Foodie Blog Part 1

I realized today that I haven’t said anything yet really about the food in Europe, which is silly considering that one of the reasons Sean and I were looking forward to coming was so that we could eat and drink our way through each country. Overall, the food has been delicious and has presented yet one more adventure (though more so for me than for Sean, who tends to stick to his comfort zone when it comes to his taste buds). I’ve broken out my notes by each country and I’ll follow up with another entry once we’ve experienced the food in Belgium and Paris as well.

Italy
Italy has by far provided the most top notch cuisine on our trip, and therefore will also require the most explanation. I would like to imprint all of the foods and experiences into my memory, though I suspect it will force multiple return trips when a refresher is needed. After only a week in both Florence and Rome, I feel I could write an entire book about the foods of Italy. Everything was incredibly fresh and full of flavor. Nothing beats the tender chewiness of fresh homemade pasta and the sweetness of garden ripe tomatoes (Fun fact about tomatoes: although a huge part of Italian cuisine, Italy didn’t use tomatoes in their cooking until the 1500s when they were brought over from the Americas. You’re quite welcome Italy). On our first night in Rome, Sean and I ordered a plate of lasagna to share as our first course, and oh my goodness was it good. I have never had lasagna quite that delicious, and I make a mean lasagna so that’s saying a lot. In a lot of lasagna dishes, one ingredient (normally cheese) tends to overwhelm the other flavors in the dish. However, Italian lasagna lets each ingredient shine so you experience a new flavor in every bite – the tenderness of the noodles, the creaminess of the mozzarella, the saltiness of the parmesan, and the sweetness of the tomatoes. I still salivate thinking about that lasagna.


I was very proud of Sean during this leg of our vacation because each night at dinner he shared a half bottle of red wine with me (I wasn’t sure he could have handled a full bottle, so we played it safe). Sean is not a fan of wine, least of all red wine, but he stretched his comfort zone and indulged – and found out during the process that he actually likes Italian red wine quite a bit! We even bought a few bottles during our week in Florence to take back to our hotel room for an evening treat. Our last night in Rome, we really classed it up with a $12 bottle of Moscato D’Asti (not a red wine, but one we both love) served in plastic glasses. I struggled with drinking from plastic cups at first as the wine lover in me rebels against anything other than proper wine glasses, but after a few servings, I found it very hard to care.


Our most noteworthy wine and culinary experience occurred in the Cinque Terre. On our first stop in the furthest Cinque Terre town, Monterosso, we visited a private winery set atop a hill overlooking the vineyards, olive groves, and lemon trees. There we were presented with three different wines and an entire platter of traditional Cinque Terre food – most notably, the pesto (which originates from this area), though the olives fresh out of the groves were exceptional as well. It was there that we also had our first introduction to Sciacchetrà (pronounced shah-key-trah). Although too sweet for me, Sean liked it and we ended up buying a bottle to enjoy later in the week.


In Italy, the sweet wines like Sciacchetrà and Vin Santo are served in shot glasses with small pieces of biscotti for dunking. This food pairing will most likely be one that Sean and I continue when we get home – it is a great combination and definitely beats dunking biscotti in plain ol’ coffee!


Speaking of coffee, I have never been a huge fan of any form of coffee that hasn’t been sweetened to the extreme. That was not the case in Italy. I started each morning with a cup (or two) of cappuccino, unsweetened and yet equally delicious – if not more so. Sean and I may be investing in an espresso machine very soon. Possible birthday gift idea? Who knows, Sean may have the opportunity to add barista to his resume by year’s end.

The other phenomenal dining experience we had in the Cinque Terre was at Trattoria dal Billy, which came recommended by numerous online bloggers. Sean and I went hog wild and ordered the antipasti di mare, which consisted of twelve small seafood dishes (antipasti di mare is the typical antipasti dish in the Cinque Terre – you can’t find the traditional meat and cheese platter like you can in the rest of Italy). Each dish was uniquely different and equally tasty – we ate every last bite. We both had our first fresh anchovy tasting, which is nothing like the preserved anchovies available back home. For our main course we split the plate of the day, a serving of fresh lobster pasta. This required that we get our hands a bit dirty because the lobster was at the bottom of our pasta bowl, cut in half and still in the shell. It was worth the hard work though and neither Sean nor I were complaining. We ended the meal with some sweet wine and biscotti, and two very full tummies!



