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!

Can I Ship Things to Italy for My Vacation?

When staring at the bulging suitcase to prepare for a trip to Italy – or even just staring at the huge packing list – it might cross your mind to ship some things to Italy so that you don’t need to schlep them on the plane with you.

It sounds easy enough, but it isn’t.
Depending on what is written on the customs form that you fill out when you mail your box to your Italian hotel or apartment, the Dogana (customs) will likely charge duty and customs fees.

One of the amusing idiosyncrasies of Italy is that it can be difficult to find a finite list of rules that can be followed or relied-upon for any part of the Italian Government bureaucracy. So, instead of hard-and-fast rules, I have a few observations about what usually happens when shipping items from the US to Italy:

* Items in boxes will usually get charged customs fees (typically equivalent to $20 - $30 per box). Items arriving in padded envelopes do not seem to incur fees as often.

* Items shipped via US Post Office incur fewer fees upon delivery in Italy than items shipped via Fedex, UPS, or other carriers.

* Packages shipped with a significant claimed value ($50 or more) will usually arrive with a duty tax that needs to be paid – sometimes upwards of 50% of the claimed value.

* All of these fees that I mentioned would need to be paid directly to the delivery person who brings your package to your door, and there is no negotiation about the amount of the fees.

* The classifications” on customs forms that seem least likely to incur these customs charges are Used Personal Items or Used Clothing. Since you are sending a box of items to Italy for your vacation, the contents of that box could quite likely be used personal items and/or clothing, so if the box gets opened, it should pass inspection.

* Always register and insure anything you send to Italy. Do not ship anything that is irreplaceable, if it can be avoided.

* When packages are shipped to Italy, the shipping containers may be “gassed” to kill any bugs. Make sure any food or medicine items you ship are well-protected in food storage bags or other lightweight storage containers.

Shipping can be slow. It can take 7 – 10 days for a small box to arrive and clear customs before it is delivered. If you have friends in Italy that can receive the package for you and cover any costs, that is a good plan to put in place. Alternately, services like American Express can sometimes receive packages for you if you are a member, and costs can easily be settled on your account with them.

The decision to ship items to Italy for vacation should not be made lightly, or at the last minute, if it can be avoided. But these days, with new baggage fees on the airlines and the hassle of carrying extra bags on planes and trains to get to your destination, the option of shipping things to Italy for vacation can be very attractive.

It's Not "Car-Pah-CHEE-oh", It's "Car-Pah-CHO"

When I travel to places other than Italy, I still like to occasionally try Italian-themed restaurants. However, I'm getting more and more resistant to the idea. Mostly because the people who work in Italian-themed restaurants tend not to know anything about the language, the cultures, or the cuisines of Italy - which together make the real magic. In fact, the mis-pronounced words and misunderstandings of what they are serving actually pinch harder, since I'm usually looking for a "feeling of Italy" when I go into an Italian restaurant.

I was in a restaurant today at a gorgeous resort in Las Vegas. The folks that worked there were wonderful as far as service, and the food was pretty close to authentic. They even had a little room lit with red light with hanging prosciutto di Parma and giant, beckoning wheels of Parmiggiano Reggiano. The menu boasted that the recipes were from some relative's personal collection. The menu did look like a cross between an authentic Emilia Romagna or Lombardia menu, and the kitchen is clearly trying to duplicate the experience, albight with US domestic ingredients.

I was hopeful. However, when I asked for Carpaccio "Car-PAH-cho", my very kind server had to verify what I had asked for with a mis-pronounced "Car-PAH-chee-oh?" Aargh. Sure - "car-pah-chee-oh". The carpaccio itself was quite good and near authentic, but I could not shut out the background requests from other guests for "min-eh-strohn" and "bru-sheh-tuh". Seriously - the little daggers of the corruption of a beautiful language in an environment where it should be protected from harm almost spoiled my dinner.

