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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

‘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!

≈ 16 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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Melagrana

08 Wednesday Jul 2015

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

≈ 16 Comments

Tags

Drypoint etching, Granada, Italian language, Italian pronunciation guide, Melagrana, Monotipi, Monotypes, Pomegranate, Punta secca

melagrana2While I was looking for some book cloth in my paper drawers, I discovered that I have an infestation of unfinished melagrane.

Unfinished melagrane in my studio

Unfinished melagrane in my studio

Melagrana (meh•lah•GRA•nah) is una parola piacevole (pa•ROH•la pyah•cheh•VOH•leh), a really likeable word.  It is Italian for pomegranate, the luscious red fruit with tart little seeds full of vitamins and antioxidants.  Melagrane is plural and il melograno is the pomegranate tree. The tree is masculine and the fruit is feminine-this causes a lot of confusion.  Just remember ‘la melagrana e il frutto del melagrano’. This is consistent with other fruits and their trees, for example- pera/ pero, olive/ulivo.

Melagrani (pomegranate trees) and melagrane (pomegranate fruit) on the roof of Hotel Columbia in Roma

Melagrani (pomegranate trees) and melagrane (pomegranate fruit) on the roof of Hotel Columbia in Roma

Granata is another word for melagrana. Granata is also the luscious pomegranate red colour, garnet-as in the stone, and grenade-the not so nice kind that blows up.  A grenade does kind of look it is covered in ‘semi di melagrana’ (pomegranate seeds).  Granatina or grenadine is syrup made with pomegranate juice used to make a Tequila Sunrise.

Melagrana comes from the latin words Malum (mela=apple) and granatum (grainy/full of seeds).   The Spanish city of Granada is named for the fruit-Granada is melagrana in Spanish.  The official symbol of the city is the melagrana and it appears in its coat of arms and all over Granada. The French word for apple is pomme, so pomme granate resulted in the English word pomegranate (apple of Granada).  I love how all of these words are connected!

Melagrane-unfinished drypoint etching monotype with chine colle

Melagrane-unfinished drypoint etching monotype with chine colle

Mannaggia la melagrana!  I’d better find time to finish all of these monotipi (monotypes) and incisione punta secca (drypoint etchings). I might have to have a melagrana sale.

Ciao, Cristina

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Dante Alighieri

31 Sunday May 2015

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

≈ 19 Comments

Tags

Dante, Dante Alighieri, Firenze, Italian history, Italian language, Italian literature, La Divina Commedia

Statue of Dante in Piazza Santa Croce, Firenze

Statue of Dante in Piazza Santa Croce, Firenze

Auguri Dante!  2015 is the 750th anniversary of the birth of Dante.  His actual birth date is unknown, but he does provide clues in ‘Paradiso’ that he was born under the sign of Gemini.  In 1265, Gemini was mid May to mid June, a bit earlier than it is now.

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 also the greatest work of literature in the Italian language.  In the late medieval period, Latin was the only language for education, literature and religion.  La Divina Commedia was the first major work written in a language of ordinary speech, the way people actually spoke at home. Dante combined Tuscan and other dialects and some Latin, establishing the modern Italian language.  Even though La Divina Commedia was written in 1308-20 the language is understandable today.

La Divina Commedia is a long poem in 3 parts, emphasizing the importance of salvation and Divine love. It outlines Dante’s imaginary trip to Paradiso (Heaven), passing through L’Inferno (Hell) and Purgatorio (Purgatory) to get there.  It is also a critique of famous figures of his time. The work is filled with historical references and discusses politics, religion, ethics and love. La Divina Commedia has no jokes and is not funny.  The reason it is called a commedia is because it is not a tragedia (trajedy) and it has a happy ending.

