizing topic, you might be surprised at the regional groupings of famous foods.

These days, most Americans have at least heard of prosciutto, Parmiggiano-Reggiano (or it’s domestic nickname, “parmesan” cheese), and balsamic vinegar. But, did you know that that the most famous renditions of these traditional foods all come from the same region?

That region is Emilia-Romangna. You may not have heard of the region by its proper name, but Emilia-Romangna is famous for the university town of Bologna and for its food capitals of Parma and Modena.

Like so many European foods, products that are made from local ingredients and prepared in a particular style tend to have names that reflect where they are from.

For instance:

Parmiggiano-Reggiano – the king of cheeses. Parmiggiano-Reggiano is made in Parma from local cow’s milk, using a traditional method. Wheels of authentic Parmiggiano-Reggiano are stamped with an identifiable brand on the outside of the rind. Only authentic Parmiggiano-Reggiano is allowed to call itself by that name – everything else is “parmesan”. The most accessible Parmiggiano-Reggiano available in the states is aged just over a year. But if you can find some that is aged two to three years or more, you should be prepared to focus on this treasured cheese while you eat it and allow time for savoring.

Prosciutto di Parma – the legendary dry-cured ham that is only made in Parma. Prosciutto di Parma is referred to as a “prosciutto crudo”, meaning “ham un-cooked”. “Prosciutto cotto” is cooked ham. There are other regions in Italy that make prosciutto crudo. For instance, Prosciutto di San Daniele is made in an Italian region farther north and Prosciutto Toscano is made in Tuscany. Each prosciutto crudo tastes different because local pigs are used, the local pigs only eat local feed, and only local, traditional seasonings are used.

Balsamic Vinegar – the thick, sweet/tangy Italian condiment that Italians use in so much more than salads. True balsamic vinegar – Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena – is made from the syrup of sweet wine grapes and aged a minimum of 12 years. You may at first be amused by the tiny bottles that traditional balsamic vinegar comes in, until you realize how long it takes to make and how precious and mind-blowing the end result really is.

If you are trying to create an authentic Italian gourmet experience for an Italy-lover in your life, and they say they love “prosciutto and Parmiggiano”, look for the products that are made in Emilia-Romangna:
Prosciutto di Parma, Parmiggiano-Reggiano, and Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena. Add some rustic bread and a glass of wine, if you like, and you can almost feel the lush Italian breeze.

Italian Gourmet: Learn to Make Italian Meals or Send the Right Italian Gift Basket to the Italy Fan in Your Life

In the United States, with its rich Italian-American culture, it can be difficult to distinguish between Italian-style meals, Italian-style food products, and Italian-American traditions that you might see on television and movies, and real Italian gourmet foods that are used in real Italian meal traditions.

The origins of Italian gourmet flavors, foods, and traditions are rooted in simplicity and natural availability. Italian cooks have always used the plants that grew where they lived and the animal products from the animals that thrived where they lived. Food has been – and still is – made by hand from local ingredients that are in season. Nowadays in the land of pre-processed foods that are available year-round, that can be considered “gourmet”. In fact, it is just the real Italian way.

If there is a person in your life that is a fan of Italy and pines for a taste of traditional Italian flavors in an Italian meal, there are ways to impress even if you have never set foot in Italy yourself.

The first consideration to please your fan of Italian cuisine is to determine what part of Italy they like best. Italy is made up of several regions, each with its own agriculture and traditions, that have only been unified as a country since the 1800s. Each region – such as Tuscany (the region that includes Florence and Siena), Lombardy (the region that includes Milan), Lazio (the region that includes Rome), or the Veneto (the region that includes Venice) – has its own food traditions based on the plants and animals that have been nurtured there in the past.

In the north, corn and rice are more plentiful than wheat. Therefore, they were more likely to use polenta or Arborio rice (risotto) than pasta in their meals. Beef is more plentiful in the regions in the center of Italy, such as Tuscany and Umbria. Garlic is used more in the foods from the regions of central and southern Italy (such as Rome and Naples) than in the north. Seafood is used primarily in the cuisines of seaside (and lakeside) towns, such as Venice, Como, Rimini, Cinque Terre, Sorrento, and Rome.

Learning which food types are typical of the city that your Italy fan loves, is a big step toward making a memorable Italian meal experience.

If your Italy fan is far away, or if she or he has more fun making their own Italian meals, an Italian gift basket is a very thoughtful gift. A basket that includes products made in Italy, or a gift of an aged balsamic vinegar or cheese imported from the region of their favorite Italy city would be cherished and well-used.

A little bit of research to find out the part of Italy that your loved one is missing is the ticket to re-creating the magic that they crave. Bravo and brava to all of you who wish to create the authentic Italian experience for the Italy fans in your life.

Cortona, Italy - Tuscan Sun Festival

Like so many Americani e Ingelsi, Cortona, Italy is idyllic to me.

It's romatic hilltop location, dreamy olive groves and vineyards, ristoranti incantevoli (charming restaurants), and ancient stone architecture lend themselves to fantasies of days that could be spent in the leisurely pursuit of nothing in particular.

I came across this article today from the intoscana.it website about the Tuscan Sun Festival in Cortona that is scheduled to happen tomorrow, August 7th. When I found it, I had to try to read it. My Italian is not yet up to the task to get every morsel out of the article, but my imagination could fill in the blanks. Besides, how interesting that famed actor Anthony Hopkins should be participating this year.

I hope you enjoy the article.
And, if you should be one of the obscenely lucky ones to be there, I hope you'll come back to this blog to tell me how wonderful the day was.

The Wines of the Province of Florence

I was having a nice chat at the 2009 Italian Style Expo at Navy Pier a couple weeks ago with a representative from the Camera di Commercio Firenze (Florence Chamber of Commerce). She had so many lovely features to show me about the offerings of the area, and I hope to show you each and every one. Of course, if I had my preference, I'd be showing you pictures and writing blog posts directly from Firenze on each tour and in each splendid accommodation, but you can't have everything, I guess.

One of things she gave to me at the end of our talk was a brochure called Wine in Florence: Discovering an "Ancient" Food. Upon reading it, it turns out that I didn't know as much about the wine of the province of Florence as I thought I did.

I turns out that there are only two DOCG (controlled and guaranteed designation of origin) wines from the province:

1. Chianti
2. Chianti Classico

There are five (5) DOC (controlled designation of origin) wines:

1. Bianco dell'empolese
2. Colli dell'Etruria centrale
3. Pomino
4. Vinsanto del Chianti
5. Vinsanto del Chianti Classico

And, three (3) IGT (typical geographical indication) wines:

1. Alta valle della Greve
2. Colli della Toscana centrale
3. Toscano o Toscana

I was under the impression that there were more from this region, but I must have been blending in some wines from the neighboring provinces. And, I must admit, I am not yet familiar with some of the DOC wines. I think getting to know these wines better sounds like a fun project for the last few weeks of summer.

In the meantime, if you are interested in more about the wines of the province of Florence (Firenze), or are interested in the most recent offerings of this glorious region, please visit the website of the Camera di Commercio Firenze . In the upper left of the home page you can select to view the site in English. I don't think the whole site is viewable in English yet, but you can certainly take advantage of what is available already. The rest will only help me improve my Italian language studies.

Enjoy!