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~ …… (oon∙poh∙dee∙PEH∙peh) Cristina writes about interesting stuff /Cristina scrive di cose interessanti

Un po' di pepe

Category Archives: Italian language

700 Years of Dante

28 Thursday Jan 2021

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Firenze, Italia, Italian language

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

Accademia della Crusca, Dante, Dante Alighieri, Firenze, Italian history, Italian language, Italian literature, La Divina Commedia

Dante Alighieri profile2021 is the 700th anniversary of the death of Dante Alighieri.  Dante is known as the ‘Father of the Italian Language’.  His most famous work La Divina Commedia (The Divine Comedy) is considered a masterpiece, the first and still the greatest work of literature in the Italian language and a precursor to modern fiction.  In the late medieval period, Latin was the only language for education, literature and religion.  La Divina Commediawas the first major work written in a language of ordinary speech or vulgare, the way people actually spoke at home. Dante combined Tuscan and other dialects, including Sicilian and Latin, establishing the modern Italian language.  Even though La Divina Commedia was written in 1308-20 the language is understandable today.Dante Divina Commedia

La Divina Commedia is a 3 part epic poem written in the first person, emphasizing the importance of salvation and Divine love in the redemption of humanity. It explores Dante’s imaginary trip to Paradiso (Heaven), passing through L’Inferno (Hell) and Purgatorio (Purgatory).  It is also a critique of famous figures of his time. The work is filled with historical, mythological and biblical references and discusses politics, religion, science, ethics and love. La Divina Commedia does not contain jokes nor is it funny.  The reason it is termed a commedia is because it is not a tragedia (trajedy) and it has a happy ending.

Dante was born in Firenze in 1265.  He studied philosophy, poetry, and was also an apothecary-a medieval pharmacist.  This is not as strange as it sounds, since nobles in public office had to belong to one of the city guilds and books were sold by apothecaries at the time. He married Gemma Donati in 1285 and they had 3 children.  Dante’s family was involved in the Guelfi/Ghibellini (Guelph/Ghibelline) power struggles.  The Guelfi supported the Papacy and the Ghibellini supported the Holy Roman Emperor -even though there was not one at the time. 

The Guelfi split into 2 groups because the Pope kept interfering with internal matters in Firenze.  Guelfi Bianchi (White Guelphs) did not want the Pope involved in city politics and Guelfi Neri (Black Guelphs) supported complete Pope authority. Dante’s family were Guelfi Bianchi.  In 1302, while Dante was in Roma as an ambassador, Firenze was occupied by the Guelfi Neri.  The Guelfi Bianchi, including Dante and his sons, were exiled. A few years later, other Guelfi Bianchi in exile were pardoned- but not Dante.  He was quite the badass in exile and burnt his bridges by writing many nasty letters.  Dante was offered amnesty in 1315, but it came with conditions and a heavy fine, which he was not able to pay.

Dante wrote La Divina Commedia while in exile and ruthlessly sends everyone responsible for his banishment to eternal damnation in L’Inferno.  He put a lot of effort and imagination into coming up with the horrible details! If Dante were alive today, he would probably be writing political satire.

Dante never did return to his beloved Firenze.  He stayed in Roma, then moved to Ravenna, where he completed Paradiso in 1320 and died of malaria Sept 14th 1321.  He is buried in the church of San Francesco. Jacopo Alighieri (1289-1348), also a poet, regained possession of his father’s confiscated property in 1343.

Firenze regretted Dante’s exile, and repeatedly asked Ravenna for his remains. A tomb was even built in 1829 in Santa Croce but all requests were refused and the tomb is empty. In June 2008, Firenze finally passed a motion rescinding his sentence and exile.  As my Mamma says ‘meglio tardi che mai’-Better late than never!

700th anniversary celebrations are happening throughout 2021, although most of them will depend on ever changing COVID 19 restrictions.  There is a website for all of the 700 Dante Firenze festivities. A few examples:

Museo di Casa di Dante has a new multimedia display and a virtual tour.
 
L’Accademia della Crusca, Italia’s fun ‘language police’ was established in Firenze in the 16th Century to safeguard the study of the Italian language.  Their website includes ‘Parola di Dante fresca di giornata’ a Dante word of the day for each day of 2021!

La Divina Commedia is as relevant today as it was in 1320.  I will leave you with an encouraging message of hope from the final phrase of l’Inferno…

             ‘e quindi uscimmo a riveder le stelle’– ‘hence we came forth to see the stars again’

Ciao, Cristina

 

Statue of Dante in Piazza Santa Croce, Firenze

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Sapori d’Autunno

22 Tuesday Oct 2019

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Italia, Italian language, Mangiamo!

≈ 19 Comments

Tags

Autumn harvest in Italy, Autumn in Italy, Dalla terra alla tavola, Dolcevitabloggers, Italian food

La Cupa, Orsara di Puglia, cachi, noceDalla terra alla tavola, farm to table cooking has always been a thing in Italia.  Food is prepared using local, seasonal ingredients which are at their optimum flavor.  Each season features its own specialties.  I sapori d’autunno, the flavours of autumn, feature the fruits of the harvest. Visiting Italia in the autumn will not leave you hungry or thirsty!  This is also a time to seek out sagre-wonderful food festivals dedicated to local specialties. There are regional differences, and specialties are prepared according to local tradition, but I will provide a general review of what you might find on your piatto. I am also including links to related previous posts and recipes.roasted chestnuts, castagne in campagna