Dante was born in Firenze (Florence).  He studied philosophy, poetry, and was also a pharmacist because nobles in public office had to belong to one of the city’s guilds.  This isn’t as strange as it sounds because books were sold by pharmacies at the time. Dante’s family was involved in the Guelfi/Ghibellini (Guelph/Ghibelline) conflicts.  The Guelfi supported the Papacy and the Ghibellini supported the Holy Roman Emperor -although there wasn’t actually one at the time.  The Guelfi split into 2 groups because the Pope at the time kept interfering with internal matters in Firenze.  The Guelfi Bianchi (White Guelphs) did not want the Pope involved in city politics and the Guelfi Neri (Black Guelphs) supported complete Pope authority.  Dante’s family were Guelfi Bianchi.  In 1302, Firenze was occupied by the Guelfi Neri and the Guelfi Bianchi, including Dante, were exiled. The other Guelfi Bianchi in exile were pardoned a few years later, but not Dante.  He was kind of a badass in exile and burnt his bridges by writing many nasty letters, so he stayed in Roma.  Dante was offered amnesty in 1315, but there were strings attached and a heavy fine which he couldn’t pay. He wrote La Divina Commedia while in exile and managed to write all of his opponents to eternal damnation, imaginatively making up all sorts of horrible existances for them in l’Inferno.  He obviously put a lot of effort into coming up with all of the horrible details! If Dante were alive today I think he would be writing political satire in Paris.

Dante never returned to his beloved Firenze.  He moved to Ravenna, where he completed Paradiso and died in exile in 1321.  He is buried in the the church of San Francesco. Firenze regretted what had happened and repeatedly asked for Dante’s remains. A tomb was built in 1829 in Santa Croce but the requests were refused. In June 2008, Firenze passed a motion rescinding his sentence and exile. Meglio tardi che mai/Better late than never!

Piazza Santa Croce with statue of Dante on the left.

Piazza Santa Croce with statue of Dante on the left.

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Chiacchiere

01 Sunday Feb 2015

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

≈ 14 Comments

Tags

Art, Art materials, Chiacchiere, Crustoli, Italian language, Italian pronunciation guide, Painting

Chiacchierare (kee•ak•kee•eh•RAH•reh) is what I like to call a ‘parola piacevole’ (pa•ROH•la pyah•cheh•VOH•leh)-a likeable word. I love how it sounds.  If you need to review Italian pronunciation go back to this post.  The verb chiacchierare means to chat or talk.  It can also mean to gossip or make small talk. ‘Facciamo due chiacchiere’ literally means ‘Let’s have a few chats’.  Chiacchiere is also one of the many names for fried pastry for Carnevale.

Chiacchiere, 2014

Chiacchiere, 2014

I titled my quick monochromatic acrylic sketch on paper ‘Chiacchiere’ because as soon as I finished it that is the word that came to me.  I wonder what these two vecchiette (vek•KYET•teh =little old ladies) are talking about today? I might turn them into a real painting or some note cards…so I can write down my chiacchiere and send them to you!

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Italiano per Ristoranti~How to pronounce your restaurant menu

20 Friday Jun 2014

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Italian language, Travel tips

≈ 41 Comments

Tags

Downloadable pronunciation guide, Italian language, Italian menu, Italian pronunciation guide, Italiano per ristoranti, Restaurant Italian

Bruschetta (broo.SKET.tah)

Bruschetta (broo.SKET.tah)

When I’m at a restaurant and I hear BROO∙sheda, FOKA∙sia, pra∙skew∙do, spug∙eddy, la∙TAY, EX∙preso or worst of all, GA∙noh∙chee.…I have to cover my ears. This post is my small effort to encourage everyone to get to know the beauty of the Italian language. Whether you are planning a trip to Italia, or to your local Trattoria, learning how to pronounce the words on the menu is worth the effort!

Italian pronunciation is very different from English. Pronouncing Italian words is easier than it looks, because every letter has a purpose. Words are pronounced phonetically-the way they are spelled.  There are no silent letters as in English, except h at the beginning of a word.  My name ‘Cristina’ has no h because there is no reason for it. In Italian, you won’t find crazy words like ‘enough’ that don’t sound at all like they are written (?inaf).  If you know the sounds made by certain letters and combinations, you can pronounce all of those big long words with lots and lots of vowels.  Pronouncing Italian correctly will also help with reading.

Note…. It isn’t easy to ‘speak’ with writing, and no written material can replace listening to and speaking Italian on site! This is a basic, practical introduction….just the facts! I’ve written the approximate pronunciations so that someone who speaks English can understand them.

