Articles by: Natasha Lardera

A slice of panettone and a flute of champagne (or prosecco)… there is no more Italian way to wish a happy holiday season. It’s a ritual in many homes where panettone is a welcomed guest after every meal. But this sweet bread can be enjoyed everywhere, anytime, even at office parties while exchanging gifts or in stores while shopping. Giving panettone is not a simple act of kindness but a gesture rich in history and tradition.


Panettone is a traditional cake-like bread stuffed with dried raisins and candied orange and lemon peel from Milan that has been embraced by fans worldwide. Immigrants to the Americas brought with them their love of panettone.  When it is enjoyed on Christmas in many countries, it’s paired with hot chocolate, or ice cream, and even eggnog. Although the traditional recipe remains a favorite, producers are offering many variations with cream, chocolate chips and frosting, and even liqueurs such as limoncello.

Italians consume an estimated two-and-a-half panettoni (5.5 pounds) per family per year, and its popularity is also growing beyond the Italian border, with seven to 10 percent of panettoni produced now exported to France, Germany, the United States, Canada, Britain, and Spain. Americans are adopting this pleasurable Italian food custom with enthusiasm. According to the latest figures from the Italian Trade Commission, pastry imports to the United States are always growing.


Right after Thanksgiving, there are plenty of tempting panettoni on the supermarket shelves: from the tiny ornament-sized boxes to be hung on Christmas trees, to large ones sold in holiday tins and elegant gift wrapped ones, hidden in red and green foil with golden ribbons. Panettoni used to be available only at a few places like Neiman Marcus or Garden of Eden, but now you can find them everywhere.


The name panettone can be explained in many ways: documents from the 1200s portrayed an early form of it enriched with honey, raisins, and even pumpkin. The writer Pietro Verri (1728-1797) called it “pane di tono” (luxury bread in Milanese dialect). Raisins are used for good wishes, as they are indeed known to bring fortune and wealth because their shape is reminiscent of golden coins.


One of the legends of its conception says that the person who invented panettone was the Milanese nobleman Ughetto degli Atellani who lived in the 1400s. He fell in love with Adalgisa, the daughter of a poor baker named Toni. To win her over, the nobleman disguised himself as a baker and invented a rich bread in which he added to the flour and yeast, butter, eggs, dried raisins, and candied peel.The duke of Milan , Ludovico il Moro Sforza, encouraged the launch of the new cake-like bread: pan del Ton (or Toni's bread).

 

Another story says that Toni, the young helper of a cook, was the real inventor. It was Christmas and the court chef had no dessert to offer. What he had prepared wasn’t good enough to be served. So Toni prepared something using everything he had available. Hence the name panettone, “il pan de Toni” (Toni’s bread). Just after the end of World War I, panettone became widely known thanks to a young Milanese baker, Angelo Motta, who gave his name to one of Italy 's now best-known brands. Motta revolutionized the traditional way of making panettone by giving it its tall domed shape by making the dough rise three times, before cooking, which is what makes it so light.

Around 1925, the recipe was adapted by a competitor, Gioacchino Alemagna, who also gave his name to a popular brand that still exists today. The stiff competition between the two led to the growth of the industrial production of the cake-like bread.

When purchasing panettone, be sure to check the ingredients. With almost 80 million pounds produced annually in Italy (as well as domestic versions), not all are of excellent merit. Read the labels and watch for lower-quality ingredients such as margarine

rather than butter or powdered eggs instead of fresh.


To ensure a high-quality product, the Association of Italian Confectionary Industries (AIDI) has asked the Italian government to recognize panettone as a specialty item deserving protection. If successful, only producers meeting strict standards will be able to identify their products as panettone. Among the brands meeting AIDI requirements are Alemagna, Bauli, Flamingi, Maina, Motta, Perugina, Le Tre Marie, and Valentino.


One of the largest importers of panettone to the United States , Frank Lettieri, owner of Lettieri and Co. in South San Francisco , primarily imports the Maina brand. “Maina really stands out is its moistness. In comparison, many panettoni are dry,'' claims Mr. Lettieri.


Valentino USA brings products of the Italian confectionery tradition, like Panettone and Pandoro, in classic or special versions, as well as other goods that are typically consumed by Italians at breakfast, to the United States . Respect for traditional processing systems combined with the application of modern technologies and the support of strict controls over raw materials and finished products have assured Valentino a fine reputation in worldwide confectionery. Valentino USA is a name that guarantees quality and excellence, exactly what you need to celebrate the holidays in peace.

 

Born to allow milk to last longer, cheese can be compared to wine for its complex characteristics. A product of high quality, just like with wine, must have a prime raw material and must follow a refined production process.

 

The history of cheese is intertwined with the history of mankind, through the refinement of agricultural techniques and mostly to man’s ability to tame and breed cattle, sheep, and goats. We find traces of sheep breeding back to the Greek islands and in Asia Minor , around 6000 B.C.  After milking these animals, our ancestors preserved milk, but unfortunately it would spoil quickly, so they had to create ways to make it last longer…and here cheese comes into play, born out of chance and a bit of genius.