Castagne (cas·TAH·nyeh). Chestnut trees have been growing in Italia since at least 2000 BC, the oldest ones being in Calabria.  Pushcarts selling castagne calde in paper cones will be found all over the country.  Everyone I know has an old pan at home with holes punched out the bottom to use for roasting castagne.  Don’t you have one?  Castagne can also be boiled with bay leaves or made into soup or chestnut honey, miele di castagne.  Chestnut flour is used to make pasta which is eaten with pesto in Liguria, and Castagnaccio, a chestnut flour cake with olive oil, raisins, pine nuts, rosemary and orange rind.  This cake is originally Tuscan, but can be found in other areas too.  I tasted some in Roma, but it did not last long enough for a photo. Below is a poster for a Sagra della Castagna this weekend in Potenza, Basilicata.Basilicata Sagra della Castagna poster Zucca (ZOO·kah)  Zucca and zucca gialla are pumpkin and squash.  I adore zucca!Zucca Orsara di PugliaIt is used to make delicacies such as risotto di zucca, gnocchi di zucca and tortellini, ravioli or agnelotti stuffed with zucca, cheese, nutmeg and amaretti.  Mmmm.  No food goes to waste, so any leftover zucca goes to feed the pigs! gnocchi di zuccaSpeaking of decreasing waste, I like to recycle my Hallowe’en pumpkin into gnocchi.  Here you will find my recipe for gnocchi di zucca.Albero di cachi orsara di Puglia, Persimmon treeCachi (KAH•kee) are called persimmons in English.  There are 2 kinds, hard and soft and both delicious.  They are mostly eaten raw on their own or in salads.  Cachi La Cupa Orsara di PugliaI picked these ones from the tree in the upper photo.  It is in the olive grove that belonged to my Nonno.  Papà has 2 trees full of cachi in Vancouver.  We will pick them all in about a week and let them ripen in the garage.The incredibly gorgeous colour of cachi make them equally desirable as a painting subject.Cachi persimmon painting Casa Berti Lucca

Funghi (FOON·gee) e tartufi (tar·TOO·fee). Funghi porcini are available dried all year, but only in autunno can you find the fresh meaty fungus. I also love funghi cardoncelli and any other kind of funghi on pasta or in risotto.funghi porcini RomaTartufi are truffles- but not the chocolate covered kind!  Autunno is truffle foraging season. They are like underground funghi and are an expensive seasonal delicacy shaved onto pasta, eggs and risotto. I find too much tartufo gives food a moldy taste, so luckily you need a delicate hand and do not need to use much.  They are only fresh from October to December, otherwise they are frozen or preserved in oil.Cestino di fichi

Fichi (FEE·kee).  The second harvest of figs is ready in September/October, depending on the weather. Other fruits of the autumn harvest include bitter, spicy radicchio, mostly used in salads, but also cooked alla griglia and added to risotto and rapini which is used to make the Pugliese favourite orechiette con cime di rapa.  Trees are full of noce – walnuts and nocciole-hazelnuts.  Stay tuned for Corzetti with walnut and mushroom sauce recipe in an upcoming post about my new Corzetti stamp from Vernazza.  Insalata Purtuall, Orange and fennel saladMy favourite winter salad is Insalata Purtuall’ made with finocchio-fennel, oranges and black olives with a drizzle of olive oil and salt.  Read about my interesting history with this salad in the link.  Melograna-pomegranate adds extra flavour and colour.Grapes in the wine press Vino nel torchioUva (OO·vah).  La vendemmia, the grape harvest, usually happens in September and then it is vino making time! A glossary of viniculture terms in Italiano can be found in this post on vino. Each region has their own traditional dishes made during this time, including schiacciata con l’uva, a focaccia made with grapes.Schiacciata con l'uvaI made this schiacciata from a recipe on Luca’s blog. It was delicious, but I would recommend using a smaller, seedless grape! Vino cotto, which is technically actually mosto cotto is grape must boiled down to a sweet molasses type syrup.  Vino cotto, mosto cottoVino cotto is used for Christmas dolci, sweetening snow cones, and poured on cooked wheat berries with walnuts and pomegranate to make muscitaglia for All Saints’ Day November 1st.muscitagliaOlive (o•LEE•veh).  Late October and November is la raccolta delle olive-the olive harvest. This is an incredible experience, if you ever have a chance to participate. Everyone who lives in a rural area participates and it usually involves a picnic with many of the ingredients I have mentioned.  I wrote a post describing the entire olive harvesting/oil extraction process-La Raccolta delle Olive.Nothing compares to the flavour and aroma of olio novello, fresh pressed olive oil.  It is ‘liquid gold’.  Even if you do not have access to freshly pressed oil, you can make the Olive oil limoncello cake that I made at Casa Berti in Lucca after harvesting olives.Olive oil limoncello cakeNovember is also hunting season, which means pappardelle al cinghiale and pappardelle al lepere, pasta with a wild boar sauce and pasta with wild rabbit sauce. As the temperature drops, warm comfort foods increase.  Polenta is found mostly in Northern Italia, but in the cold months, it is made in homes all over the country.  Polenta, Casa Berti, LuccaOther autumn comfort foods include pancotto e patate, pasta e fagioli and risotto made with almost any of the ingredients mentioned in this post-even radicchio. Drool over my November street food-fire baked caciocavallo in its own little terracotta dish.  Mmmm!baked caciocavallo

‘Italy in the Autumn’ is the topic for the final Dolce Vita Bloggers linkup.  Since I already published a post about travelling to Italia in the autumn called Autunno in Italia, I wrote about the wonderful food available in autumn instead!Cachi Casa Berti Lucca

Grazie mille to Kelly, Jasmine and Kristy for hosting the Dolcevitabloggers linkup for the past 2 years.  It has been fun participating!  Check out the rest of the posts here.

