Too Much Food

I have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to taste all of the delicious food throughout Italy and in Spain. I have loved it all and I fear that once I return home, nothing will be able to compare. From the plate fulls of pasta to the huge pizzas and the fresh vegetables in salads and paninis, I will miss it all. I am usually a very picky eater so I was surprised at home much I enjoyed trying new foods while I was here. Now that I have experienced authentic Italian food I don't think I will enjoy the Italian food at home nearly as much.

That's Amore

"When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie that's amore." I always want to sing this song when we order pizza here. The pizza is delicious, whether we are grabbing a quick slice at the pizzeria down the street from the Sede di Roma or ordering a huge pizza at a retaurant, it is always good. I like the pizza here much better than at home. The crust is very thin and flaky and the cheese is always fresh.

Coffee Culture

Italy is known very well for its coffee. While I don't usually drink coffee at home, I have tried a cappucino and an espresso. Italians are very particular about their coffee. They drink their cappucino in the morning but not after 11:30, they think that milk is bad for the stomach after the morning. But an espresso is okay at any time of day. Today when we walked into the bar to get our cappucino, it was crowded with men in suits quickly drinking their espresso before jetting back off to work. I actually liked the cappucino which surprised me.

Paella

Spain is also known for its paella. It was on the menu at every restaurant. It is rice in a thick yellow sauce often served with seafood. But while we were in Spain they also had vegetable paella which is what I tried. It was served with peas, artichokes, asparagus, peppers, and carrots. It was delicious and very filling.

Pass the Tapas

Spain is known for tapas so while we were in Barcelona, we ordered a lot of tapas. Tapas are like appetizers and are small portions so you can order a lot of them. There was every kind of tapas imaginable- seafood (mussels, octopus, shrimp, squid), vegetables, potatoes, chicken, omelets. For dinner, everyone ordered a few tapas and we passed them around so everyone could try it. It was a great way to try the different foods in Spain.

Sweet Sangria

Sangria was something we just had to try while in Spain. It was offered at every restaurant and was relatively inexpensive for the large pitcher that you received. It is red wine, club soda, chunks of fruit, and a few other ingredients. The fruit was so fresh and delicious. It is much sweeter than red wine alone and is more like a punch.

Want Some Seafood Mamma?

Venice is known for its fabulous, fresh seafood. With its excellent location so close to the sea, the menus at every restaurant were filled with seafood dishes, most of the fish coming straight from the morning fish market or pescheria. One of the main seafood dishes found at most of the restaurants was baccalá Mantecato, creamed cod. It was first introduced in Venice by Pietro Querini and has remained a staple of Venetian food ever since (Venetian 1). It is softened, dried cod cooked in olive oil, parsley, and garlic, then pounded into a cream served with slices of polenta.

*Photo taken from www.italianfoodnet.com/uploads/img/news-dired...
"Venetian cuisine: venetian food, traditional recipes, venetian recipes, cuisine in Venice, Venice Traditions, Art and history - Meeting Venice." Venezia, Hotel Venezia, Meteo Venezia, Mappa Venezia, Foto Venezia - MeetingVenice.it. 14 June 2009 http://www.meetingvenice.it/en/venice-art-and-history/venice-traditions/venetian-cuisine.html.

Orange Blossom

Today we went to the Caffѐ Delle Arance, Café of the Oranges, for some fresh squeezed orange juice. The café is located in Trastevere in the Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere. The outdoor seating looks out onto the piazza’s fountain and the grand church, Santa Maria in Trastevere. Oranges line the shelves inside and outside the café. The orange juice was delicious. It came in large fancy glasses with a slice of orange. The café serves other food items and drinks, but orange juice is clearly their thing.

Fiorentina

Florence is known for the way that they cook their meats, especially steak and chicken. Tonight for dinner I got the Pollo alla Fiorentina. It was grilled chicken served on a bed of ruccola and was cooked perfectly. The chicken is sliced very thin and in small pieces, then grilled. Florence is not known for sauces or foams so the chicken was just lightly seasoned. It was delicious.

