Welcome the Euro!

Moving towards Europe and Italy, we are now just a few short weeks from the new universal currency, the Euro, and preparations continue at spate; we're still using Lire, but the stores are already doing most of their pricing in Euros, with Lire in considerably smaller print, and when I check my cellphone balance it says how much I have in my account in Euros first. 25-Euro packets containing the various coins and small bills people will need to be familiar with will go on sale in post offices in a couple of weeks, and the big changeover will begin on January first; as of January second all ATMs will dispense only Euros and all checks will be in Euros.

Things will likely be quite confusing at first, in large part because the Lira will also be in circulation for two months, and people will be able to use either as they prefer. Since the exchange rate is not even -- 1936.7 Lire or so to a Euro -- people are buying calculators to figure conversions with, and it could take considerably longer than it should to buy a loaf of bread for the first week or two. Credit cards will of course work, and the bills charged with them will be in Euros from the beginning, so if you want to get things done quickly go where they take plastic.

What will the effect of this all be? No more need to change currency when traveling among EEU states (most of Europe, except for Great Britain, Switzerland and a couple of other countries), for one, and this means that the next time I pass through a German airport I'll be able to buy a beer without getting gouged by the teller. On a more serious level, I think it will boost trade considerably, because people in the various European countries will be able to comparison shop in a way that has been impossible until now -- with the prices all in the same currency, they'll know if a product offered elsewhere is convenient or not (prices of cars, clothing, appliances, and many other things vary considerably from place to pace within Europe), and this will lead to a tremendous amount of mail ordering, as well as travel by people bent on buying goods and reselling them back home at a profit.

Vinum

Moving in a very different direction, though grapes are native to the Caucasus they migrated west to the Mediterranean Basin with the dawn of civilization, and arrived in Italy with the Greeks if not sooner. Those early agronomists quickly realized that the Italian peninsula was ideally suited to grape cultivation, and also realized that the peoples inhabiting the Peninsula were extraordinarily good clients; by the time of the Roman rise to prominence wine played a pivotal role in daily life in Italian cities and towns, and was also one of the pillars upon which the economy rested. On the one hand, Roman traders turned fabulous profits exporting the better Italian wines to the Celts and Germanic tribes, and on the other they turned equally impressive profits importing cheaper wines for the masses at home. And there was much more: Wine fueled the State though taxes, supported innumerable other industries (including ship building and ceramics), and played a part in almost every aspect of daily life from religion through health care.

Stuart Fleming paints a detailed picture of all this in Vinum, The Story of Roman Wine; chapters include Legions and Legalities, An Emotional Investment (why the Romans sank fortunes into vineyards when other things gave better returns), Changing the Flavors (preparing and doctoring wines), Drunkenness and Depravity (what it sounds like), the Medicinals (wine as a drug), and A Separate Standard (Women and wine).

It's well written, packed with nicely translated quotes from ancient sources ("Nepos, my neighbor twice over, you have a daughter whose face is stamped with her father's likeness, witness to her mother's virtue. However, don't be too sparing of your aged Falerian; rather leave behind you jars full of cash. Let your girl be dutiful, let her be rich, but let her drink the new wine [when she grows up]; the flagon that is new now will grow old with its mistress. Let no Caecuban vintage nourish only the childless. Fathers too can enjoy life, take my word. (Martial, Epigrams, V.64); P. 65")" and full of illustrations that open new vistas to exploration. For example, a photo of henna blossoms, with the explanation that they helped lull the inebriated to untroubled slumber, and a quotation from Plutarch on the subject, or drawings of the various kinds of amphorae with an explanation of where they were made and how they can be used to trace trade routes.

In all, 133 pages, with 77 plates, a great many illustrations, background for the quotations, and a discussion of the references sited. A fascinating book that anyone with a more-than-passing-interest in wine will enjoy. Also, I might add a perfect gift.

Practical things:

Vinum, The Story of Roman Wine

By Stuart J. Fleming

Art Flair (Glen Mills PA), 2001

ISBN 0971274207

Torrone

Moving at last towards food, we are nearing the Christmas season, which is synonymous with a great many pastries, including Pandoro, Panettone, Panforte, Ricciarelli, Caggionetti,and Struffoli. Among the greatest is Torrone, otherwise known as nougat, a concoction made from honey, well-whipped egg whites, vanilla, and walnuts or almonds; it's an ancient sweet that requires considerable skill and care to make well, and in the past was also a great favorite among pastry chefs because it can be used as a building material for making fanciful cakes and other such delights. It's made throughout Italy, and, according to Antonio Piccinardi, the productions of Alba, Cremona, Siena, Benevento, Calabria and Abruzzo are especially renowned. However, he says the height of refinement is reached in Sicily, and singles out Caltanisetta's tocchetti, Piazza Armerina's torrone, and cubaita, an ancient torrone that's Arab in origin. He doesn't however, give recipes.