Hopefully I made you hungry!  Buon appetite e buon viaggio, Cristina

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Aria Pericolosa!

08 Wednesday Aug 2018

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Italian Folklore, Italian language, Italian life

≈ 33 Comments

Tags

Cervicale, Colpo d'aria, Dolcevitabloggers, Health beliefs

C2550C42-73D9-4AC4-A015-1FD60DAF0E24‘Culture Shock’ is this month’s topic for the Dolce Vita Bloggers group. I was born in Italia, grew up in an Italian family in an italian/multicultural neighbourhood and have been travelling  to Italia my whole life.  There isn’t much culture shock going on for me to write about.

However……because in my ‘real job’, I work as a health care professional, there are a few malattie…illness related things that just drive me pazza! Repeat after me ….. illnesses are caused by viruses!  Le malattie sono causate dai virus (pronounced VEE•roos).

A unique category of illnesses exists exclusively in Italia, caused by wind, cold, sweat and wet hair! The thing they all have in common is sudden changes in temperature or extreme temperature fluctuations. Anyone who is from an Italian family will instantly relate to all of these.  My title Aria Pericolosa! means ‘dangerous air’.  We now know malaria is caused by mosquitoes, but in the past this was not known.  The word mal aria actually means ‘bad air’! These health beliefs are generally left over or adapted from times when we did not know the cause of disease.

54544A2F-D29B-4F76-82F6-EF0451394D02Colpo d’aria means literally a smack, strike or big hit of air.  An example of this is going from outside on a hot day into a shopping mall blasted with air conditioning.  Someone who has cold symptoms or a sore back, headache, earache or even indigestion might say ‘ho preso un colpo d’aria’.  Italians are somewhat distrustful of air conditioning, using it only when really necessary- in sharp contrast to the North American obsession with it. Severe back spasm is often called ‘colpo della strega’- Strike of the witch. 

Un colpo d’aria can also come from ‘la corrente’ which is an air current or a draft.  Walking or sitting in a corrente is thought to cause illness.  A draft caused by 2 open windows or doors directly opposite each other is considered bad luck in Feng Shui, because the good Chi goes in one window and out the other, however… winds and drafts do not carry disease! I’ve had many meals in a place as hot as a sauna because they refused to open both windows or doors at the same time-only one or the other! Mannaggia!

4D18D924-1F65-48E3-8AD5-55D051B16C11.jpegLa cervicale is another classic condition related to colpo d’aria.  This is a stiff neck cause by the neck being exposed to cold.  And you thought everyone wore scarves just to be fashionable!Calciodistrada2015

Running around sudato -with a sweaty body is also thought to cause illness. I suppose hot and sweaty are 2 temperature fluctuations! This is especially applicable to bambini, running around playing, and also wearing sweaty clothes. You may here ‘è sudato!’ exclaimed on the playground by many an Italian Mamma.  Italian bambini are always provided with multiple changes of clothes for when they get sweaty, even at the beach! They wear canottiere, undershirts made of wool in winter and cotton in summer to absorb sudore.  These are sometimes referred to as a ‘maglietta della salute’/health shirts. Being sudato then sitting in a corrente—you are doomed to illness!

Let’s not forget capelli bagnati! Going outside with wet hair is thought to cause illness, even pneumonia….even death!  I always air dry my hair, as it takes too long to blowdry.  I compare this to drying the dishes.  Why dry the dishes when nature will dry them on their own?  If I leave the house with wet hair in Italia, I inevitably will get asked the obvious ‘ma c’hai i capelli bagnati?’ Being in a corrente while sweaty with wet hair and senza giacca -without a jacket….you might as well call the funeral home!

Swimming within 3 hours after eating is thought to cause cramps and this will cause you to drown. In Italia, the main meal is usually pranzo, around 1pm.  Yes, even on the beach it is often a full on meal and not just a panino.  This means the meal is heavier while at the beach, but it certainly doesn’t take 3 hours to digest the food.  I am ready for my next gelato by this time.  Noon until 3 pm is also the hottest time of the day, so it is not such a bad thing to be in the shade under an ombrellone at this time, it is the reasoning that drives me nuts.   One of my colleagues is from India, and she tells me her family says the same thing, so this one  m ay not beexclusive to italia. Perhaps it was originally related to eating questionable food before refrigeration was available? Still, I have yet to hear about someone drowning because they went swimming on a full stomach!

I could go on and on, but I need to go back out and enjoy the Pugliese sunshine.  All of these malattie might lead you to believe Italia is a uniquely immunocompromised country, but Italians are generally in very good health!  I try to explain that these ailments exist exclusively in Italia, but I give up! None of these are harmful, but they can get annoying, especially to a health care professional. Remember….. Le malattie sono causate dai virus!  You can still follow Nonna Mari’s advice and  ‘metti la giacca!’

This post is written as part of the monthly #dolcevitabloggers linkup, hosted by Jasmine of Questa Dolce Vita, Kelly of Italian at Heart and Kristie of Mamma Prada the 7th -14th of every month.

Note-I will be Chiuso per Ferie without a computer, so may not be able to link this post to the other ‘Culture Shock’ posts until I get home. If the links do not work, check back later.

FYI ‘Aria pericolosa‘ can also refer to the lingering smell that keeps on giving after a smelly fart!

Ciao, Cristina….e metti la giacca!

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Uffa, allora, purtroppo, magari, ….mannaggia!