Some Things are Better Left Unknown

Once we got to Florence today we went out to dinner. At dinner we started out with a few antipasti. We ordered something that we expected to be bread with various spreads. It came with two bruschetta and two "miscellanous". We had no idea what the different spreads were and after tasting one, we were still baffled as to what it was. It was served on warm, toasted bread and was a gray color. The spread was more like a paste and left a fishy aftertaste. After we returned home I was looking at my guide book and found out that it is called Crostini di Fegatini which is a chicken liver spread made with chicken livers, carrot and onion, and mashed anchovies and capers. Being that we don't usually eat liver or anchovies, we were slightly disgusted at what it was made with and decided that we were probably better off not knowing what exactly we had eaten.

Hot Lunch Jam

Our favorite lunchtime food has become paninis. You can get them at most cafes or bars and grab them and go or sit down for lunch. I love paninis here because there is such a variety. You can get prosciutto and cheese, salami and cheese, turkey and mozzarella, mozzarella and spinach, mozzarella and tomatoes, or like my picture, eggs, tomatoes, and lettuce. You can get them hot or cold and they are delicious. The best part is the different breads that your sandwiches come on. Some are thick and fluffy, others have different herbs and spices on top, and some are flat breads.

Salad Days are Here Again

Today, after walking around to different churches for class, we decided to grab lunch by the Colosseum. We went to a very authentically Italian place- there was no English on the menu. I ordered a salad with tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, olives, and anchovies. However, I did not eat the anchovies. My salad did not come with dressing. It only had some oil over top as most salads do here in Italy. I am a huge fan of dressing usually but I am beginning to enjoy the lighter taste of oil on my salads. It helps that the lettuce, tomatoes, and mozzarella are so fresh here!

Life Can Be Sweet

Italy is famously known for its gelato. Unfortunately, I don't like it, but I did try it. You can get gelato at a cafe, bar, or gelateria and one is found on almost every corner. My roommates and I went to Giolitti, one of the very famous gelaterias in Rome. So famous, it even made my map. We went around lunch time so it was incredibly crowded, packed with workers on their lunch break grabbing a quick espresso or a gelato before heading back to work. While gelato is Italy's ice cream, there a few major differences between gelato and ice cream. For starters, they are made differently. Ice cream is made by mixing cream, milk, and sugar, and then adding air. Gelato does not add air so it is denser than ice cream. Gelato is served at a lower temperature than ice cream, so it melts faster in your mouth, giving you a taste of more flavor, faster. Gelato also has 15-20% less butterfat than ice cream. Gelato comes in a plethora of flavors. Giolitti offers more different flavors of gelato than any place we have gone to thus far. They even put more than one flavor on a cone at a time!

*Added information is from WhyGelato.com - A Gelato-Inspired Resource. 20 May 2009 .

This Little Piggy Went to Market

We went to the open market at Campo de'Fiori today. I was surprised at the variety of things for sale. They had rows and rows of beautifully colorful fresh fruit and vegetables, different pasta noodles, dried fruit, nuts, kitchen gadgets, all different kinds of flowers, some clothes, scarves, ad jewelry. All of the vendors were more than happy to help you shop at their stands, and only some bordered on being pushy. The fresh fruit and vegetables were sold at a much better price than at the grocery stores and the selection was incredibly better. The atmosphere was far more relaxing than the stressful super markets where no one wants to help you, you feel rushed to bag your own groceries, and you get dirty looks if you don't have exact change.

Scenes From an Italian Restaurant

For my class, we have to pick an ongoing theme for our blogs. Since Italy is an area of such lavish cuisine, I have chosen food for my theme. So far, I have loved everything I have eaten. And coming from a usually picky eater, that is saying something. In Italy you can get food from a multitude of places like a ristorante, a trattoria, an enoteca, or a birrerie to name a few, all of which are scattered throughout the city. A ristorante is a more elegant place to eat and is therefore more expensive. A trattoria is more of a family-run business and offers excellent home cooking. An enoteca offers snacks, rather than full course meals, and many times include well-stock wine shops. A birrerie is better for an informal, sit-down lunch or dinner. One thing I love about Italian restaurants is the outdoor seating. Most restaurants have their tables outside and you can enjoy your food and the excellent weather, as well as the sights!

*Picture is taken from www.foodherald.com/images/italian-forum-leich

*Added information was from Publishing, DK. Rome (Eyewitness Travel Guides). New York: DK Travel, 2003.