2 important things to know:

  • There are only 21 letters in the Italian alphabet. There is no j, k, w, x or y, except in foreign words. J is used in some dialetti (regional dialects) including Orsarese, and is pronounced like a y
  • Emphasis is usually on the next to last syllable. If the emphasis is on the last syllable, the vowel at the end of the word has an accent. For example, tiramisù (teera∙ mee∙ SOO), ragù (ra ∙GOO) menù (meh∙NOO), supplì (soop∙PLEE), bignè (bee∙NYEH), tè (TEH), or caffè (caf∙FEH).  This is very important to remember, as it is what gives the Italian language its musicality. If you pronounce everything the same, then the words will sound monotonous.

Accents/accenti are used:

  • When emphasis is on the last syllable of a word as described above
  • 1 syllable words with 2 vowels, as in può, più
  • 1 syllable words that can have 2 meanings, as in te (you) or tè (tea), e (and) or è (is)

Unlike other languages, in Italian the accent is almost always l’accento grave (GRAH∙veh) sloping down towards the right as in à,è,ì,ò,ù. L’accento acuto, as in é and ó is not used often. We can safely say that 99% of the time, l’accento acuto is only used for sé, né and words ending in ché (perché, finché, giaché, etc). In all other cases, use the accento grave.

Pronouncing vowels

  • • A is pronounced ah as in Mamma or amore (ah∙ MOH∙ reh)
    • I is like the ee sound in green, as in piselli (pee∙ SEL∙ lee). Followed by a vowel, i can also sound like the y in yoga, as in ieri (YEH∙ree)
    • U is like the u in June or the oo in food. Musica is moo∙SEE∙ca, nutella is noo∙TEL∙lah
  • E has 2 slightly different pronunciations that are hard to express in writing, and also vary from region to region. For the purpose of pronouncing food, we will just say that e is pronounced eh like the e in egg.  My favourite example is pepe (PEH∙peh).  Many pronunciation guides make the mistake of stating that e makes the sound ‘ay’.  This is not correct.  Do not pronounce e this way unless you want to sound like Tony Soprano!
    • O is oh like the o in no – calzone (cal∙ZOH∙neh) or the o in hot- cotto (COT∙toh). You may not know which sound the o makes unless you have heard the word spoken correctly, and there is also regional variation

Italian words are full of vowels and most words end in a vowel. If there are 2 or more vowels in a row, each one is pronounced. They may be in the same syllable, as in ciao (CHEEAH∙oh) and ieri (YEH∙ree). An awesome word with 4 vowels in a row is gioia (GEEOH∙yah)! Try saying that with a grumpy face!

Pronouncing consonants
C and G
• C and g are ‘duro’ or hard (as in corso or grande) – except if followed by an e or an i
• C or g followed by an e or i are ‘dolce’ or soft, like the ch in church and the g in gem
• If c or g are followed by an h and then an e or i, the pronunciation is hard once again

Ci = chee                        chi = kee
Ce = cheh                       che = ke (as in keg)
Gi = gee                         ghi = ghee
Ge = jeh (as in jelly)        ghe =as in ghetto

Pesce (PEH∙sheh) = fish…pesca (PES∙kah) = peach…pesche (PES∙keh) = peaches. If you want succo di pesca/pesche (peach juice or nectar) but ask for succo di pesce, you are asking for fish juice. Yuk! Don’t make my Bellini with that!

H (acca/AK∙kah)
• H is muta (MOO∙tah=silent).
• H is used to change the pronunciation of c and g (see above), or to distinguish 2 words that sound the same (anno/hanno, o/ho, a/ha)
• H is only used with c or g if followed by i or e, not if followed by u, a or o. Remember this handy rhyme: ‘cu ca co, acca no/gu ga go, acca no’
Gn/Gl
• Gn is ‘nyuh’ like the n and y in ‘can you’ if you say it quickly and nasally – try bagno (BAH∙nyo) and gnocchi (NYOK∙Kee). Gn sounds similar to the Spanish letter ñ as in señor and piñata. It should not sound like a hard g
• Gl is ‘lyah’ like the l and y in ‘will you’ said quickly. Gl is followed by ia or io as in foglia (FO∙lyah) or aglio (AHL∙yoh)

S combinations
• Sce is sheh like the ‘she’ sound in shelter… pesce = PEH∙sheh
• Sci is shee as in prosciutto (pro∙SHEEOOT∙toh)
• Sb is zb as in sbottonata (zbot∙toh∙NAH∙tah) = unbuttoned, sbriciolata (zbree∙cheeoh∙LA∙tah) = crumbled
R’s are rrrolled.  T’s sound like T, not like D.