08 Tuesday May 2018

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Italian language, Parole piacevoli

≈ 51 Comments

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Allora, Dolcevitabloggers, Il Marmoraro, Italian pronunciation, Magari, Mannaggia, Purtroppo, Uffa

Cinque parole, 5 words.  This is the topic of this month’s #dolcevitabloggers linkup.  With thousands of parole piacevoli like strofinacci, aspirapolvere, sciaquare, zoppicare and strozzinaggio, I could have been awake every night for months trying to choose 5.  Instead, because I need my sleep, I chose words that I use, am frequently asked the meaning of and may not directly translate to English.  I also liked the way the words sound together.  If I ever write a memoir, I will call it ‘Uffa, allora, purtroppo, magari…..mannaggia’!

Uffa! (OOF∙fah) Uffa can be an exclamation of frustration, exasperation or impatience, depending on the tone, context and gesti –hand gestures.  It can be like a long, drawn out sigh uuuuuuffffffah, perhaps accompanied by an extended eyeroll, or more of a quick grunt. Uffa is often used by itself, but can also be used in a sentence.  ‘Uffa, che caldo!’ ‘Uuuuuufffffa, ancora non sei pronta!’.

Allora (al∙LOR∙ah) Allora is one of the most versatile words in the Italian language.  The meaning depends on the context, punctuation, and even where it appears in the sentence.  It comes from the Latin ‘ad illa horam’ which literally means ‘a quel tempo’ / ‘at that time’.  It can still be used in this way.  For example, Nonno might say ‘Allora si andava a scuola a piedi….in salita andata e ritorno’-Back then/at that time, we went to school on foot…..uphill both ways!’ It can also mean ‘since then’, for example ‘Da allora non ho più il telefono fisso’/ ‘Since then I no longer have a land line’.  ‘Prima di allora non c’era email’/before then/before that time, there was no email’.

Allora is also a ‘filler’ word to buy time, meaning ‘well, then’ ‘then’ or ‘so….’. ‘Allora, che facciamo?’ ‘Allora vediamo’.  Allora used on its own as a question can also imply impatience depending on tone of voice and gesti. For example a waiter may say ‘Allora?’/ so…..what’s it going to be?’ if the table is taking a long time to place an order.  At the start of a sentence it can mean ‘therefore’ or ‘in that case’, similar to the word ‘dunque’.  For example ‘Non mi piace il cibo cinese, alora andiamo al ristorante messicano’/I don’t like Chinese food, therefore let’s go to a Mexican restaurant’. ‘Piove, allora andiamo in macchina’/’it’s raining, so we will go by car’.  Allora should not be confused with ‘alloro‘ which is a laurel tree.

Purtroppo (poohr∙TROP∙poh)-this one is actually a straightforward translation.  It means unfortunately.  I included it because it sounded good with the other words, and I have this lovely incised marble purchased from La Bottega del Marmoraro on Via Margutta in Roma.  Purtroppo… quando si dice purtroppo, c’è sicuramente una fregatura!-unfortunately… ‘when the word unfortunately is used, there is definitely a con/ you are surely being screwed!’ 

Magari (mah∙GAH∙ree) usually means ‘if only’.  For example, if you ask someone ‘che faresti se avessi un milione di euro?’/What would you do if you had a million euro?’, they would probably respond with an emphatic ‘Magari!’/’If only’ or’ I wish!’ Magari can also mean ‘maybe/perhaps’-the same as the word forse.’ Magari domani non piove e andiamo in bici’/Perhaps tomorrow it will not rain and we can go biking’.

Mannaggia! (mahn∙NAJ∙geeah) Readers of my blog know I use this word all the time. It is not the Italian word for ‘manager’! It does not really translate but can be used like the English word ‘damn!’ or ‘rats!’.  Mannaggia comes from ‘male ne abbia’ which in dialetto becomes ‘mal n’aggia’ which kind of means ‘I don’t have bad’ or ‘may you have bad’, so it can mean something like ‘a curse on you!’.  It can also just be used as a term of frustration, similar to uffa! 19th Century Sicilian writer Giovanni Verga of Cavalleria Rusticana fame wrote ‘Malannaggia l’anima tua’/damn your soul!’.  This may be the origin of the word but it is unclear.  Mannaggia! Not so straightforward is it?  Mannaggia can be used alone or with other words, for example ‘Mannaggia la miseria’/damn poverty!’, ‘Mannaggia l’America’, ‘Mannaggia a te’, ‘Mannaggia a me’ and many others which are not so polite!

 

I hope you enjoyed my cinque parole and silly examples- just be glad I did not choose stronzo! This post is written as part of the monthly #dolcevitabloggers linkup, hosted by Jasmine of Questa Dolce Vita, Kelly of Italian at Heart and Kristie of Mamma Prada the 7th -14th of every month.

If you enjoyed my phonetic pronounciation, check out Italiano per Ristoranti, my Italian pronunciation guide. with downloadable PDF. Ciao, Cristina

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Insalata Purtuall’

18 Sunday Mar 2018

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Italian language, Mangiamo!, Recipes

≈ 27 Comments

Tags

Arancia, Gastronomic history, History of oranges, Insalata Purtuall', Italian language, Orange, Orange and fennel salad, Portokali, Traditional recipes

Insalata di arancia e finocchio-orange and fennel salad always brings back memories of my grade 1 lunchroom. My delicious lunches included home made crusty bread stuffed with melanzane and roasted peppers, prosciutto, capicollo or cotoletto di vitello, frittata, pizza or ‘chocolate sandwiches’ made with Nutella. Papà would often make me Insalata Purtuall’, with oranges cut crosswise in rounds, fennel and black olives, drizzled with olive oil and a bit of salt.  A true flavour explosion for 6 year old me.  I did not know why everyone at school thought my lunches were so weird.  The ‘Anglo’ kids made fun of them, and even the teachers eyed my food suspiciously.  Today all of these foods are available and trendy, so who is laughing now?  Ha! I do not remember being too bothered by the teasing.  I actually felt sorry for my classmates.  Their lunches were gross, usually consisting of ‘plastic’ cheese on bright white squishy bread that was sliced like cake! Poveretti. I will have to write more about my early gastronomic experiences in another post….