Maria Adele Di Leo does, on the other hand, in I Dolci Siciliani.

A basic torrone:

• 1 2/3 pounds (700 g) honey
• 1 3/4 pounds (800 g) blanched, peeled almonds
• 1 3/4 pounds (800 g) sugar
• 4 egg whites

Heat the honey over a gentle flame. In the meantime, prepare a caramel from the sugar in another pot (heat the sugar over a gentle flame until it melts and caramelizes). While doing this, whip the whites to very firm peaks, and a soon as the honey boils remove it from the fire and fold them in. Add the caramel and the almonds to the honey mixture, mix well, and turn the mixture into a rectangular pan lined with greased paper to cool. When it has cooled, cut it into squares.

A variation: Use just 12 ounces (300 g) honey and 1 2/3 pounds (700 g) toasted hazelnuts.

A printer-friendly version of this recipe.

Torrone Bianco -- White Torrone

A Sicilian variation on the classic torrone, drawn from Maria Adele Di Leo's I Dolci Siciliani.

• 10 ounces (250 g) blanched, peeled almonds
• 10 ounces (250 g) shelled, unsalted pistachios
• 8 ounces (200 g) honey
• 4 cups (a pound, or 400 g) powdered sugar
• An egg white
• Wafers or edible rice paper

Spread the pistachios and almonds over a baking sheet and heat them in a moderate oven (360 F, 180 C) oven until they become golden. In the meantime beat the white until it is stiff, then beat in the honey and continue beating until the mixture is quite pale. Amalgamate the sugar into the mixture, pour it all into a copper pot, and heat it over a very gentle flame until the mixture thickens.

While this is happening, chop the nuts. When the honey mixture has thickened, remove it from the fire and incorporate the nuts. Lay a sheet of edible rice paper or thin wafers over your work surface ( a marble slab that will absorb heat will be perfect here), pour the torrone out over it, spreading it about an inch thick, cover it with another layer of wafers or paper, let it cool, and cut it into rectangles.

A printer-friendly version of this recipe.

Torrone di Scorze d'Arance e Mandorle -- Orange Peel and Almond Torrone

A Sicilian variation on the classic almond torrone, drawn from Maria Adele Di Leo's I Dolci Siciliani. You'll want organically grown oranges with untreated skins.

• 2.2 pounds (1 k) orange peels, in large pieces
• 2.2 pounds (1 k) sugar
• 8 ounces (200 g) blanched, peeled chopped almonds
• Water

Soak the orange peels in water to cover for three days, changing it often. Drain the peels, chop them up, and put them in a pot with the sugar and the almonds. Heat the mixture over a gentle flame, stirring with a spoon, until the sugar has dissolved. Spread the mixture out over a moistened slab of marble, flatten the top with a wooden spatula, and when it has cooled cut it into rectangles.

A printer-friendly version of this recipe.

Cubbaita

This is an ancient Sicilian treat, a precursor of the classic torrone that Arab in origin. The recipe is drawn from Maria Adele Di Leo's I Dolci Siciliani. You'll need:

• 1 pound 2 ounces (500 g) honey
• 8 ounces (200 g) sugar
• 1 pound 2 ounces (500 g) sesame seeds
• 8 ounces (200 g) blanched, peeled, minced almonds
• Orange zest, thinly sliced.

Combine all the ingredients in a pot and heat them over a gentle flame, stirring gently, until the mixture is thoroughly mixed. Remove it from the fire and pour it out onto an oiled marble slab and spread it to an even thickness of about a half inch with a spatula, dipping it in cool water lest it stick. When the torrone has cooled, cut it into squares.

A printer-friendly version of this recipe.

New Speed Limits?

Winding down, Italians have a reputation of being fast drivers, perhaps because of the glorious Rosse. The Autostrade, however, have a maximum speed limit of 130 km/hr (81 mph), which in the mountains drops to 110 (69 mph). Poky, if you come right down to it, and the Minister of Transportation has suggested that we speed up -- to 150 km/hr (93 mph) on the sections of the Autostrada that are relatively striaght and have 3 lanes, which is about a third of the network. The speed limit would however depend upon traffic conditions and visibility (there can be lots of fog in some of those straight sections), so it would fluctuate. The safety people are all saying the guy is, well, out in left field. We shall see.

This week's proverb is Tuscan. Il bue mangia il fieno perchè si ricorda che é stato erba: The ox eats hay because he remembers it once was grass.

A presto,
Kyle Phillips
Webweaver, About Italian Cuisine

The Cosa Bolle Index

Subscribe to the Newsletter
Name	Email