Many people travel to Italy to learn how to cook classic Italian recipes. But have you thought about dessert? If you have ever enjoyed gelato, you may wonder how it is made, what the difference is from ice cream and, possibly, how you could start your own business. Continue reading "Love Gelato? Learn To Be A Gelatiere!"
Food and Wine
Happy Hour In Italian? Aperitivo!
How Do You Say Happy Hour In Italian? Aperitivo!
Milan is known for many things…fashion, finance, industry, museums and universities. But the second largest city in Italy is also the capital of the Aperitivo.
Continue reading "Happy Hour In Italian? Aperitivo!"
Italian tradition: Panforte
In Italy there are many tastes and traditions to experience. For example in Siena, one of the most charming cities of Tuscany, there is one cake which is a piece of culture for the people of Siena: The Panforte.
An attempting to translate "Panforte" in American English can sound like "strong bread" but Panforte is not a bread, is a cake. A circle shaped cake that is basically composed with candied, spices and dried fruit. Continue reading "Italian tradition: Panforte"
Il pranzo di Natale – The Italian Christmas Lunch
Christmas day, it's a great festivity in the most part of the world. In Italy, is an important moment of the year because is the occasion, more than the others, to reunite all the family around a table.The Italian Christmas lunch is a great challenge for the stomachs of all the participants. Usually, takes place at the grandma's house and it lasts for hours. Many special dishes are prepared, following special traditions of the family or traditional recipes, always revisited by the knowledgeable hands of mothers and grandmothers. Through those recipes, it's an occasion to revive stories and memories about the family traditions. In some families happens that the last part of the lunch is the moment to exchange and open the Christmas presents that every member have received. Continue reading "Il pranzo di Natale – The Italian Christmas Lunch"
New Year’s Cotechino and Lentils
A Delicious and Rewarding New Year’s Eve Tradition!
Italians have a knack for celebrating traditions with festive meals and, as the year comes to a close, there is none so delicious as Cotechino with Lentils on New Year’s Eve.The tradition behind eating a hearty meal of Cotechino with Lentils on New Year’s Eve is based upon an old Italian custom. Since Lentils are somewhat flat like coins, the idea is that if, at the stroke of midnight, you start the New Year by eating lentils, it will bring you fortune. The more lentils you eat, the richer you will be.
Christmas time with Pandoro
Christmas time is a moment that gather all the family. In Italy, our tradition is to reunite all the parents around a table, where eating and laughing are the main activities. Beside Panettone, Pandoro is one of the most common dessert during the festivities.
Pandoro is a sweet yeast bread composed with flour, sugar, butter and vanilla. Usually is served with powdered sugar on top or with Chantilly cream as a side. Pandoro is shaped like a frustum, with an eight star section. Pandoro is combined in many occasions with desserts wines to strengthen its sweetness and its flavor . Continue reading "Christmas time with Pandoro"
Legends about the Panettone
Panettone is a sweet bread loaf which is typical of the Italian culture. This sweet bread is a must on every table on Christmas time but also on the New Year Eve. It has a shape like a cupola with a cylindrical base. It contains a lot of different ingredients like raisins, candied orange, citron and lemon zest, but many different varieties are available with creme and chocolate. The Panettone is originally from Milan, in Lombardy, and now that has became, a so spread habit, in all Italy it is produced in an industrial way, but tasting the original one baked by one of the master artisans in Milan is a still a different experience. Continue reading "Legends about the Panettone"
Natale di Vetro in Murano
In Murano, one of the major islands of the Venice Lagoon, every Christmas,something special happens. Murano is renowned all over the world for its glass blowers and their incredible capabilities to give shapes and colors to the glass. On the 6th of December, there is the celebration for Saint Nicole, the patron Saint of glass blowers, from this date Murano celebrates, for about one month, the "Natale di Vetro" where all the island rejoices about its art glass. Continue reading "Natale di Vetro in Murano"
Authentic Pesto Sauce of Genoa
Ancient architecture, beautiful landscapes, and a thriving culture characterize Genoa. Although this diverse city is most commonly known as the birthplace of Christopher Columbus, there is much more to Genoa. As Italy’s largest seaport Genoa has drawn people to its quaint alleyways, historic churches, noble castles, monuments, and museums. Additionally, this historic city is also the home of one of the most famous sauces across the world, the pesto. Continue reading "Authentic Pesto Sauce of Genoa"
Traditional Tuscan Poor Dishes – History of Ribollita, Pappa Al Pomodoro, and Panzanella
Whether it’s stone soup, chicken noodle, seven layer, or another, soup is a delicious dish that has been around since the beginning of time. When large amounts of food were limited in times past, it only seemed logical that you would mix everything together to make the leftover food extend further to feed more mouths. It has been done throughout the centuries with both rich and poor families, and it is still being done today. In Tuscany, some of the most delicious meals are in the form of soups. The most common ones include Panzanella, Ribollita, and Pappa al Pomodoro. Continue reading "Traditional Tuscan Poor Dishes – History of Ribollita, Pappa Al Pomodoro, and Panzanella"