A while back, Frank from Memorie di Angelina wrote about orange and fennel salad, and I commented that we called it ‘Portugal’ salad, but did not know why. I asked Papà why we called it ‘Insalata Purtuall’. Purtuall’ is dialetto for Portogallo which is Portugal in italiano. His answer surprised me. He said it was not a Portuguese salad, but purtuall’ is what the orange were called. Hmmm.  Soon after this, I was at a writers’ conference and one of the presenters displayed a map showing the word for orange across Europe in various languages. Aha! I saw that the Greek word for orange is ‘portokali’. This was getting interesting!

Arancia amara, bitter orange, was known to the Romans. Sweet oranges were only introduced to Europe and the Mediterranean in the 14th century. Portuguese ships were the first to circumnavigate Africa and brought sweet oranges back from the Far East. In many countries, oranges were named after Portugal-the country that they seemed to be coming from! In Greek oranges are portokali, in North Africa and most Middle East countries burtuqall, in Iran purtuqol, in Turkey portakal and in Hungary and Romania portokal. In most of Western Europe, the Mediterranean and Britain, the word for orange comes from ‘narangas’, Sanskrit for orange tree. For example, in italiano arancia, in spanish naranja, portuguese laranja, and of course english orange. There are a few places in Italia where the dialetto still uses the ‘portuguese’ term. In Campania, Puglia, Basilicata and Abruzzo, purtuallo or portajalli, in Sicilian partualli (or aranciù), and in Piemonte portugaj. In modern Greek, bitter oranges are called ‘nerantzi’ while sweet oranges are called ‘portokali’. Who knew that the yummy salad I used to bring for lunch in elementary school reflects thousands of years of history, trade voyages and etymology between East and West!

A ‘recipe’ is not really needed for Insalata Purtuall’. Just peel a few oranges and remove as much of the pith as possible, then slice them crosswise and lay them on a plate. Cut half a fennel bulb and slice in either small or larger pieces. Add ‘un filo d’olio’, a drizzle of olive oil and salt, then a few black olives and garnish with fennel fronds. I sometimes like to throw in some pomegranate seeds or rucola. It is hard to mess up this healthy, refreshing winter insalata! I recently found out that Insalata Purtuall’ was served at my parents’ wedding in Orsara di Puglia in the 1960’s, so now it tastes even better!

Buon appetito, Cristina

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L’Intervista con Silvia

25 Wednesday Oct 2017

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Bilingual posts, Blogging, Inspiration, Italian language

≈ 17 Comments

Tags

Blog collaboration, Blogging, Silvia Spatafora

One of the greatest things about blogging is virtual ‘meeting’ and collaboration with other bloggers.  Recently, I received a very nice email from fellow blogger Silvia Spatafora, of Il Blog di Silvia Spatafora:

‘Trovo molto interessante la tua storia, il fatto che tu sia nata in Italia ma che ti sia trasferita da piccola in Canada e, soprattutto, la tua passione per l’Italia! Il tuo blog è davvero interessante. Adoro che scrivi un po’ in inglese e un po’ in italiano e sarei curiosa di scoprire di più su di te, il tuo blog e il modo in cui mantieni allenato il tuo italiano. Per questo avevo pensato che sarebbe carino farti un’intervista scritta da pubblicare sul mio blog.’

In inglese:  ‘I find your story very interesting; the fact that you were born in Italia but moved to Canada at a young age, and mostly your passion for Italia.  Your blog is really interesting.  I adore that you write a bit in English and a bit in Italian and I would be curious to discover more about you, your blog and the way you keep up your Italian.  For this reason, I thought it would be cute to do an written interview with you to publish on my blog.’

Silvia was born and went to university in Palermo, and has been living in Madrid since 2010.  Silvia is passionate about teaching Italian! She teaches Italiano per Stranieri/  Italian for Foreigners at several schools in Madrid, as well as privately and also does translation.   She published my intervista on her blog today in both Italiano and inglese.  Read it on Silvia’s blog here. 

Grazie Silvia!

 

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The Original Cinquecento

21 Sunday Aug 2016

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Italian language, Roma

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Cinquecento, Fiat 500, Fiat Cinquecento

Fiat CinquecentoMy love affair with the Fiat Cinquecento (cheen·kweh·CHEN·toh) began when I was 16.  I really wanted one, but it would not fit into my valigia, so I had to settle for something else.  I don’t know if I will ever own a super cute Cinquecento, but I have spent years photographing them all over Italia.  A few weeks ago in Roma, I took this photo of an adorable Cinquecento just around the corner from the Pantheon.

After posting the photo on Instagram, I learned that this is the original Cinquecento model, the 1957 Cinquecento Nuova!  It has a smaller engine, the cloth roof folds back all the way rather than half-way, and it has ‘porte di suicidio’ or ‘suicide doors’.  These are doors hinged at the rear rather than the front.  They are named so because before the use of seat belts, there was increased risk of falling out of the car if the doors accidentally opened.  Not only that, but the airflow of the moving car keeps the doors open, rather than closing them, as would happen with a front-hinged door.  This does make it easier to push someone out of the moving vehicle, which is probably why all the 1930’s gangster movies have cars with rear-hinged doors!

The Cinquecento was the first real ‘city’ car, a small, light-weight, fuel-efficient car.  Cinquecento means 500 in italiano.  The car was given this name because the engine was 500 cc and it weighed 500 kg (1100 lbs).  Today most cars weigh 3 times that amount!  The owner of this Cinquecento was a very old man with a cane.  He could well be the original owner.  I hope he buckles up his cintura!