Other foods we tried that don’t require much in the way of explanation were the tiramisu, cannoli, brioche, pizza and paninis. Although good, I’ve had these items back in the states that were just as tasty, if not more so.

A few new items that Sean and I tried were fried zucchini flowers (I have never seen these back home, but they should definitely make an appearance because they are yummy) and lampredotto sandwiches. The latter I had Sean try before telling him what it was – a cow’s fourth stomach. The restaurant we had it at, Nerboni, is famous in Florence for those types of sandwiches and for good reason – it was delicious. Even after Sean discovered what it was, he wanted more.

A quick note about one of the restaurants Sean and I ate at – Il Caminetto. My mom ate there a few years ago when she visited Florence and had taken a picture of it, but didn’t know the name. She mentioned how good the food was, but nowhere in her journals or note-taking did she jot down the name of the restaurant; it didn’t even appear in the picture she took. I really wanted to eat there because it was so cute and exactly how I pictured a small Italian restaurant to look, but without a name I didn’t know how we’d find it. I guess with technology these days I shouldn’t have worried because I was able to drop her picture into Google image search and found a matching picture online. The picture didn’t show the restaurant name, but it did tell what street it was on. With the streets identified, I used Google street view to virtually walk down the street until I found the restaurant – how cool is that? Sean and I ate there twice and had a great meal both times. You gotta love technology!

The photo my mom took of the restaurant.
The same restaurant six years later!
Of course, my all-time favorite indulgence in Italy was the gelato, which should not come as a shock to anyone who knows me. Nothing in the states even comes close to the creaminess of authentic gelato. While Sean played it safe and ordered standard flavors like caramel and vanilla, I had fun and experimented with flavors such as cottage cheese and pear, blue cheese, walnut and pear, saffron cream, and bilberry ricotta (does anyone know what a bilberry is???). Both Sean and I visited a few gelaterias in search of the perfect cup of gelato, but once we found that perfect cup, we were loyal customers. A coworker had recommended his favorite place, La Carraia, and he did not steer us wrong. I wish I could scoop that gelateria up and stick it right next door (or maybe just in Auburn, that would work too). I have a feeling I will be dreaming about that gelateria for quite some time and it will be my first stop (even before the hotel) when we return to Florence in the future.

Switzerland
Of all the food we’ve eaten in our different stops, I’ve been least impressed with Switzerland thus far. I’m sure I’ll go to culinary hell for saying this, but the Melting Pot produces a far better pot of cheese fondue than the one we tried while in Lucerne. I also tried apple kuchen, and though my personal recipe might be less authentic, I thought mine was a bit superior (though given I am a bit biased). Sean and I didn’t order repeats while in Lucerne, so I should be fair I suppose and take into consideration that the restaurant may not have been top notch and not use that as a reflection of the country’s cuisine. The one dish I was most intrigued by was the alpine macaroni. Alpine macaroni consists of macaroni noodles in a cheesy onion sauce, served with a dish of applesauce (much thicker and sweeter than in the US) that you mix into it. An interesting combination for sure, and yet one that surprisingly works. Both Sean and I gobbled it up and wished that we had ordered a larger serving.

France – Alsace Region
I am going to write about France based on the specific cities we visit because the Alsace region wasn’t the best representation of French cuisine. The few French foods we tried were nothing to write home about, but the German food was a completely different story. Being so close to Germany (and at times belonging to Germany) Alsace food is very heavily influenced by German ingredients. On our first night in Eguisheim, I had a delicious plate of sauerkraut, sausage and bacon – eating it made me think of my dad as it reminds me of the type of food he always orders when we visit Leavenworth. The other stand out meal I had, and the region’s specialty, was the tarte flambee (French version) or flammkuchen (German version). It is similar to a pizza, but is on a much thinner crust and traditionally consists only of cheese, caramelized onions, and bacon. It is a heart attack waiting to happen, but a darn good meal and a great representation of Alsace cuisine.

Sean bet me three foot rubs that I couldn't finish the whole thing - my feet have been getting quite pampered the past few nights!
Europe in General
The one food item we’ve seen all over Europe and probably Sean’s favorite so far is the wild boar (fresh and cured). It has a much different flavor than any other meat we’ve tried and it is delicious. We are both going to hunt for it when we get back home – Sean won’t rest until he finds it!

I think that’s enough (for now) about the food. This has officially become my longest blog post, but I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised since both Sean and I love food, as well as the culture and experiences it tends to inspire. More to come as we explore the culinary world within Belgium and Paris!