So, I know the most exciting part of travel is the food, and I am no stranger to that. In fact, I was most excited for the food, as I truly believe this is the most authentic reflection of a culture. I tried lots of pasta, gelato, pizza, and some other unique things. I will also share the incredible experience I had of taking a cooking class to make homemade pasta!
This dish is called Cacio e Pepe which translates to “cheese and pepper” and is an authentic Roman dish that has Romana cheese, a sheep’s milk cheese, pepper, pasta, and water. The beauty of this dish is that you focus on its simplicity of al dente pasta, salty cheese, fresh pepper and enjoy the ingredients without extra fanfare. I loved this dish.
I also tried gnocchi in Rome. While this is no different than gnocchi elsewhere in Italy, I had to feature this pillowy soft potato pasta. I tried gnocchi in Venice which was soft but mushy. The place that I had at this restaurant showcased airy gnocchi that was mixed with a light amount of San Marzano tomato sauce and fresh basil and broiled with mozzarella. Again this is a fairly simple dish but executed perfectly. I mean the freshness of the sauce, the refreshing basil, crispy mozzarella and soft gnocchi made for an incredible meal.
One new thing that I learned was that different parts of Italy have different styles of pizza, no not all Italian pizzas are the same. So, when I learned that Roman pizza has a thick crispy crust, I was curious to know what was like. I would compare the crust style to that of a Jet’s pizza with less grease. The pizzeria that I went to didn’t have very many vegetarian options for my chicketarian diet, so I went with the suggestion of a zucchini pizza with blistered cherry tomatoes. The way I ordered the pizza was unique. The chef had a sheet tray of pizza and she held a flat spatula and asked me how much I want by going from a big square to a smaller one. Once I decided the portion, she weighed it and based on the price per pound, I paid. So this was a cool experience.
I tried this thing called a tripzinno which was described as pizza with an Italian classic dish sandwiched in the center. I really don’t know if this is authentic or not, but it was different, so I thought it was cool. While my imagination conjured an image of two new york style slices of pizza sandwiching chicken cacciatore, it was more like a crispy bread with a soft inside then soaked up the chicken cacciatore. I have learned that “pizza” here actually refers to the dough or crust instead of crust with sauce and cheese.
I also ate incredible gelato. The key to good gelato is to make sure you can see the gelato machinery or make sure it is in the shop! Also- don’t be afraid to ask the gelatier(?) what is the freshest/their recommendation. That’s how I got to try some amazing unique flavors and sample the shop’s best.
Now for my cooking class: seriously an experience I will never forget. The head chef we worked with Lilliane was so nice and chatted with me as we walked to the school. We talked pasta sauce “shop” and I was telling her about my favorite pasta sauce: rosa, which is a combination of a cheese sauce with Pomodoro. When I asked if she tried it, she responded: “No, its probably an American thing.” This made me reflect on the fact that something as simple as the Italian sauces that I think are “authentic” just simply isn’t that. Even authentic Italian restaurants in the United States cater to American’s perception of “classic” and keep dishes like fettucine alfredo (which is not a thing in Italy) on the menus because Americans like it. It surprises me that we have taken the concepts of pasta and sauce and so radically changed it.
Well in the class, we made homemade pasta and we used 4 ingredients: semolina flour, an egg, salt, and oil. We made a well in the flour and added the other ingredients pretty much. Then we kneaded it and put it through a variety of settings in the electronic pasta roller. Finally, we dusted our fettucino with more semolina and it was ready for the boiling water. I really loved this experience and will definitely try and find another cooking experience like this when I study abroad, so I can learn the authentic cuisine.
An interesting thing is that the pasta portions aren’t as big as those at home. However, I personally was able to finish my meal and be satisfied without being too full. Plus, after dinner, I was still in the mood to walk around instead of being sleepy like I sometimes am after a hearty pasta dinner. Also, menus here have simple pasta dishes as one course and meat dishes separately (that usually don’t have pasta) and I have really come to appreciate the simplicity of the homemade pasta with a simple, flavorful sauce. I really can focus on the delicate flavors and the ingredient’s freshness, which is a lot different than the heavy meat, vegetable and sauce laden pastas at home. I think the pasta in Italy is different too because it lacks alot of the heavy components that I find at restaurants in the States. Again, I think the U.S. pasta meals cater to the heavy butter, cream sauces and heavy meat diets that are more common here, so the integrity of Italian food can be lost.
Well, Italy and its food filled my stomach and heart. I am so excited to return to Italy and all the other countries I visited, while also exploring more of Europe. Europe, thanks for the memories, and I will be back!
Until next time,
Saya