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Vini di Puglia Part 2~Aglianico to Zibibbo

12 Sunday Jun 2016

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Italia, Italian language, Puglia, Vino

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

Aglianico, Aleatico, Autochthonous vines, Bombino Bianco, Cacc'e Mmitt, Falanghina, Italian language wine glossary, Italian wines, Malvasia Nera, Moscato di Trani, Susumaniello, Verdeca, Wines of Puglia, Zibibbo

UvaLaCupa1994In my last post I wrote about the history of vini di Puglia and featured the 3 most common grapes. Puglia has many vitigni autoctoni (Autochthonous grapes or native grapes) that are not very well-known.  You might not ever try them unless you visit Puglia!  Many of these grapes were on the verge of extinction but are recently becoming more popular and grown with more care. You may have also noticed that most vini Pugliese are red.  80% of grapes grown are red, as the climate is too hot for most white grapes.

Il Vigneto del Paradiso, Orsara di Puglia

Il Vigneto del Paradiso, Orsara di Puglia

Aglianico (ahl·yah·NEE·koh) is named for ‘Hellanico’ meaning Greek or from Apulianicum, the Latin name for Puglia.  Brought to Italia by Greek settlers, it is found in Basilicata, Campania and in Puglia near the Basilicata border. It thrives in volcanic soil and is grown mostly near Monte Vulture, an extinct volcano in Basilicata (Aglianico del Vulture DOC).  Ripening late in October, it is full-bodied and musky with berry flavours, chocolate and plum aromas, firm tannins and high acidity. In Ancient Roma it may have been the main grape in the prized red Falernian wine, but there is no real evidence.

Aleatico (al·eh·ah·TEE·koh) Not the same grape as Aglianico.  Aleatico is a member of the Moscato famiy, so it is a sweet grape.  It is believed to be native to Puglia or possibly brought by the Ancient Greeks.  Grown in the Bari area and Salento, it is used for dessert wine and has the aroma of roses, berries and lychee. Aleatico di Puglia DOC, known for its pomegranate colour, is Aleatico with Negroamaro and Malvasia Nera.  Aleatico is also grown on Elba, where Aleatico di Portoferraio was enjoyed by Napoleon while he was in exile.UvaOrsaradiPuglia

Bombino Bianco means little white bomb.  The name may come from the word bonvino. Bombino Bianco is often confused with Trebbiano. In fact, in Abruzzo it is known as Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, but it is not the same as the Trebbiano grape that is grown in other parts of Italia.  So confusing! It is a late ripening, high yield crop that produces an inexpensive mild white vino. Because of the high yield and amount of juice it was known as ‘pagadebito’ or ‘straccia cambiale’ (‘debt payer’ or ‘invoice ripper’).  In the past, Bombino was grown as a ‘cash crop’ and shipped straight to Northern Europe, without even bottling, to be sold as generic white table wine.  It is now grown with more care, especially in the San Severo area of Foggia.  San Severo uses Bombino Bianco with Malvasia Bianca, Falanghina or Verdeca. There is also a Bombino Nero grape, used in Castel del Monte DOC red and rosé wines.Vignaorsaradipuglia

Cacc’e Mitt (KAH∙cheh∙MMEE∙te) is produced in the Monti Dauni of Foggia, in Lucera, Biccari and Troia.  It is made up of Uva di Troia with Montepulciano, Malvasia Nera, Susumaniello, and sometimes Bombino Bianco.  The name of this vino is dialetto for ‘togli e metti’ meaning ‘take out and put back’. This is often thought to mean the glass is always refilled because it is so drinkable. It actually refers to old winemaking techniques. The cantina and equipment were borrowed and shared, so the wine was made quickly and tubs emptied to give space to the next contadino.  Cacc’e Mitt was ‘vino dei poveri’ wine of the poor.  After the vendemmia, contadini would pass through again and collect what was left of the various grapes. This is why white grapes are also included.  The Cacc’e Mitt Festival is held every year in Lucera at the end of August/beginning of September.

Falanghina is an ancient white grape brought by Greek settlers in the 7-8th Century BC.  The name comes from the Latin ‘falanghae’, the stakes that supported the grapevines.  I wonder if this is related to ‘phalanges’, the anatomical name for the finger bones? Grown in Puglia, but more common in Campania, Falanghina is yellow skinned and has a slight pine scent and orange, apple and pear aromas. Falanghina may have been one of the grapes in Falernian white, the most famous wine of Ancient Roma.Falanghina

Malvasia is the name of a group of related grapes from the Mediterranean, mostly white, with a handful of reds for blending.  Of ancient origin, the name comes from the Monemvasia fortress near Sparta or Malevizi on Crete. Malvasia is related to the Athiri grape grown all over Greece.  Malvasia was 1 of 3 major wines exported from Greece in the middle ages.  It grows well in dry climates, sloping terrain and well-drained soil.

Malvasia Nera –parents are Negroamaro and Malvasia Bianca Lunga. It is mostly a blending grape used with Negroamaro.  Salice Salentino wine is Negroamaro with 15% Malvasia Nera, Nardò is Negroamaro with Malvasia Nera di Lecce.  It has a dark colour and smells like chocolate covered cherries!villajamelevigna

Moscato di Trani The main grape in Moscato di Trani is Moscato Bianco, of Ancient Greek origins.  Trani is a beautiful port town that is definitely worth seeing. Wines from Puglia were traded via Trani to Venezia, starting in the 11th century.  In 1974, Moscato di Trani 1974, was one of the first vini Pugliese to achieve DOC status in.  It is vino dolce, a sweet dessert wine that goes well with almonds, pastries, and mild cheeses.  It is a gold colour with woody and spicy aromas.  Moscato di Trani is produced in the Trani and Bari areas and also in Cerignola and Trinitapoli, Provincia di Foggia.

