Gourmet food

As winter is rapidly approaching, the harvest season has just drawn to a close. The first news about the Italian extra-virgin olive oil production mark an increase of +15% compared to last year and an excellent level of quality. This year, the overall production of EVO oil in Italy should be around 315 million kilos: in line with the statistics of the latest harvest but lower than expected. The drought that during the warmest months hit Puglia - the region whose production represents half of the entire national one - negatively affected the figures however other regions, such as Lazio…

Together with extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar is one of the most popular gourmet products coming from Italy. As it often happens with iconic Italian foods and food-related products, many are its fraudulent imitations that may disorient the consumer. Let’s put it simply: the shorter the label, the better the product. Traditional Balsamic Vinegar is a reduction of naturally fermented grape must coming only from Lambrusco, Sangiovese, Trebbiano, Albana, Ancellotta, Fortana and Montuni vines. The must is cooked and then aged in barrels or casks made from selected wood types such as oak, chestnut, mulberry and juniper. The minimum amount…

In Italy there is nothing more autumnal than the smell of roasted chestnuts that fills the air. In the past, before the economic boom of the 60s reached everybody, people would buy roasted chestnuts from street vendors and stuff them in their pockets to keep their hands warm and, of course, to have something nice to snack on. Nowadays street vendors are still there but roasted chestnuts are served wrapped in fancy paper cones and have become a rather fashionable street food. Legend has it that Italians’ love for chestnuts dates back to Ancient Roman times, when chestnuts were used…

Famous all over the world for its stunning monuments, art galleries and that lovely feeling of dolce vita, Rome is also well-known to food lovers for three pasta courses that are featured on the menu of any trattoria romana (traditional restaurant) worth that name: Carbonara, Gricia and Cacio e Pepe. Despite their different names, these dishes share the same secret for success: just a few quality fresh ingredients, perfectly combined to create something absolutely delicious. Carbonara is probably the most famous of all Roman pasta dishes. It is widely believed that pasta alla carbonara was born during WWII with the…

Probably created to counterbalance the effects of the high summer temperatures, Italian frozen desserts are rather enjoyable in any season and are now so popular all over the world that it is worth shedding a light on their own distinctive characteristics. Gelato is undoubtedly the most famous one. According to the Istituto del Gelato Italiano , the association established in 1991 to protect the quality of this Italian excellence, gelato as we know it today was invented in Florence in the 15th century by the architect Bernardo Buontalenti. Prepared with natural ingredients such as milk, cream, eggs and sugar, it…

Pizza is one of the most iconic Italian foods, a symbol of Italian culinary culture. From its original toppings (tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil leaves) that somehow remind of the Italian flag, to those slices handed out to our dining companions: there is something bonding about pizza that makes it truly special, despite its simplicity. Italian pizza lovers never fail to recognize pizza napoletana (Neapolitan pizza) as the queen mother of all the other variants that nowadays are prepared and served all over the country. The dough -made with Italian wheat flour, water, yeast and salt – is kneaded by…

The famous “dessert stomach” was probably invented in Italy because, never mind the three savory courses that form a standard Italian meal, many are the traditional sweet foods that we indulge in at the end of a friendly session around the table. Starting from the most famous of all Italian desserts, Tiramisù , it is interesting to know that, back in the 19th century, this powerful, coffee-flavored sponge cake used to be allegedly served as a “tonic” to the customers of a local brothel in Treviso. If this were true, it would not come to a surprise then that its other…

The full list of Italian cheese excellences protected by the European Union with the PDO mark (Protected Designation of Origin, DOP in Italian) - which certifies that every step of the production process takes place in a specific region - includes 50 different types of cheese. Among them, Parmigiano Reggiano is undoubtedly the most famous one. Parmigiano Reggiano is produced exclusively in the provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna and Mantua. Its production is strictly regulated and supervised by the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium which ensures that, for a start, cattle are fed on locally grown forage without using silage,…

Italian dry cured ham - locally known as prosciutto crudo - is a high quality product prepared in the most traditional way, respecting the strictest food safety standards. The best varieties are certified with the European PDO mark (Protected Designation of Origin, DOP in Italian) which guarantees that each step of their production adheres to the procedural guidelines of the local Consortium that preserves the original recipe. The eight types of ham that gained the PDO certification are: Prosciutto di Parma DOP (simply called “Parma” in Italy), Crudo di Cuneo DOP, Prosciutto di Carpegna DOP, Prosciutto di Modena DOP, Prosciutto…

Although mainly known as a country producing some of the world's best wine, over the last decade Italy has started to become famous also for craft beers. Up until 20 years ago, the country’s beer reputation relied on major brands which produce tasty beer yet made for mass consumption. Thanks to a handful of visionary men from Lombardy and Piedmont, who decided to fight the cultural bias linked to brews, a brand new movement of Italian craft beer was born: the same one that is now making Italy Europe's most vibrant beer scene. Since 1996, when the first microbreweries moved…

One of the pleasures of the Italian food culture is that each meal is treated as a serious matter, following unwritten rules that are meant to add extra joy to the enjoyment of food itself. Slow is the word, especially at dinner time during weekends when the clock does not seem to tick as fast as during work days. If a proper meal is divided into three courses (starter, pasta, main course), its final part is another ritual in itself: first dessert, then espresso coffee and finally a digestive liquor. Simply put, digestivo is an alcoholic drink served at the…

Famous for being an essential ingredient in Tiramisu, mascarpone is an Italian triple cream cheese prepared with unskimmed cows' milk. Because of its high perishability, in the past mascarpone used to be produced only during the winter season; nowadays, of course, it is available all year round. Despite being classified as cheese, mascarpone is not exactly a real one because its preparation does not involve the use of rennet: it is obtained from milk cream to which citric acid or lemon juice are added to help it solidify; the resulting curd is then gently heated until it reaches the perfect…