Double consonants are both pronounced.  You need to hold the sound for an extra fraction of a second.  Take cappuccino for example.  You pronounce 2 p’s and 2 c’s.  It’s cap∙ pooch ∙CHEE ∙no, not cap∙a∙chee∙no.

Double r’s are rrreally rrrolled as in burrata (boor∙RAT∙ah)

Pronouncing double consonants as single can change the meaning of the word and can even lead to embarassing situations.  For example, if you want to order penne (PEN∙neh) al pomodoro, but you ask for pene (PE∙neh) al pomodoro, you have just ordered penis in tomato sauce!

Plurals

Unlike English and Spanish, adding an s to the end of an Italian word doesn’t make it plural.  In Italian, everything has a gender.

  • Masculine things usually end in an o and are plural with an i
  • Feminine things usually end in a and are plural with an e

Biscotto (bee∙SCOT∙toh) is singular, biscotti (bee∙SCOT∙tee) is plural.  Do not ask for a biscotti. You ask for 1 biscotto or 2 biscotti.

The plural of birra (beer) is birre, so it’s una birra (BEE∙rah) or due birre (BEE∙reh)

Panino is singular, panini is plural.  Since panini is already plural, ‘paninis’ is ‘sandwicheses’!  It sounds just as silly in Italian!

Some foods have been given a sex change in North America. Remember that zucchine, fettucine and linguine are all female and do not end in i

  • Things ending in e, whether masculine or feminine, are plural with an i. For example, a glass is un bicchiere, 2 glasses are due bicchieri (beek∙KYEH∙ree), un salame, due salami
  • Things ending in io become plural with i. Kiss is bacio (BAH∙cheeoh), many kisses are baci (BAH∙chee)

Some words don’t change when plural:

  • Words that are abbreviations like auto and euro (eeoo∙roh)
  • Imported words like computer and taxi. These are usually masculine
  • one syllable words
  • Words that end in a consonant or an accented vowel (il caffè/i caffè)

There are exceptions to these. For example egg-l’uovo (oo∙oh∙voh) is masculine, but the plural is the feminine le uova (oo∙oh∙vah)-not ‘uovi’. Il dentista, il programma and il problema are masculine, but end in a because they come from the Greek, ending in ‘ma’ or ‘ta’.   Sometimes the exception is simply because it sounds awkward.

Using the wrong vowel at the end can completely change the meaning of a word. For example, if you want to order agnello alla menta (lamb cooked with mint) but you ask for agnello al mento (lamb with chin) I’m not sure which body part will be brought to your table!

Now you are ready to read the menu at Trattoria ‘Un po’ di pepe’……. Buon appetito!

This post is available as a downloadable PDF at the end of the menu. Ebook coming soon!

ilmenu

Il menù Trattoria Un po’ di pepe:

Focaccia Genovese (foh∙KACH∙cheeah  Jen∙oh∙VEH∙seh)•Genoa style focaccia

Mozzarella di bufala Campana (motz∙za∙REL∙la dee BOO∙fa∙lah Cam·PAH·nah)•Fresh mozzarella from the region of Campania, made with milk from water buffalo

Prosciutto e melone (pro∙sheeoot∙toh e meh∙LOH∙neh)•Prosciutto wrapped around slices of canteloupe

Gnocchi al pomodoro (NYOK∙kee ahl poh∙moh∙DOH∙roh)•Gnocchi in a tomato sauce

Tagliatelle al cinghiale (ta∙lyah∙TEL∙leh ahl ceen∙ghee∙AH∙leh)•tagliatelle (ribbon-like egg pasta) with wild boar sauce

Penne all’arrabbiata (PEN∙neh ahl ar∙rab∙BYAT∙tah)•Penne in an ‘angry’ spicy sauce

Orecchiette con cime di rapa (oh∙rek∙KYET∙the con CHEE∙meh dee RAH∙pah)•Orecchiette (Pugliese pasta shaped like little ears) with rapini

Spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino (spah∙GET∙tee AHL∙yoh ohl∙yo eh peh∙peh∙ron∙CHEE∙noh)•Spaghetti with garlic, olive oil and chili pepper

Risotto ai frutti di mare (ree∙SOT∙toh ahee frut∙tee dee MAH∙reh)•Seafood risotto