Susumaniello, also called Somarello is among the most obscure grape varieties.  An ancient grape only found in Puglia, it is originally from Greece or Croatia.  It is the offspring of Sangiovese with the white Garganega grape. It is high yield and usually blended with Negroamaro and Malvasia Nera.  It is a deep ruby colour with the aroma of red berries, plums and peppery dark chocolate.  Somarello is dialetto for asinello or little donkey, implying the grapevines are heavily loaded like a donkey.

Tuccanese-Featured in Vini di Puglia post #3, coming soon!

Verdeca is a white blending grape from Croatia.  Verdeca + Primitivo are the parents for Plavina Crna, a red grape found only in Croatia. Interestingly, Verdeca is not found in Croatia today.  Verdeca is grown in the ‘trulli’ areas of Alberobello, Locorotondo, Cisternino, Fasano, Martina France, Ceglie Messapica and Ostuni.  Locorotondo DOC and Martina Franca DOC are delicate dry whites and spumanti made with Verdeca, Bombino Bianco and Malvasia grapes.Uvapianoparadiso

Zibibbo This last one is not a common grape in Puglia, but I had to include it for sentimental reasons.  I asked Papà what grapes were grown at La Cupa in my Nonno’s campagna. He said ‘Tuccanese, Malvasia Bianca, Mene di vacca and Zibib’.  Zibib?  What is a Zibib??? I looked it up and there actually is a grape called Zibibbo or Zibib.  It means ‘dried grape’ in Egyptian (Zibib) or Arabic (Zabib).  One of the oldest unmodified vines in existence, it is also called Moscato d’Alessandria. It is used to make Passito di Pantelleria, a white moscato from the Sicilian volcanic island of Pantelleria. The Zibib at La Cupa was planted by my Bisnonno Antonio in the early 1900’s so who knows how it got there!

Vigneto, La Cupa 1994

Vigneto, La Cupa 1994

Un Lessico per Vinicolture/A Glossary of Viniculture terms

Botte=wood barrels

Contadino=farmer

Corposo=full-bodied

DOC/DOCG=Denominazione di Origine Controllata (G=e Garantita) =controlled designation of origin/controlled and guaranteed designation of origin.  A quality assurance label for Italian food products.

Raccolta=harvest

Uva=grape Uve=grapes

Vendemmia=the grape harvest

Vendemmiare=to harvest the grapes

Vigneto=vineyard

Vigna =vineyard

Viticoltura=viniculture/grape growing

Viticoltore=grape grower

Vitigno=species of grapevine

Vitigni autoctoni=autochthonous grapes, which are native or indigenous

Salute! Vini di Puglia Part 3, Il Tuccanese coming soon!

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‘Petaloso’

02 Wednesday Mar 2016

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Inspiration, Italian language, Parole piacevoli

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

Accademia della Crusca, Aggettivi, Italian language, Petaloso

Petaloso

Last week, #petaloso was one of the top trending topics in Italia.  Just over a month ago, an 8 year old boy named Matteo in 3rd year elementary in Ferrara used the adjective ‘petaloso’ to describe a flower.  His maestra (teacher) Margherita Aurora marked his assignment as incorrect, but she thought it was a beautiful word.  ‘Un errore bello’ to be exact.  So she said to Matteo ‘Chiediamolo alla Crusca’ (Let’s ask the Crusca).Fiore profumato petaloso

L’Accademia della Crusca, literally ‘The Academy of the Bran’, is the oldest linguistic academy in the world.  It was established in Firenze in the 16th Century to safeguard the study of the Italian language. They are notoriously purist-as they should be, and don’t like foreign words and anglicismi (Anglicisms).  The name sounds kind of strange, but it refers to separating the wheat from the bran, or as we would say in English ‘separating the wheat from the chaff’.

Petaloso is the noun petalo (petal) with the suffix ‘oso‘.  Petaloso means ‘full of petals’or ‘petalous’.  Matteo and Margherita submitted the word for valutazione (evaluation) by ‘La Crusca’.  I’ve been inventing Italian words by mistake my whole life and didn’t know this was possible! Most of my new adjectives are not appropriate for polite company so I don’t think La Crusca will be hearing from me!  Valutazione is usually a long and arduous process, but they received an adorable response from La Crusca in 3 weeks.

‘È una parola ben formata e potrebbe essere usata in italiano come sono usate parole formato nello stesso modo come peloso e coraggioso’.  (It is a well-formed word and could be used in Italian like we use words formed in the same way).  The letter went on to say that new words don’t enter the vocabulary unless they are used and understood by lots of people in everyday conversation.  For example, ‘le margherite sono fiori petalosi, mentre i papaveri non sono molto petalosi’ (Daisies are flowers full of petals, whereas poppies are not very petalous).

#petaloso was one of the top twitter tweets for Feb 23rd 2016, as everyone tried to help Matteo spread it around. Margherita’s response ‘per me vale come mille lezioni di italiano’ (for me this was worth a thousand lessons in Italian!’

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Margherita di Savoia

20 Wednesday Jan 2016

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Italian language, Mangiamo!

