March-April-2018

ROUSES

EVERYDAY

MARCH | APRIL 2018

the

Authentic Italian

issue

landlocked Umbria, it’s frequently lard.

Nowhere is this more evident than when

we examine the staple starches Italians love

and, to this day, rely on. (And nobody, let

it be said, but nobody, does a staple starch

better, with more zest, variety and flat-out

goodness, than the Italians.)

Southern, Northern and Central Italy: One

might expect the three main staple grains of

wheat (as in pasta), rice (as in risotto) and corn

(as in polenta) to align neatly with these areas.

Well, not so fast. Yes and no, as you’d expect

from this deliciously contentious country.

Within the broad embrace of these zones are

very

particular regions. Look a little more

closely and you’ll find constituencies where

carbohydrates most Americans do not think

of as particularly Italian are beloved (chestnuts,

potatoes, buckwheat, barley, chickpeas). And

consider the gnocchi, beloved in all of Italy;

these little dumplings can be made from

wheat or corn or potatoes.

It is true that in these comparatively well-

off and interconnected contemporary days,

inter-regional mingling is promiscuous;

clearly, not just in Naples do Italians (and

tourists) eat

pizza alla Napoletana

. Even

while cooks and eaters like me revere the

regional differences, those differences

fade with travel, exposure to the Internet

and prosperity. Polenta and risotto, once

the more or less exclusive property of the

North, can now be enjoyed throughout the

country — indeed, throughout the world.

Still. Differences there were, and are, and

I say, note them and celebrate them. And

eat them. With hunger, with pleasure and,

perhaps, with a little reverence.

Here, then, is an overview of the whats

and wheres in the glorious forms of these

staples, elevated as they are so beautifully,

in Italy.

Northern Regions

Where:

The top of Italy’s boot. To the

north this mountainous area is bordered by

France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia,

and to the south, by the sea … and the

remainder of Italy. More provinces and

more diversity are found here; and this is

the coldest part of Italy.

MainGrain(s):

Corn and rice,with potatoes,

barley, chestnuts and buckwheat on backup.

Wheat, though much more common now,

was once less traditional in these parts. In

contemporary times, the style tends towards

the varieties we grind into all-purpose flour

as opposed to the chewier, higher-protein,

durum wheat types.

Specialties Made from It:

Risotto.

Polenta. Friuli-Venezia Giulia, in the

northeast, loves barley, including a risotto-

like, savory barley porridge called

orzotti

Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, abutting

Austria, loves its buckwheat, including a

short, flat buckwheat flour pasta,

pizzoccheri

(often layered with cabbage, potatoes,

melted butter, sage and fontina cheese).

Meanwhile, in Valle d’Aosta, influenced

by Switzerland and France, potatoes, along

with polenta, usually take the place of pasta

or bread, and chestnuts are used in both

savory and sweet dishes. Throughout this

mountainous region, deeply hearty game

and poultry stews are served over polenta.

As one heads down towards Central Italy,

pastas appear more frequently, typically

fresh ones containing eggs and made from

all-purpose flour.

Other Players:

Expect a relative lack of

tomatoes in the chillier North, plenty of

cheese (even fondue, usually centered on

fontina) and the addictive, oh-my-God

goodness of white truffles.

Central Regions

Where:

The middle part of Italy’s boot,where

the country becomes peninsular, with the

Ligurian and Mediterranean seas to the west

and southwest, and the Adriatic to the east.

Main Grain(s):

Wheat, with corn and

rice playing more minor roles as backup.

Chestnuts and potatoes do show up,

however, and are beloved.And some parts of

the central areas are devoted to the starchy

“

In any nation that is geographically diverse, food is

going to vary from one region to another. But because

Italy, a relatively small country (the U.S. is 32.5 times

as large in square miles), is extreme in its astonishingly

varied topography and weather, the culinary traditions are

unusually, splendidly diverse.”