L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2019 www.italoamericano.org 14 L'Italo-Americano ROBERTA CAPANNI NADIA FONDELLI LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE T he truffle, king of the woods. Italy is the homeland of truf- fles. Unmistakable scent, intense yet delicate flavor, truffles are hypo- geum fungi, which means that they grow underground, and they come in many varieties. Nowa- days, truffles are really sought after, so it's very important to make sure what you get is the real thing: often people get only their lab-created essence, and not real tartufi. The best truffles come, as we said, from Italy. Once upon a time Alba, in Piedmont, was the best place to get them, but today the woods essential for their g r o w t h h a v e b e c o m e … vineyards! Another town known for its truffles is San Miniato, in Tuscany: this is a land of woods and white truffles. San Miniato is equidistant from Florence, Siena, Lucca and Livorno and lies along the Via Francigena the road pilgrims used to walk to reach Rome. A village elevated to the position of "city" because head of a dio- cese, San Miniato dominates its surroundings from the height of two hills and, with its red-brick buildings and many churches, it gifts visitors with unforgivable views. Every year, Italy is home to hundreds of festivals dedicated to both whites and black truf- fles. There are nine varieties of t r u f f l e t h a t c a n b e s o l d . Depending on their color, they can be divided in: White truffles: fine white truffle, and Bianchetto truffle. Black Truffles: black truffle (also known as Perigold truffle or truffle of Norcia), Summer truffle, garlic truffle, Winter truffle, ordinary truffle, mesen- teric truffle. There are specific conditions of temperature and humidity, along with precise typologies of soil, that allow for the growth of t h i s m u s h r o o m . F i n e w h i t e truffle wants loose soil, which isn't neither clayey nor tufa- ceous. Black truffle, on the other hand, prefers calcareous soil, rich in gravel. When talking about truffles, it's important to mention with p r e c i s i o n w h e r e t h e y c o m e from. Every region of Italy has specific geographical areas of origin, protection and valoriza- tion, and regional laws regulate picking. A good reason to take a vaca- t i o n i n I t a l y i n O c t o b e r - N o v e m b e r i s t h e a m o u n t o f truffle festivals everywhere! You can also try truffle sear- ching thanks to special truffle experiences like those organized by Stefania Calugi, one of the most famous producers of truf- fle delicacies in Italy. A cheese that's good for your heart D i d y o u k n o w t h e r e i s a cheese that naturally lowers y o u r b a d c h o l e s t e r o l ? I t ' s made by Angela Saba, a very special woman who lovingly cares for about 300 sheep and goats. Her farm is tiny, but pro- duces a cheese, a type of pecori- no, that can be consumed also by those who usually can't have i t f o r h e a l t h r e a s o n s . V a l d i C o r n i a i s a p a r t o f T u s c a n y everyone should know. An ama- zing corner of Italy, which is still wild and filled with authen- tic products. Angela's job isn't simple and requires a great deal of passion. With her, her parents and her h u s b a n d , w h o h e l p h e r . T h e sheep and goats in her farm live happy, loved and cherished. T h e i d e a t o p r o d u c e a "healthy pecorino" was develo- ped with the University di Pisa, that created a special feed for Angela's flock, with the addition of linseed. For four months, two groups of sheep followed two different diets. The cheese pro- duced with the milk of the group fed with the special feed had lower levels of bad cholesterol and the sheep were healthier, too. Their milk was richer in Omega 3, a type of essential fatty acid very important for our body. Once the cheese was ready, hospital trials began: the cheese was given to patients with very high levels of bad cholesterol. At Brotzu hospital, in Cagliari, 3 o z o f A n g e l a ' s c h e e s e w e r e a d m i n i s t e r e d f o r s i x m o n t h s daily to patients: the result was a 10% reduction of bad choleste- rol in all participants. Angela's fragrant cheese has an ancient scent and taste also for another reason. She makes her pecorino with raw milk, that is, unpasteurized milk. This means, of course, that the envi- ronment where it is produced m u s t b e e x t r e m e l y c l e a n . Moreover, Angela doesn't use any additives nor preservatives: o n l y n a t u r e i s i n v o l v e d , a n d that's why her cheese has a taste and a scent you'll find nowhere e l s e . I f y o u h a p p e n t o b e i n M a r e m m a , s t o p a n d t r y Angela's cheeses, because they truly are one of a kind! Saba A n t o n i o e S a b a A n g e l a s . s . Agricola Loc. Cura Nuova, 74 — MASSA MARITTIMA — GR Hail to Chestnuts! November is time for chest- n u t s i n I t a l y . T h i s t y p i c a l l y autumnal fruit has been the food of Alpine people for centuries. Chestnuts are very versatile, they can be transformed in flour a n d u s e d t o m a k e p l e n t y o f dishes, both savory and sweet. Chestnuts are lovely when boiled with some fennel, or roa- sted on the lively flame of a fire- place. Once upon a time, you could see people selling caldar- roste, chestnuts cooked directly on the fire. Passersby would stop and buy them not only to eat, but also to get some warmth amidst the intense winter cold. Because of climate change, those freezing winters are no l o n g e r c o m m o n s a n d p e o p l e tend to warm up with thermal jackets and very warm gloves! But chestnuts remain good and versatile. But how do you cook them? The best way is to make flour out of them: in it, we find high levels of carbohydrates (about 72 gr every 100 gr of flour), and 6% of proteins and fats (around 3.6 gr every 100). To these, we add a plethora of minerals like potassium, magne- sium, iron, calcium and vitamins B1, B2 and PP. Fruits also con- tain vitamin C. Chestnuts and their flour are both high calorie foods. C h e s t n u t f l o u r i s u s e d i n many recipes from Tuscany and E m i l i a R o m a g n a . Y o u c a n make delicious tagliatelle, to dress with butter and cheese, and many desserts. One of the most t r a d i t i o n a l i s c a s t a g n a c c i o , made with chestnut flour, water, extra virgin olive oil, pine nuts, w a l n u t s a n d r o s e m a r y , t h e n baked. It's simple, but really good. A perfect dessert to have with a glass of Vin Santo! Fall in Italy - Three of the tastiest Italian foods for autumn Truffles are one of the traditional delicacies of the Italian Fall (Copyright: Dreamstime) Forms of cheese for sale: in Val di Cornia, you can find cheese that is good for your heart (Copyright: Dreamstime)

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