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Italian Food

Aceto Dolce

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In Italian, whenever you see “un cucchiaio di aceto dolce” (1 teaspoon of aceto dolce), what is meant is “sweet vinegar.” This can be a fruit vinegar — say, Raspberry Vinegar — or even Balsamic Vinegar. Italians would regard the Japanese wine vinegar, “Mirin”, as “aceto dolce.” Otherwise Aceto Dolce refers to a pickled mixture…

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Affettati

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Affettati is an Italian word for a category of cured, Italian products that are served cold or room temperature, sliced. In English, we might just say “cold cuts.”They are generally made of pork, but meats used can include beef, horse and boar, and in the past, even donkey. The meat may have been cured but…

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Agrumato Oils

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Agrumato Oils are a type of olive oil made in Abruzzo on the Costa dei Trabocchi, on the Adriatic Sea. The olives are crushed along with whole citrus fruits. The basic varieties are lemon, orange and tangerine, but you can buy sub-varieties of each flavoured with different herbs as well. Agrumato Limone: Lemon Agrumato Arancio:…

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Alchermes

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Alchermes is a dark, bright red coloured liqueur that is somewhat syrupy. It has a sweet, spicy flavour that comes from a blend of anise flowers, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, jasmine, mace, nutmeg, orange peel, sugar, and vanilla. These ingredients are steeped in alcohol, which is then flavoured with rose water. The alcohol content, depending on…

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Amaretti

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In English, some people call Amaretti cookies; some call them macaroons. They are a crisp cookie with a slightly chewy centre but as they age, they get crispy all the way through. They are made from ground almonds, egg white, and sugar. Some recipes call for a mix of sweet and bitter almonds. Some use…

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Amaretto

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Amaretto is a generic term for almond flavoured liqueurs. Some brands may actually use almonds, but the most famous brand, Amaretto di Saronno actually uses apricot pits. It has a slightly bitter favour and an alcohol content that ranges from 23 to 28%. Apparently made since 1525, it is still owned (2004) by the Saronno…

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Amaro Braulio

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Amaro Braulio is a bitters made in Bormio, Valtellina, Italy. The recipe is secret; but it probably includes juniper, gentian root, wormwood, and yarrow. The herbs used are harvested from Monte Braulino in the Italian Alps. Every person who has harvested the herbs since 1931 has had to sign a non-disclosure. After harvest, the ingredients…

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Anesone

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Anesone is a clear liqueur with the flavour of anise. It is 45 proof, and stronger in taste, and drier than, Anisette. Made from anise seeds. Language Notes “-one” in Italian means big, signifying that this has more alcohol than the liqueur called Anisette.

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Annurca Apples

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Annurca Apples are grown in Campania, Italy, in the provinces of Naples (the area of Giuglianese-Flegrea), Caserta (areas of the Maddalonese, the Aversana and the Teanese), and in Benevento (areas of Caudma-Telesina and Tabiirno.) They are also grown in Avellino and Salerno. They are fragrant, small to medium-sized apples, oval shaped, and often somewhat flattened….

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Apéritifs

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Many chefs complain about our habit of drinking cocktails before sitting down to a meal. Most people find a few rounds of cocktails can get things off to a rolling start, but you can see their point: they want us paying attention to the tastes of their food, instead of just focussing on not sliding…

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Aperol

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Aperol is a reddish-orange coloured aperitif. Its ingredients include bitter orange, china bark, gentian, and rhubarb root. It has a taste that is bitter and sweet at the same time, but mostly dominated by the orange. Aperol can be drunk neat, on ice or with chilled soda. It is 11% alcohol. Aperol Soda, with 3…

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Aurum Orange Liqueur

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Aurum Orange Liqueur is based on 8 year old brandy, infused with peel from bitter oranges, herbs and sugar. Saffron is amongst the herbs used, which gives the liqueur a pale golden colour. The infused brandy is distilled, then aged for 12 months. It is made by the “Rustichella D’Abruzzo” company near Pescara in Abruzzo,…