 

Through the centuries the art of dairy has developed and refined itself (and Italy is a leader in this development), but the basic elements have remained the same: milk, salt, heat, and curd. By law the denomination of cheese is given to the product that is obtained from whole milk or partially skimmed milk, or cream according to the coagulation and use of ferments and salt. Cheese is apparently a simple product but is actually comprised of many, many secrets. Let’s discover some of the virtues of many cheeses that are commonly found on our tables.

 

Longtime celebrities

Mozzarella – Real mozzarella is made with latte di bufala, (water buffalo’s milk) while the cheese made with whole milk is called fiordilatte. Originally from Campania , part of Lazio , Puglia and Basilicata , mozzarella owes its name to the process of mozzatura (cutting) done to separate from the pastey individual pieces. Shiny and smooth, white and slightly stretchy, it can have more or less flavor depending on the type of brine it is put in and on the length of time it is kept in. The production stages for mozzarella di bufala are:

 

    1. Milk storage (raw buffalo milk is stored in big steel containers).

    2. Milk heating (thermal treatment of the liquid, then poured into a cream separator).

    3. Curdling (by induction of natural whey).

    4. Curd maturation (the curd lies in tubs in order to reduce the acidification processes).

    5. Spinning (hot water is poured out on the curd in order to soften it).

    6. Shaping (with special rotating shaper machines).

    7. Cooling (by immersion in cold water).

    8. Pickling (by immersion in pickling tubs containing the original whey).

    9. Packaging (in special films cut as bags or in small basins and plastic.

 

Many say the best way to eat mozzarella is in the so-called caprese salad, a simple salad of sliced fresh mozzarella, plum tomatoes and basil.

 

Robiola – This cheese owes its name to rind that used to be red. It is a soft cheese with a faint perfume of truffles. It is made with varying proportions of cow, goat and sheep milk. Varieties of Robiola are produced across Piedmont from the provinces of Cuneo, Asti and Alessandria and into Lombardy. The taste and appearance of Robiola varies depending upon where it was produced. The most famous is Robiola di Roccaverano DOP (protected designation of origin), which has no rind and a slightly straw-yellow coloring with a sweet, yielding taste.  Robiola is generally served as a table cheese, either alone or with oil, salt and pepper.

 

Ricotta - The name ricotta means "cooked again" ("re-cooked") in Italian, referring to the second processing of the liquid to produce the cheese. The main ingredient of this cheese is whey (a by-product of milk cheese making), rather than milk. When fresh, it is creamy and slightly sweet, with a finely grained texture and a pure white color. Ricotta is a favorite ingredient of many Italian desserts, such as cannolis. It is also available salted, baked or smoked.

 

Mascarpone - Hailing from Lombardy , mascarpone is a buttery-rich double cream to triple-cream cheese made from cow's milk. The name form the Lombard word mascarpia refers to cream of milk. It is a delicate and pleasant flavor. It is good by itself, in sweets and with fresh fruit.

 

Gorgonzola – This blue-veined delicacy is made from whole un-skimmed cow's milk. It can be buttery or firm, crumbly and quite salty, with a 'bite' from its blue veining. The name comes from Gorgonzola, a small town near Milan, where the cheese was first made. Gorgonzola is typically aged for three to four months. The length of the aging process determines the consistency of the cheese. It is great with polenta, risottos, pizza, but it is said to go best with pears.

 

Stracchino – This is a soft cheese that also comes from Lombardy . It is eaten very young, has a soft, creamy texture and normally a mild and delicate flavor. The name of the cheese comes from the Italian word stracca, meaning tired. It is said that the milk from tired cows is richer in fats and more acidic. The best way to eat it is in a simple sandwich.

 

But this is just the beginning. There are so many cheeses in Italy that they cannot all fit into one article. Grana Padano and Parmigiano Reggiano, for example, deserve a page of their own.

 

Gian Antonio Stella, editorialist and political, business, and society journalist from Vicenza, has been writing for the Milanese newspaper, “Corriere della Sera” since he was a young reporter. Married, with a son, he is a passionate cook and a hopeless guitarist. He is a world traveler who sometimes lives in Rome, other times near Venice, or wherever he happens to be.

He has won several journalistic awards (starting with the “E” assigned by moguls such as Montanelli, Biagi and Bocca, moving on to the “Ischia,” and the “Saint Vincent” for his essays). He has written several books, among which the notable “Schei”, a reportage on the North East, “Dio Po / gli uomini che fecero la Padania” (God Po, the men who created Padania), a poisonous pamphlet on the Lega (political party who claims the supremacy of northern Italy), “Lo spreco” (The Waste), a poignant discussion on how Italy wasted at least two millions of the old liras, “Chic”, an ironic voyage among filthy rich Italians, “Tribù” (Tribe), a fun portrait of the right wing party that rose to power in 2001, and “L’orda, quando gli albanesi eravamo noi” (The Horde, When we Were the Albanians), a book on xenophobia and racism towards Italians that were emigrants.