Pesce spada con salsa di acciughe (peh∙sheh spa∙da con sal∙sa dee ach∙chee∙OO∙geh)•Swordfish with anchovy sauce

Polpette della nonna (pohl∙PET∙teh  del∙la NON∙nah)•Nonna’s meatballs

Coniglio arrosto con patate  (coh∙NEE∙lyoh ar∙ROS∙toh con pah∙TAH∙teh)•Roast rabbit with potatoes

Melanzane ripiene al forno (meh∙lan∙ZAH∙neh ree∙PYEH∙neh)•Baked stuffed eggplant

Crostata con Nutella, mascarpone e pere (cro∙STA∙tah con noo∙TEL∙la, mas∙car∙POH∙neh e PEH∙reh)•Nutella, mascarpone and pear tart

Panettone con mandorle (pah∙net∙TOH∙neh con man∙DOR∙leh)•Panettone (sweet bread) with almonds

Zabaglione (zah∙bah∙LYOH∙neh)•A custard type of dessert made with egg yolks, sugar and marsala

Italiano per Ristoranti Downloadable PDF ©2016 unpodipepe.ca

BUON APPETITO!

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Ricotta fatta in casa~ Homemade ricotta

02 Monday Jun 2014

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

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

cheese making, Food, Homemade ricotta, Italian language, Recipes, Traditional recipes

Ricotta (ree∙COT∙tah) means cooked again. Ricotta is made when the left over liquid from cheese making (whey) is cooked a second time. Vinegar or lemon juice is added to coagulate or curdle the whey and these curds make ricotta. Making ricotta at home from whey isn’t practical, since you need so much of it to make a small amount of ricotta. The do-it-yourself alternative is to use whole milk and the result is every bit as yummy. It will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days, but it won’t last that long!

Freshly made ricotta drizzled with olive oil, ready to spread onto bread

Freshly made ricotta drizzled with olive oil, ready to spread onto bread

You will need:
2 L (8 cups) whole milk (3.25% MF). Organic milk is best. Do not use skim or low-fat milk! I have used lactose-free milk, but it has to be whole milk
1 tsp sea salt
45 ml (3 tablespoons) lemon juice or 60 ml (4 tablespoons) white wine vinegar or clear apple cider vinegar
If using cow’s milk, you can also add up to 250 ml (1 cup) cream depending on how creamy you like it

Directions:
1. In a large pot, stir milk, cream and salt
2. Keep stirring over medium heat until the temperature reaches 80⁰ C (180⁰ F)
3. Add lemon juice or vinegar and stir briefly and gently. Be careful not to stir too much!
4. Keep on low flame for 5 minutes
ricottapentola2014
5. If you start to see bubbles, add a small amount of cold water to keep the milk from reaching boiling temperature
6. Remove from heat and scoop ricotta out with a slotted spoon. Pour through a cheesecloth lined colander or a sieve

ricottacolapasta2
7. Let the liquid drain out, then turn it over onto a plate and ecco-la ricotta!
ricottadicapra

I like to use goat milk, which is naturally creamier. I have had the best results using lemon juice to curdle the milk, but any of the coagulants listed will work well. Do not use the cloudy kind of apple cider vinegar-it gives the ricotta a funny taste. After I made my ricotta, I used the whey to make about 3 tablespoons of ‘real’ ricotta and I added it to the ricotta draining in the colander. I did not notice a taste difference.
Do not throw out the whey! It is rich in vitamins and protein. I used mine to water my olive tree and peperoncini! You can also keep it for adding to soup or risotto, for making bread, or as a substitute for milk in cakes or other recipes.

Links to my other posts featuring ricotta:

Fiori di Zucca

Limoncello Ricotta Cookies

Tortelloni di Ricotta

Buon appetito!

Click here for help with Italian pronunciation.

Vocabolario
Inglese:
                         Italiano:
Whey                              siero
Curds                              caglia
Goat milk                       latte di capra
Cow’s milk                     latte di mucca
Apple cider vinegar        aceto di mele
Whole milk                    latte intero
Lactose-free milk           latte senza lattosio
Skim milk                      latte scremato
Organic                          biologico
Colander                        colapasta
Do-it-yourself (DIY)       fai-da-te
Butterfingers                 Avere le mane di ricotta

Buon appetito, Cristina

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