Snippets from the Italian Scene
Non Farti
Infinocchiare!
This means "don't let them hoodwink you," and derives from bulb fennel (finocchio, ch = k), though through the world of wine. How?
Some foods, for example artichokes, make even the best of wines seem harsh and astringent. Others, including fennel, make even the rankest plonk seem stellar, and of course any buyer would be fool to munch on one of these while evaluating the wines at a wine show.
So how to clear the palate between wines? Bread is an obvious answer. However, lots of people put out salami, because it also gives the buyer an idea of how the wine will work with meats. And then, there are the Tuscan winemakers who put out seasoned finocchiona, which looks like fine-grained salami but is cured with lots of fennel...
Non Farti Infinocchiare!
(Thanks to Sergio of Montenidoli for sharing this).
A presto,
Kyle
Phillips
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