L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2019 www.italoamericano.org 28 L'Italo-Americano A fresh take on food of the Italian south W hen she was 16, Katie Parla toured Europe with her high school Latin class. She came back from that trip and announced to her parents she was moving to Rome as soon as she was old enough. Italian lessons at the local community college helped her pre- pare and, after graduating in 2003 with an art history degree from Yale University, she was on her way. Parla has lived in Rome ever since, building a successful career writing about the city she loves. She has written scores of travel and food articles for outlets such as the New York Times, Condé Nast Traveler, The Guardian, The Atlantic and many more. She's created two apps about the city and in 2016 published her first book showcasing the foods and flavors of Rome. Along the way, she earned a master's degree in Italian gastronomic culture from the Università degli Studi di Roma and has a sommelier certi- ficate, as well. Now, she is branching out to other regions of Italy. Her new cookbook, Food of the Italian South, just released earlier this year, includes 85 recipes that cap- ture the southern Italy's cultural and cooking traditions from the mountains to the coast. She was in Seattle on a book tour recently where she entertained an enthu- siastic crowd at the Book Larder. Here are excerpts from that con- versation. What took you to Italy and why do you stay? I grew up in New Jersey in an Italian-American household and visited Europe when I was 16 with my Latin class. The trip was both good and bad. The bad part was that we visited 13 cities in eight days, and our stay in Rome was only six hours long. The good part was that even that li- mited time was enough to thrill and inspire me. I came home and announced to my parents I was moving to Rome when I grew up. When I moved to Italy in 2003, I was obsessed with the re- gional food culture. But after a while, my romantic illusions star- ted to crumble, and I realized the most respectful way for me to do- cument Italian culture was simply to tell the truth. So I started inter- viewing chefs who were cooking many innovative dishes, not just the traditional ones. I looked at threats to the local food culture and wrote critical reviews of both restaurant and culinary trends. Although Italy is small -- it's about the size of Arizona -- it has thousands of cultures within its borders. For me, exploring food means exploring history. How would you characterize the recipes in your new book? My book is a crash course in the cuisine and culture of southern Italy. The recipes are all doable, highlighting produce, fre- shness and simplicity. I wanted to include recipes that can be cooked easily with no special in- gredients. What I want is for rea- ders to look at these recipes and say: "This looks so good, I want to cook that right now!" If you like zucchini, you'll love this book. No cookbook on Naples can avoid talking about pizza. What is your take on the pizza culture? Pizza is synonymous with Na- ples. It unites the city. It's affor- dable, it's caloric, it's a brand. To be certified as a provider of authentic Neapolitan pizza, you have to observe a whole litany of rules. I talked with chefs who don't want the certification. They feel it's too limiting to their craft. They just want to go their own way, so they are breaking the ru- les. When in Naples, I recom- mend starting your own pizza journey. Eat pizza folded over. Eat it standing up, eat it sitting down. Try pizza in all its many forms and make your own deci- sions. How does this book connect to Italy's current economic problems? This book brings readers to those regions in Italy so often overlooked. Individual tourism keeps many small businesses alive. If you are traveling in Italy, get off the Rome – Florence – Venice circuit. Rent a car, drive around, meander a bit, stay in agriturismi. You'll find small towns with incredible restaurants, but they are shockingly empty with almost no customers. Seek them out. I guarantee it will be a special experience. Where are some of your fa- vorite places to visit? If I have a free day, I like to go to Naples – it's only an hour away by train from Rome. There is so much energy there but then the vibe shifts to mellow and ele- gant when you walk along the bay. The National Archaeological Museum there is a must-see. I also like Procida, an island off the coast of Naples. If I have a few weeks, I go to Puglia where I seek out new towns I'm not fa- miliar with. What's your next project? I have a new book in the works on the food of the Italian islands. I want to explore not only the cooking of Sardinia and Si- cily, but also all the little islands that make up those regions. Island cuisine is more than just fish. It's crazy herbs, wonderful legumes and fabulous aromatics. They use rabbit and pork and there are some great recipes with those dishes. I want this to be a cookbook that will be fun to cook from. Look for it in the spring of 2020. Food author Katie Parla attracted a standing-room-only crowd when she was in Seattle to promote her Food author Katie Parla has lived in Rome since 2003, writing about food, culture and the Italian people. RITA CIPALLA SEATTLE ITALIAN COMMUNITY

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