L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JULY 8, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 24 L'Italo-Americano T h e w o r l d d i s - c o v e r e d t h e e x i s t e n c e o f trenette, the traditional Lig- u r i a n n o o d l e , t h a n k s t o Pixar's Luca and his vora- cious appetite for them. But for every person famil- iar with the Italian Riviera and its cuisine, they are far f r o m b e i n g a s u r p r i s e : s e r v e d w i t h h o m e m a d e pesto, potatoes and string beans, they are as good as pasta gets and, if you ask me, even better than fanci- e r – a n d p e r h a p s b e t t e r known – trofie. Trenette have always been a staple in my Piedmontese family, b e c a u s e t h e c o o k o f t h e house, my maternal grand- mother, had relatives in Genoa and knew a thing or two about the food of Lig- uria. Her torta pasqualina was unashamedly genoese a n d s o w a s h e r t h i c k , creamy minestrone, which she liked to enrich with a bit of pesto. Trenette, in my house, were common, e v e n w h e n p e s t o w a s n ' t available: she would make t h e m w i t h p l a i n t o m a t o sauce and, of course, pota- toes, rigorously boiled with the pasta. B e f o r e t a l k i n g a b o u t trenette, though, we should say a thing or two about the pasta tradition of Liguria. Common knowl- edge tells us the home of Italian pasta is the South, s o m e w h e r e b e t w e e n Naples and Sicily, but truth is that Genoa has a thing or two to say about pasta history, too. Indeed, the p r o d u c t i o n o f p a s t a i n Liguria in attested in legal d o c u m e n t s , t o d a y p r e - served in the Archivio di Stato di Genova, since the mid 13 th century (1244), when dried pasta was local- ly made and sold; and it was in Genoa that the first association of pasta mak- ers, the Corporazione dei Pastai, was created, way before similar institutions were born in Naples and Palermo. In 1740, the first pasta fine factory opened in Genoa and, about half a century later, in 1794, the first Italian pastificio using modern methods of pro- d u c t i o n o p e n e d i n t h e region. Liguria's suprema- cy in the dried pasta field c o n t i n u e d w e l l i n t o t h e 19 th century. The immense variety of traditional pasta shapes typical of this part of Italy bears witness to its rele- v a n c e i n t h e L i g u r i a n kitchen and economy: bat- t o l l i , b a v e t t e , c o r z e t t i , gasse, stracci, testaroli, losanghe, filled pansotti, troffie and, of course, our trenette. N o w , l e t ' s f i n a l l y t a l k about them. First of all, h o w d o t h e y l o o k l i k e ? They are long, flat and nar- row, they almost look like rectangular spaghetti; they a r e r o u g h t o t h e t o u c h , w h i c h m e a n s t h e y h o l d sauces fantastically. To a non trained eye, they may look a bit like linguine, but if you look at them side by side, you'd notice the dif- ference, with trenette being much thicker. While being a traditional pasta of Liguria, they are easy to find in supermar- kets across the country, although only in the north- ern region they hail from you can find them fresh, at local pasta stores, shaped like little nests the way you find fettuccine. In Liguria, you'll also get a variety of trenette called avvantag- giate, made with whole wheat flour: they are called so because once they were cheaper, thus, "with an advantage." Trenette are made only with flour, water a n d a d r o p o f L i g u r i a n extra virgin olive oil, and they are cooked in abun- dant salted water, just like all other pasta shapes: be s u r e t o m a k e t h e m a l dente! While their shape and texture make them perfect for all types of sauce, they are of course mostly paired with pesto, potatoes and string beans. Interestingly, but not surprisingly, this delicious concoction came out of necessity and sea- sonality. In a time when refrigerators didn't exist a n d n o t h i n g o f w h a t Mother Nature gave could go to waste, it was normal to add fresh vegetables to all dishes, just like it was normal to preserve herbs making long-lasting sauces like pesto. Similarly, they a r e a l s o p o p u l a r s e r v e d with potatoes and beans. A n d w h a t a b o u t t h e i r name? Well, there are a few the- o r i e s a b o u t i t . S o m e believe the word trenette comes from the old Arab w o r d f o r p a s t a , i t r i y y a , w h i c h t h e n b e c a m e t r i a a n d , f i n a l l y , t r e n e t t a . Indeed, the Arab itriyya w e r e t h i n l o n g n o o d l e s , probably not much differ- ent from trenette them - selves. A second theory is m o r e r e c e n t a n d h a s i t s roots in Genoa. In the early 1 9 t h c e n t u r y , t e a c h e r Giuseppe Oliveri, a non- native of Genoa, had many difficulties understanding the strange lingo his stu- d e n t s w o u l d s p e a k w i t h o n e a n o t h e r : g e n o e s e wasn't a simple idiom to get! And so, he created a Genoese-Italian dictionary, which was eventually pub- lished in 1851: in it, he sug- g e s t e d t h e p a s t a n a m e c a m e f r o m t h e g e n o e s e word trenna, which means "string." Trenette, accord- ing to this theory, are noth- i n g m o r e t h a n " l i t t l e strings." If you happen to go to Liguria, you'll find trenette in every restaurant, more often then not served tradi- tionally, with pesto, pota- toes and string beans. But look also for fancier ver- sions, also typical on the R i v i e r a , w h e r e t h e y a r e d r e s s e d i n s u m p t u o u s s e a f o o d o r s w o r d f i s h sauces. If you manage to get your hands on a pack or two to bring home, then you can try my grandma's humble concoction: simple tomato sauce, nice potatoes and heaven is served. FRANCESCA BEZZONE Trenette are usually served with pesto (Photo: © Ukrphoto | Dreamstime.com) Luca's trenette are a treasure of flavor! LIFESTYLE FASHION FOOD ARTS ADVICE

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