Happy Ferragosto!
Thursday August 14, 2008
Ferragosto, or Assumption Day (August 15, the day the Virgin Mary was assumed into Heaven), is the most important summer holiday in Italy, a time that all Italians who can get out of the cities and head for either the coast or the hills.
It's also an occasion for a festive meal, and for many in Tuscany is a culinary breath of winter in the midst of summer: People fire up their ranges and make rich hearty dishes along the lines of pasta with sugo alla bolognese or lasagna, and Artusi has a number of other interesting suggestions.
In other parts of Italy people do other things, for example in Milano they enjoy vitello tonnato (which makes more sense to me, given the season), but no matter how you look at it, it's an occasion to get together with friends and enjoy a fine meal.
And what are we going to do this time? Probably enjoy pasta with pesto sauce, grill up a steak and some chicken, with a nice tossed salad and borlotti, also known as cranberry beans, all followed by a sorbetto di limone.
Again, Auguri!
Moving in a very different direction, if you have access to wild boar, North American Import & Export is holding a wild boar recipe contest. Entries are due by September 15, and the first prize is 500 Dollars. Time to get cooking...
It's also an occasion for a festive meal, and for many in Tuscany is a culinary breath of winter in the midst of summer: People fire up their ranges and make rich hearty dishes along the lines of pasta with sugo alla bolognese or lasagna, and Artusi has a number of other interesting suggestions.
In other parts of Italy people do other things, for example in Milano they enjoy vitello tonnato (which makes more sense to me, given the season), but no matter how you look at it, it's an occasion to get together with friends and enjoy a fine meal.
And what are we going to do this time? Probably enjoy pasta with pesto sauce, grill up a steak and some chicken, with a nice tossed salad and borlotti, also known as cranberry beans, all followed by a sorbetto di limone.
Again, Auguri!
Moving in a very different direction, if you have access to wild boar, North American Import & Export is holding a wild boar recipe contest. Entries are due by September 15, and the first prize is 500 Dollars. Time to get cooking...
Comments
The Italians really know how to celebrate a feast, especially like this one honoring the Virgin Mother. The foods you mention in your article are mouth-watering. I wish I was there to join the celebrations.