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

Capanna Regina Margherita, Grand Hotel Terme, Italian food, Italian history, Margherita di Savoia, Pizza Margherita, Puglia, Savoiardi

Queen_Margharitha_di_SavoiaA few nights ago I was at my favourite pizzeria having a pizza Margherita. This made me think about Margherita di Savoia, and all the random connections to her name.  Margherita di Savoia (Mar·gehr∙EE∙tah dee Sah∙VOH∙yah) lived from 1851-1926.  She became the first Queen of Italia when her husband, Umberto I di Savoia became King.  They had one son born in 1870, and he became King Vittorio Emanuele III in 1900 after the assassination of Umberto by an anarchist.

Regina Margherita was a great supporter of the arts and ‘opere di beneficenza’ – charitable works. She encouraged artists and writers and was involved with the Red Cross. During the war, she turned her house in Roma into a hospital. Margherita loved hiking and driving.  The Royal garage was filled with cars named after birds.  After her death, the cars were auctioned off for charity. In 1893, she climbed the peak of Monte Rosa in the Alps for the opening of Capanna Regina Margherita, the highest mountain hut in Europe.

Margherita was extremely popular with the public. On her visit to Napoli in 1889, she took off her gloves to eat a chicken leg with her hands, which is the origin of the saying ‘Anche la regina Margherita mangia il pollo con le dita/ Even Regina Margherita eats chicken with her fingers’.  Unfortunately Margherita’s political views leaned towards fascism in her later years, but fortunately that isn’t one of my random connections!

My list of random connections to Margherita di Savoia:

1-Pizza Margherita. In 1889, in honour of the royal visit to Napoli, Raffaele Esposito of Pizzeria Brandi ‘created’ pizza Margherita topped with pomodoro, mozzarella and basilico (tomato, mozzarella and basil) to represent the colours of the Italian flag.  In reality these pizza toppings were already being used in Napoli, so it was the name created by pizzaiolo Raffaele. I remember having a delicious calzone a long time ago in Montaguto called ‘Le Mutande della Regina’.  It was filled with Margherita toppings, and the calzone was left a bit open on the 2 sides, with sausage meat spilling out so they looked like frilly underwear!margherita

2-Margherita di Savoia, Puglia.  In the summer, there is a direct bus from Orsara di Puglia to Margherita di Savoia, a seaside thermal spa town in the province of Barletta 2 hours away. Before 1879, it was called Saline di Barletta because of the saltworks.  Salt has been collected here since the Roman times.  Approaching Margherita, the salt looks like snowy mountains by the beach.  The water is very salty and therapeutic, and the Grand Hotel Terme di Margherita is known for ‘fanghi’ salty mud treatments.Margheritadisavoia2015margheritasale

Margheritadisavoiaspiaggia3-The Pantheon.  Regina Margherita is buried with her husband Umberto in my favourite architectural masterpiece.tombadimargherita

4-Tiramisù. Savoiardi are named after the Savoia family. They were the 15th Century official court biscuit of the House of Savoia, created in honour of a visit from the King of France.  Without savoiardi, there would be no tiramisu.Tiramisu

5-Forza Azzurri! The Italian National Team wear azzurro, the colour of the House of Savoia.

Forza Azzurri!

Forza Azzurri!

6-My address! In Orsara di Puglia, I live on Via Regina Margherita.vrmargherita

viarmargheritaThe last one is my favourite Margherita! The word ‘margherita’ means daisy, as in the flower.  Can you think of other random Margherita connections?

*Portrait of Margherita di Savoia 1881 from Wikimedia Commons

©2016www.unpodipepe.ca

 

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I miss travelling and keep going through the photos of my last trip. I decided to publish a blog post to take you on a virtual tour of an open air exhibit of photos by @nicolagtramonte in Orsara di Puglia. Hope you enjoy the visit! #orsaradipuglia #percorsodellamemoria #photoexhibition #mostrafotografica #montidauni #weareinpuglia #puglia #pugliagram #vintagephotos #blackandwhitephotography #unpodipepe
Viva l’amore. I hope everyone had a wonderful day with their loved ones-in person or virtually❤️ #valentinesday #amore #raviolirossi #ravioliinpentola #buttalapasta #valentinecooking #beetpastadough #sanvalentino #unpodipepe
As requested-new blog post with directions for making ravioli rossi a forma di cuore, ❤️shaped red ravioli! #ravioli #beetpastadough #ravioliaformadicuore #heartravioli #valentinescooking #pastafattaamano #italiancuisine #unpodipepe
Playing with beet pasta dough and ❤️ cookie cutters with my nipotine today @isabelladecotiis We adapted my ravioli con ricotta e spinaci recipe -added puréed roasted beet and left out the spinach in the filling. Felt like we were playing with Play-doh! #ravioli #raviolirossi #raviolipersanvalentino #raviolidiricotta #valentinesdaymenu #pastafattaamano #handmadepasta #heartpasta #fbcigers #italianfood #unpodipepe
You know you are missing Italia and obsessed with food when your bath bomb looks like caciocavallo 🤪#bathbombs #caciocavallo #italianfood #lushbathbomb #imisstravelling #italiamimanchi #unpodipepe
2021 is the 700th anniversary of the death of Dante Alighieri. New post ‘700 years of Dante’ up on the blog #dante #dantealighieri #700yearsofdante #ladivinacommedia #sommapoeta #firenze #divinecomedy #deathofdante #igersfirenze #unpodipepe
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Today is Giornata del dialetto e della lingua locale-Dialect and local language day. I don’t know who decides these things 🤷‍♀️ but I love this bus in #Orsaradipuglia It says ‘Livt dà nanz’ which means ‘get out of the way’ in dialetto Orsarese and also in #napoletano. It is what we would all love to say to COVID too! #dialetto #dialettonapoletano #dialettopugliese #weareinpuglia #linguelocale #livtdananz #busslogans #montidauno #giornatadeldialetto #unpodipepe
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