Branzino and Orata – Try them!

Branzino and Orata are delicious.  They are also very popular here in Italy.  Indeed, they are considered something of a delicacy.  You really should try them.

Do you know what Branzino and Orata are?  Well, if you do, you can stop reading now -even if you might like to take a peek -just to be sure.

On the other hand, if you have no idea whatsoever what the blazes Branzino and Orata are, then please keep reading.  It’ll be worth your while, I assure you.

I love both of them!

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Fragolino Time

Fragolino is a mysterious, and for some, illegal drink.  For those not in the know, fragolino is a type of grape, which gets its name from the Italian for strawberry – fragola.  This grape tends to produce a wine with a sort of strawberry flavour, hence its ‘fragolino’ moniker.

Fragolino Drink

The ‘ino’ part of the word ‘fragolino’, pronounced ‘eenoh’, indicates that something is much smaller than normal in Italian.  Example: bicchiere – glass, can become bicchierino – small glass, as in a small glass of wine.   Back to the strawberry wine.

This Food and Wine Friday post takes a look at why fragolino wine became illegal, and looks at a fragolino drink which is sold, supposedly legally, in Italian supermarkets.

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Italian Wine and Labels

I had an interesting discussion, in English, with some of my Media Relations students today.  What we looked at was how Italian wine could be promoted, and several valid points were made.

Drink Italian Wine!

I thought the points raised were quite interesting, so I thought I’d share them with you as this week’s Food and Wine feature.

First of all, we chatted about how the profile of the wines of a particular Italian region could be raised.

Then we talked about how to reduce the bewildering choice of wines with which customers are often confronted in supermarkets.  Supermarkets are, for the majority of wine consumers in both Italy and abroad, the outlets where wine is purchased.

So, how can the profile of Italian wines be increased? … Continue Reading

Braulio an Italian Bitter Drink

Braulio is one of the many, and admittedly, quite odd, Italian bitters or ‘amari’ in Italian.  Braulio bitter originates in the alps, and is produced by the Dott F Peloni company which is located Bormio.

Braulio, Italy

Bormio, in the picturesque Valtellina area of northern Italy, also happens to be a ski resort which is very popular with many of Milan’s population.  Possibly because of this, bottles of Braulio can be found in many of Milan’s bars, including my favourite bar.  Incidentally, ‘Braulio’ is named after one of the peaks in the Stelvio park area.

On account of this curious concoction’s popularity in Milan, bottles of Braulio (pronounced Brah-oo-li-oh) are often half empty.  Yes, this beverage based on aromatic mountain herbs goes down rather well here.

What’s it like?  Well, it just so happens that I have a half empty bottle of Braulio too, so I can tell you. … Continue Reading

Juicy Orange Fight in Ivrea

Anyone who has been in Italy for any length of time will know that the country is packed with traditions, festivals and fairs.  Some celebrate food, others feature jousting competitions, and one even honours snakes. Then, there is an annual orange fight.

Of course there are the Palio horse races in Sienna, and then there is the annual orange battle in the northern Italian town of Ivrea – which is to the north of Turin.

This week’s Food and Wine Friday feature takes a look at this pretty odd Italian food festival.

Note that this post has been updated provide readers with the date of the 2010 Orange Festival in Ivrea.

Orange Battle

This juicy annual event has been around for ages, ever since a certain lady of the manner threw beans at Ivrea’s poor, who feeling somewhat disgusted at the gesture, threw the things in the street.  Over the years, the beans started to be used during annual carnivals and were jokingly hurled at those imagined to be adversaries.

Well, some time during the 19th century, the girls of Ivrea started throwing confetti, lupins and flowers from balconies at the carnival processions, and some flung oranges. … Continue Reading

Italian Sunday Lunch

According to a recent survey carried out by the Academy of Italian Cuisine, it turns out that even in family oriented Italy, the popularity of the traditional Sunday lunch is starting to diminish.

The results of the survey indicate that Italians seem to be finding less and less time for the pleasures of cooking.  Actually, this comes as no great surprise to me, living as I do, in the midst of northern Italy’s brunch zone.

While Italians are not really turning to en masse to fast food, they are not cooking as much as they once did.  As a matter of interest, the reduction in the number of people cooking in the US has led to obesity becoming a big problem, and the UK government has recently introduced legislation obliging high school pupils to take cooking lessons.  So far, even if obesity has not yet become a great problem in Italy, eating habits are changing, and this week’s Food and Wine Friday feature first takes a look at how formerly food obsessed Italy is beginning to succumb to modern ways.

Then, for the curious there is what is on typical Italian Sunday lunchtime menus. … Continue Reading