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| The best of Italy | |||
Paul Murray, author of Leipoldt's Food and Wine, takes us on a journey discovering wonderful Italian food. |
Giovanni's Deli in Greenpoint is a good bet if you are looking for a "one-stop Italian shop". Specialities such as almond biscotti for dipping in Tuscan vin santo, as well as olio d'oliva are readily available. Even with a wide range of local and imported olive oils Giulio Bertrand's Morgenster is a worthy choice. Its acclaim lies in its low level of acidity. When I commented once to an Italian on the merits of Tuscan olive oil, an outraged Ligurian was convinced that the oil from his province was superior by far. The height at which the olives grow there, coupled with the cool air from the coastline, give it the edge over other olive oils, according to him.
Inter-provincial rivalry in Italy over cookery, food and wine is as strong today as in medieval times. For instance, the memory of the Battle of Montaperti fought in 1260 by Florence against Siena and Pisa lives on. This accounts for the continued hate between Florentines and Pisans. Whilst some place the blame fairly and squarely on Sienese shoulders — their soldiers dared to open fire on the Carroccio, the holy wagon that accompanied medieval Italian armies where a priest celebrated mass during the battle — others make the Florentines the culpable party. At a crucial moment of the Battle one of their rank's sudden defection, and cutting off the hand of the ensign bearer of the Florentine cavalry in the process, caused the tide to turn.
There are not many places in the world whose rich convivium around food is so entrenched in history as that of Italy!
Let's start with the "pane" (bread). Italian bread is traditionally so nice that even the Roman satirical poet, Juvenal, suggested that in order to keep the masses contented, they should be given "panem et circenses" (bread and games). Without bread, how could one possibly engage in the delight of scooping up the remnants of the tomato sugo at the bottom of the pasta dish, without the scarpetta — the little shoe, made out of a piece of bread placed between finger and thumb?
To "fare la scarpetta" in Florence is to do so at one's peril, like the time I was enjoying a simple meal at Buca Lapi in Florence! The interruption from a Florentine gentleman soon put a dampener on the delectable experience, when in a state of fury he rose to his feet and announced: "Signore, no! Usi la forchetta! E stata inventata dai fiorentini!" (Mister, no! Use the fork! The Florentines invented it!). How was a foreign student to know any better than scoop up the sauce from the plate with the scarpetta?
The authoritative voice might have sounded convincing at the time, but upon further investigation I found his claim to be false. The Florentines did not invent the fork! The Egyptians, Greeks and Romans used large forks in ritual ceremonies and in cooking. Excavations at Pompeii and Herculaneum reveal that forks were used as eating utensils. The enraged Florentine gentleman was confusing the invention of the fork with the fact that the young Catherine de Medici, when she went from Italy to France in 1533 to marry Henry II of France, introduced the fork to France for the first time!
Whilst one can debate which civilisation invented the fork, one thing is certain: you need it to twirl the strands of spaghetti or fettucine around the tines. (I once read an article in a journal that said that Italian psychologists are apt to judge your character based on the direction you twirl your fork, clockwise or anti-clockwise. The former means you are normal, whilst the latter will certainly certify you as crazy!) …
This article was originally published on Litnet. To read the full story, click here.
Image: Vanessa Grobler / True Love magazine
| story by Paul Murray from Litnet | |
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