We then arrive to “Odissee, Italiani sulle rotte del sogno e del dolore,” (Odysseys, Italians on the Road to Dreams and Pain) the work that has recently been at the center of events in New York City. This is the adventurous and touching story of our great grandparents, human beings who left their country in search of fortune, while facing a terrible obstacle: the Ocean.

These poor souls had to survive the terrible conditions of living on huge ships before arriving at their promised land. Those in the third class lived all together, grouped in large dormitories, eating food covered by rat waste, and singing popular songs to help time go by, songs that reflected their feelings, fears, and hopes.

Many of these ships never made it to their destination – the Sirio hit a wall of rocks because the captain had no map to follow, while the Principessa Mafalda was traveling with a broken motor. The Carlo Re was struck by a cholera epidemic, so it was not allowed to enter South America and was left roaming around while its passengers were all dying.

These are some of the stories that Gian Antonio Stella portrays in his work through his passionate writing, a representation of travel documents, tragedies, adventures, strong hopes and shattered dreams. The book is a harsh slice of life, an essential tool in understanding the Italy of today.

This work and everything concerning its author, is thoroughly analyzed on the web site www.odissee.it

The site provides several images of the protagonists of Stella’s stories, poems on the sea written by illustrious writers such as George Byron, Ernest Hemingway, Federico Garcia Lorca, and Gabriele D’Annunzio, words to some popular songs that were often sang on these long trips, and a useful forum where people looking for relatives, immigration documents, and other related data can communicate.

The site also dedicates a part to the theatrical representation of “Odissee”, entitled, “Odissee. Canti e storie di mari e migranti,” (Odysseys, Songs and Stories of Migrants and the Sea) a play created by the collaboration between Gian Antonio Stella, Gualtiero Bertelli and the Compagnia delle Acque theater group.

Masolino D’amico, famous Italian critic and writer for “La Stampa”, describes the play as “Ninety irresistible minutes of performance that every theater on the peninsula should welcome.”

The show successfully mixes together the words of Stella with old songs as well as new ones written by Bertelli, with touching slides, and unforgettable facts.

Appassionati di cucina, curiosi, in continua ricerca di ristoranti nuovi e piatti originali ma privi di idee, non disperate, la Green Line Publishing ha pubblicato la guida che fa per voi – YOURGUIDE to the Italian Restaurants of America’s Little Italy Neighborhoods -una guida ai locali significativi di tutte le Little Italy sparse negli stati Uniti. Gli autori sono Jim Molis e Charles Kelley, specialisti in guide specializzate, hanno infatti in precedenza pubblicato una guida sui pub irlandesi non solo in giro per l’America ma anche in Europa, che si concentrano su locali e cibi etnici. Quest’anno sono passati dalla birra irlandese all’Italia. Originari di Boston, i due amici e collaboratori, sono partiti dalla nativa città per raggiungere altre mete rinomate per la bellezza e la tradizione delle loro Little Italy. Si parte quindi con il North End di Boston, per poi passare a Federal Hill a Providence, Wooster Street in New Haven, Arthur Avenue nel Bronx, Little Italy e Mulberry Street a Manhattan, South Philly a Filadelfia, Little Italy a Baltimora, Little Italy a Chicago, The Hill a Saint Louis e North Beach a San Francisco. La guida include piu’ di 250 ristoranti, ognuno presentato con una fotografia in bianco e nero, l’indirizzo complete, gli orari d’apertura ed I giorni festivi, la lista dei prezzi, I piatti forti e la sezione What’s in a name dove il nome del ristorante viene spiegato. il Cortile, 125 Mulberry Street, deve al suo nome al bel cortile situato nel retro dove e’ un piacere mangiare durante I mesi estivi, mentre Gepetto’s a Providence deve il suo nome al creatore del burattino Pinocchio nella favola di Collodi. Boston ha il primate di pagine, 35, seguita da Manhattan, 31, e San Francisco, 28. Oltre a ristoranti la guida copre panifici, bar e caffè, mercati e altri negozi di specialità culinarie.

“La creazione di questo libro è stata un’esperienza unica. Ovviamente c’è toccato viaggiare molto. Abbiamo visto dei posti bellissimi e mangiato dei piatti favolosi, ma I nostril ricordi piu’ cari sono rivolti alle persone che abbiamo incontrato,” dichiarano gli autori, “Tra I tanti c’è Dave Grecco di Mike’s Deli nel Bronx che ci ha fatto assaggiare delle prelibatezze che non avevamo mai provato prima.” Anche se in passato sono gia’ uscite guide su Little Italy, questa e’ la prima volta che si ha un libro cosi' completo.


Molte le curiosità – dopo un lungo ed arduo dibattito la Pizza migliore e’ quella di Lombardi’s, 32 Spring Street, a Manhattan mentre il miglior negozio di specialita’ italiane e’ l’Arthur market for Italian Specialties, 2344 Arthur Avenue, nel Bronx…fortuna nostra che viviamo vicino ad entrambi.