Italy In SF

Liguria is the thin strip of land squeezed between the Mediterranean and the Alpi Marittime, the last (or first!) stretch of Alps that embraces Piemonte to the North. Liguria has historically been a harsh land, subject to colonization by foreign powers, with very little arable land and so dependent for food mostly on the sea and the few cultures that would adapt to the rough terrain. Basil, pine nuts, olives are main ingredients in many of the typical dishes, and fish takes a central stage whereas proteins are concerned… Here’s the top five things you can’t leave Liguria- and its famed Cinque Terre!- without having tried:

• Pesto alla Genovese- pesto is possibly the most famous export from Liguria. Just a handful of ingredients, and still delicious and fascinating to all sort of different cultures! Americans put it on pizza, French put it on meat, Germans put it on everything- but Ligurian mostly only put it over trofie, a handmade simple pasta. Legend has it that the small leaves of basil found in Liguria give the original pesto the unique flavor you taste only here- you can’t miss pesto here!
• Focaccia di Recco- I have talked about focaccia di Recco because it’ possibly the most delicious thing I have eaten in Liguria- and I didn’t even know about it till recently! Another legend of invasions and hardship, another dish with a long history and a tradition behind it. Focaccia bread cooked with a layer of cheese inside, crispy, and fabulous! Just the sheer fact that is pretty much only available in the town of Recco- doesn’t it make you curious?
• Farinata- this flatbread is similar to the piadina in Romagna, but in Liguria this traditional street food, rarely eaten at home, is made with chickpea flour and lot of extra-virgin olive oil!

  

• Orata alla Ligure- in many dishes in Liguria you will find the same base ingredients rearranged around a different protein. You can always count on olives, pine nuts, walnuts, basil and sometimes tomatoes to make it into the end result. Orata (seabass) is often served like this with the addition of potatoes, and so is coniglio (rabbit). In either dish, you have to try this preparation!
• Buridda di Seppie- with such a long coastline, it’s impossible to avoid fish dishes, and some of the smaller, cheaper and more flavorful sea critters are incredibly delicious. I would not pass the chance to try seppie (the tiny squids typical of this stretch of the Mediterranean coast) prepared in the flavorful tomato sauce with the addition of the ever-present pine nuts and anchovies… yum!

  

Filed under: Traditional Foods, italy