Parma is at the center of several world-famous Italian foods- Parmigiano is from here, as well as the best known prosciutto. In ancient times, Parma was a trading post for salt that would come in from the Romagna coast as well as from the trades of Venice. The windy location of Parma is perfect for [...]
Filed under: Traditional Foods | 4 Comments »
You have always heard that in ancient times salt was like gold, but why is that? Salt is the original preserving mean. Meat cured in salt doesn’t spoil, cheese soaked in brine lasts longer, and those foods could then be stored for long travels, colder months, or times of famine. Cervia, a small town on [...]
Filed under: Traditional Foods | 2 Comments »
In a globalized world where parmesan took on meaning any sort of hard cheese, and balsamic vinegar became a generic term for a vinegar dark in color, the EU realized that some sort of protection for their typical food products was needed. This is a way to protect customers against misleading labels and shelter producers [...]
Filed under: Traditional Foods | 2 Comments »
No other Italian recipe has known the success of pesto. a simple mix of only a handful of ingredients, and yet so flavorful that it is worldwide known.
Picture courtesy of Comune di Rapallo
There are six basic ingredients to pesto: garlic, olive oil, nuts, basil leaves, salt and cheese. Yet, everyone does pesto in a different [...]
Filed under: Traditional Foods | 2 Comments »
On Friday, October 17th, Marcella Hazan will be at the Pasta Shop in Oakland for a book signing event from 4 to 6pm. Her new book, Amarcord, is a memoir: 53 years of marriage, recipes, and her quest to bring “real” Italian food to the US. The New York Times recently wrote a lengthy article [...]
Filed under: Events | 1 Comment »