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Averna Bitters

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Averna Bitters are a dark, bitter, fruity flavoured liqueur. There are apparently around 60 herbs used in making Averna Bitters. Some of the tastes identified in are vanilla, sugar, liquorice, cinnamon, and cola. The alcohol content of Averna Bitters is 32%. It is made by the same company that makes Sambuca and Underberg Bitters. Cooking…

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Balsamic Vinegar

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Balsamic Vinegar is a sweetish, syrupy brown vinegar made in Italy made from grapes. There are three types of genuine Balsamic Vinegar: Tradizionale (“traditional”) balsamic vinegar of Modena, made in Modena (“Aceto Tradizionale di Modena”); Tradizionale (“traditional”) balsamic vinegar of Reggio Emilia, made in Reggio Emilia (Aceto Tradizionale di Reggio Emilia”); Balsamic vinegar of Modena…

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Bartolomeo Scappi: Renaissance Cook and Food Writer

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Bartolomeo Scappi was a Renaissance Italian cook who cooked for six Popes. He wrote a famous cookbook that captured the shift between medieval and renaissance cooking.

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Battuto

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A battuto with parsley and pancetta added © Denzil Green In Italian cooking, a “battuto”, which means a “minced” (mixture), is a finely chopped, uncooked mixture of food items. The mixture is typically of onion, celery and carrot. Sometimes a recipe will call for a bit of sage, parsley, garlic or diced pancetta to be…

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Bel Paese Cheese

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This is a mild, Italian semi-soft cheese that is now also made in the US. It is a creamy, ivory-coloured cheese with a bit of a tang to it. It is usually sold in small wheels, though larger ones are available. Varieties flavoured with herbs are now available for use on cheese boards. Substitutes Use…

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Biga

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Biga is an Italian leavener mixture made from flour, water and yeast. It is made up each time for a loaf of bread — it is not meant to be reserved and carried over, as is done for a sourdough starter.

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Bocconcini Cheese

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Bocconcini Cheese © Denzil Green Bocconcini Cheese is small balls of Mozzarella, about the size of a chicken egg (thus another Italian name for these, “uvoa di mozzarella”, or “mozzarella eggs.”) They are usually packed in water to keep them fresh. In Italy, they are often made of buffalo milk. Bocconcini are usually served fresh…

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Bollito misto

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Bollito misto is a Northern Italian boiled dinner of boiled meats, particularly along the Po Valley. It means literally “mixed boil.” It is a traditional New Year’s Eve dish in northern Italy. There is no one single classic recipe. In fact, there are different regional styles, such as Piedmont versus Verona. On big occasions, the…

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Bolognese Zucchini

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Bolognese Zucchini is oval and plump, growing up to 8 inches (20 cm) long. It has light green skin. The plant is a bush type, Cooking Tips It gives good-sized slices for frying. History Notes Bolognese Zucchini originated in Bologna, Italy.

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Borlotti Beans

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Borlotti Beans © Denzil Green Borlotti Beans grow red pods speckled with off-white spots. The beans inside have the reverse coloration: mainly white, with some red speckles. They have a meaty flavour. They are a variety of Cranberry Bean. Cooking Tips The dried beans lose their coloration when cooked and turn a uniform light brown….

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Bottarga

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Bottarga is fish eggs or roe from Tuna or Grey Mullet. It is made in Sicily and Sardinia. The roe sack is extracted from the fish, salted, then let stand for a few weeks, during which time it is pressed by hand both to flatten it and to remove any air pockets. Then it is…

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Bresaola

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Bresaola is lean, air-dried, salt-cured beef rubbed with spices. It is served in Italy as an antipasto sliced very thinly, so thin you can almost see through it (1 – 1.5 mm.) Bresaola is very moist, not leathery. It used to be much drier than it is now, but production techniques have changed to create…

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