Then, at the end of my meal, ordering a shot of espresso, and being asked if I would rather have a cappucino. No, I really do just want a shot of espresso. I resisted the compulsion to explain to him why a person looking for a semi-authentic Italian restaurant experience would turn down a cappucino at 7:30 pm. He did a good job working the espresso machine, though. It was a soothing end to a truly delicious meal.

It's not the fault of the patrons, who had the good taste to wander in to the restaurant in the first place. But I can't let the operators of the establishment off the hook - if they are building a reputation on "Nonna's Recipes", then they should coach their staff a little more thoroughly - don't you think?

What Everyday Items Should I Bring on My Vacation in an Italian Apartment?

You’re looking at your packing list, and then over at your suitcase, and wondering if you should just plan to buy some of your everyday items when you get there. That plan certainly makes the Italian vacation experience more authentic, as long as you’re comfortable reading labels in Italian. Imagine pointing to what you need in an Italian phrase book while you look pleadingly at the grocery clerk in the store around the corner from your apartment. It’s a dicey plan, but it can be done.

Here are a few nuggets of advice about what you’ll want to make room for in that suitcase:

OTC medicine and vitamin supplements
You’ll find aspirin over there, but not Tylenol or Advil or any of the other popular pain reliever types that we can so easily find in the US. If you rely on Tylenol or Advil – this goes for the baby versions, too – pack enough for the trip, just in case. Cold medicines can also be rare, so if you catch colds easily when you travel, pack your favorite American kind.
If you suffer from allergies, you can get Claritin, but the Claritin with decongestant hasn’t made it over there yet.
If you want to take your chances and make do with whatever OTC medicine and supplements you can find over there, also be aware that you’ll pay a significant percentage more for those items in Italy.

Cosmetics and Toiletries
Of course you can find a vast world of cosmetics and toiletries in Italy – and the prestige of buying them in Europe is fabulous. However, you can expect to pay 20% or more above the price you would pay for the exact same items in the US. I understand why this would be confusing – why is Italian make-up more expensive in Italy than in the US? I don’t have an answer for that one. I also cannot confirm that the formulas used in the US vs. Italian versions of the same products are identical. But, if you already like using a European product that you can buy in the US, you should probably just bring that product with you to Italy, unless you really want the packaging in Italian. That is kind of cool, actually.

Children’s Clothes, Toys, Diapers, and Formula
The advice here is to bring what you need. What you find in the stores will not be the same type of products you’re used to and they will be more expensive overall. Sure, that can of formula and mega-pack of diapers take up a lot of space in the suitcase, but they make great placeholders for souvenirs on the way home.

If Taller Than 5’6”, or wear Larger Than Men’s Size M or Misses Size 10, Bring All of the Clothes You’ll Need for the Trip
The clothing sizes available in Italy are not as broad a range as in the US. “Tall” is about 5’8”, and the highest Plus Size will go in the stores is roughly misses size 14. If you fall outside of those measurements, it will be difficult to find clothing to supplement your wardrobe. As a tall (over 6 feet), plus-sized woman, I have actually found some pieces in outdoor markets, coming in from Asia but with distinctly European style. You never know what surprises you’ll find while you’re there, but don’t count on being able to find longer and larger sizes in clothes.

Bring Appliances that Can Handle Dual-voltage
If your everyday appliances were manufactured to switch between the world’s most common voltages, then all you’ll need to bring is an adapter. The converter that works with an adapter to power your single voltage American appliances can be really heavy. Bring the curling iron that can switch from 110 to 220, and just use the adapter (make sure you switch the voltage before you plug it in, though!).
If you think you’ll need computer or printer power, though, bring the power converter. You might even want to invest in a laptop power cord when you arrive in Italy, if you’ll be staying long enough or if you think you’ll return.

Between the Euro exchange rate that is not in our favor and the cultural differences in products that are available to buy, travelers to Italy might find themselves packing more that they thought they’d have to just to be comfortable on vacation. But, spending your hard-earned money on fun things instead of necessities, and a little comfort from home go a long way toward being able to relax and fully enjoy your time in Italy.