Italian Stories, Legends & Folktales…
Every year during the Carnival week Castiglione Messer Marino, a tiny village in the province of Chieti, hosts “La mascra” (i.e. the mask). On Sunday before Mardi Gras people – only men – dress up and parade along the village streets and drag everybody into the hectic and wild Carnival atmosphere. The parade is led … Continue reading
In Italy, the holiday season brings – along with the huge amount of to-dos everybody knows – the Hamletic doubt: panettone or pandoro. Italians, from icy Alto Adige to warm Sicily, split into two parties: Panettone supporters and Pandoro fans. The only thing both parties agree on is that both cakes are meant to be … Continue reading
“Bacalà (one “c”) alla vicentina” is one of the signature dishes of Italian cooking heritage. The funny thing about it is that the main ingredient – “bacalà” – is not what people usually mean i.e. salted codfish, but Stockfish – i.e. dried cod. This misunderstanding started in XV century with Venetian merchant Messer Piero Querini, … Continue reading
“Cavolo” (stress on the “a”) i.e. cabbage is a common and healthy ingredient in many recipes of the Italian cuisine. It is included in the cancer prevention diet, and despite the bad smell it releases, due to the presence of sulphur compounds, it’s employed as a side dish, in potages, in vegetable pies and so … Continue reading
When we talk about food and cooking, the word “bianco” (white) is frequently used in the phrase “in bianco” and it means plain food without any sauces or additional spices. “Mangiare in bianco” (have plain food) often happens after being sick or after recovering from a malaise. Therefore, having “riso in bianco” (boiled rice) or … Continue reading
A festival designed for children, a party to celebrate nature and the forest and all its inhabitants – fairies, elves, fauns, jesters, trolls, giants… Read more: International Festival of the Gnomes… via festadeglignomi.it “It is frightfully difficult to know much about the fairies, and almost the only thing for certain is that there are fairies … Continue reading
In these days temperatures range from 28 to 36 degrees Celsius (82 to 96 Fahrenheit) and everybody is looking for some “fresco”, i.e. some cool air/location. No doubt that having lunch or dinner “alfresco” [al-fres-koh] brings some relief from this sultry weather, however, the right way to say it in Italian is “pranzare/cenare all’aperto” or … Continue reading
Charles De Gaulle used to wonder how anyone can govern a nation – i.e. France – that has two hundred and forty-six different kinds of cheese. Well, Big Charles would have had a tough nut to crack if he had been born in Italy, where almost every town or village is proud of its own cheese, cake, wine, … Continue reading
