L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 24 L'Italo-Americano W h i l e born in I t a l y , t h e habit of h a v i n g a p e r i t i v o w i t h friends to unwind after a day at work, or as a fun pream- ble to a good dinner in com- pany, has become a world- wide custom. Similarly, what we Italians like to have dur- ing an aperitivo – the spritz and the Negroni, the prosec- co and the Bellini, all the way to that collection of deli- cious cured meats, cheeses, breads and tiny pizzas we munch on while drinking– is today available and on trend around the world. B u t e v e r y I t a l i a n a n d Italophile will tell you there is something that, perhaps, w e l o v e j u s t a s m u c h a s aperitivo in the Belpaese, but whose name is still a tad mysterious in other parts of t h e g l o b e , d i g e s t i v o . A digestivo, as its name hints at, is a liqueur you have after dinner, to "digest" the meal you've just consumed. In truth, having a digestivo is much more than that: when in company, it is a perfect "cherry on the cake" that completes an evening – or lunch -- of good food and, perhaps, boisterous banter- i n g , b u t i f y o u d e c i d e t o enjoy it on your own, in the comforting solitude of your own home, it may become a true moment of meditative beauty. Served in small glasses, digestivo liqueurs are aro- matic, often bitter and with a high alcoholic grade. Their s c e n t i n e b r i a t e s i n a w a y m o s t a p e r i t i v i c a n n o t , b e c a u s e w h i l e t h e l a t t e r a c h i e v e t h e i r b e s t w h e n more than one ingredient is present in the glass, the for- m e r a r e s e r v e d p u r e a n d a l o n e , a d e l i c a c y t o b e savored slowly. Most traditional digestivi, we said, are amari (bitters) m a d e b y i n f u s i n g h e r b s , f l o w e r s , b u t a l s o b a r k s , roots, spices and fruits into g r a p e b r a n d y , t o w h i c h sugar syrup is added. Among the most common ingredi- e n t s a r e t h o s e a l r e a d y known for their digestive or antiseptic characteristics, such as cinchona (china), known for being an antibac- terial, gentian (genziana), w h i c h h a s t h e a b i l i t y t o i n h i b i t s t a p h y l o c o c c u s a u r e u s , o r a n g o s t u r a b a r k . T h e c o n c o c t i o n i s then left to age for a time that can go from a bunch of w e e k s t o a f e w y e a r s , depending on the recipe. Often, the herbs used to m a k e a m a r i w e r e k n o w n already in herbalism, so it shouldn't surprise that many of Italy's digestivi were origi- nally used as medicines to treat a variety of illnesses and pain, going from a sim- p l e s t o m a c h a c h e t o t h e m u c h m o r e o m i n o u s cholera. Indeed, the habit of using herbs, spices and roots w i t h a l c o h o l t o s e t t l e a n upset belly was already com- mon in antiquity: from that point of view, we didn't real- l y i n v e n t a n y t h i n g . Hippocrates himself sug- gested the use of a health e l i x i r m a d e w i t h b a r l e y , herbs, honey and wine to ease a series of ailments, especially of the digestive s y s t e m . I t i s t h i s m i x o f ancient know-how and the traditionally bitter taste of many amari that made them a common choice for a post- prandial tipple. L i q u e u r m a k i n g i n Europe – and therefore in Italy – developed however a bit later, in the Middle Ages, w i t h i n t h e c o n t e x t o f B e n e d i c t i n e m o n a s t i - cism: it was in these monas- teries that friars, thanks to their knowledge of herbal medicine, began producing a m a r i o n a l a r g e r s c a l e : more often than not, they w e r e u s e d a s t o n i c s , t o increase appetite or to ease digestion, and were made available to their communi- ties. Amari became popular as medications also in the US, at least until the early 20 th c e n t u r y ( 1 9 0 6 ) w h e n t h e A m e r i c a n F o o d a n d D r u g A d m i n i s t r a t i o n c o n s i d e r e d t h e i r a l c o h o l content too high to be classi- fied a medical remedy and they began being taxed as a l c o h o l i c d r i n k s i n s t e a d . While this led to a steep fall in sales in the New World, things didn't really change much in Europe, and cer- tainly not in Italy, where p e o p l e c o n t i n u e d t o u s e amari when they were sick, b u t a l s o b e g a n e n j o y i n g them as a little treat after particularly sumptuous – and perhaps heavy! – meals. It was only a matter of time before distilleries picked on the trend and amari's indus- trial production was intro- duced, bringing their diffu- sion to the what it is today. But not all digestivi are amari, of course. Who does- n't know limoncello and m a n d a r i n e t t o , f o r instance? Indeed, digestivi are also made with fruits a n d , i n t h e s e c a s e s , w i t h their aromatic peel. Then, depending on where you go in Italy, local flavors pop up as digestivo ingredients: for instance, in Liguria you'll find a delicious amaro made with basil, while Lombardia is fond of rhubarb. One of Italy's most famous digestivi is made with artichokes, while legendary f e r n e t 's r e c i p e r e m a i n s a b i t o f a s e c r e t , a l b e i t w e k n o w i t c o m p r i s e s a m i x o f m o r e than 20 spices and herbs. But when talking of diges- tivi, we can't forget the most classic of them all, grappa, t h e p o s t d i n n e r t i p p l e o f choice for those who like something stronger, bolder and less sweet. Here again, there are varieties, of course, depending on the type of grape used to produce it, but also on whether extra ingre- d i e n t s s u c h a s f r u i t s o r herbs, spices and roots are added; while flavored grap- pa is not always found in restaurants, it can some - times be purchased in spe- cialized stores or even in well stocked bakeries. Regardless of your choice, r e m e m b e r d i g e s t i v o i s always consumed after you have you caffè -- the final note of every Italian meal, big or small. In fact, the con- nection between coffee and digestivo is so strong that in Piedmont the latter is com- monly and lovingly known as pusa cafè, "coffee chaser" (or "pusher" if we want to translate literally). LUCA SIGNORINI Fernet Branca, a quintessential Italian digestivo (Photo: Sergio Gonzalez/Dreamstime) Move aside aperitivi: it's time to discover Italy's best drink, digestivo LIFESTYLE FASHION FOOD ARTS ADVICE

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