Tag: Italian cuisine
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Balsamic vinegar
True Balsamic vinegar is an artisan product from Modena, in Italy. It’s made from grape juice, which is simmered to make a concentrate, and then fermented. Finally it’s matured in barrels for a minimum of 12 years. The barrels used are made from different woods to impart different flavours. The result is a rich, dark…
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Lasagne
The word ‘lasagna’ is originally from the Greek word for ‘chamber pot’. The Romans then borrowed the word applying it as ‘cooking pot’. Perhaps you had to be there to get the joke. Later, the Italians adapted the word to mean a particular dish cooked in such a pot, and that is what we now…
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Amaretto
Amaretto is a sweet, almond-flavoured liqueur which originates from Saronno, Italy. There are several commercial brands available notably Disaronno and Lazzaroni. It can be drunk on its own, with ice, in coffee or used as a cocktail base. It’s also used for various culinary purposes, to add flavour to both sweet and savoury dishes. At Christmas…
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Panettone
Panettone is a type of sweet bread loaf which originated in Milan, Italy. It’s often found at Christmas, New Year and other celebrations in Southern Europe and Latin America. It’s pictured on the left above, with stollen on the right. Panettone takes a long time to make as the dough is cured, in a process…
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Ciabatta
Ciabatta is a type of Italian white bread which includes olive oil as one of its ingredients. It was first created in Verona in response to the popularity of the French baguette. Literally, the name means ‘slipper’ as it was named by Francesco Favaron, the original baker, who thought its shape looked like his wife’s…
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Gorgonzola
Gorgonzola is a sharp-flavoured, blue-veined, creamy cheese which is named after the Italian village near Milan from where it originates. It’s made from unpasteurised cows milk and injected with greenish-blue mould which gives a lovely sharp contrast to the creamy cheese. It’s often found as a dessert cheese and is a cheeseboard favourite. It can…
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Vinegar
Vinegar literally means ‘sour wine’ and it was originally produced by the acetic fermentation of wine. Whilst there is some evidence that it existed in Britain in pre-Roman times, it was the Romans who introduced it more fully. The Romans were very keen on it as a condiment, for cooking and even – well watered…
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Vermouth
Vermouth is an alcoholic drink made from a red or white wine base infused with any of a wide variety of aromatic herbs. It’s mostly used as a basis for cocktails. Its name comes from one herb in particular – wormwood. Vermouth is produced in the foothills of the Alps on both the French and…
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Zabov all’uovo
Zabov all’uovo is a traditional Italian eggnog made with milk, fresh egg yolks, sugar, and a little alcohol (it’s only 15% ABV). It has a brandy flavour. It’s a sweet, energising liqueur, taken warm as a tonic, or any time for a celebration. It is also sometimes used as a complement for gourmet desserts. In…