L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 22 L'Italo-Americano I t's nothing new, real- l y : o s t e r i e a n d t r a t t o r i e a r e t h e beating heart of our cuisine. Beside our home kitchens, of course. But that's the point because there shouldn't be much of a d i f f e r e n c e i n t h e a t m o s - phere, the scents and the fla- vors we love and experience at home, and those of the best osterie across our terri- tory. The great Gualtiero Marchesi used to say that "Italy is a country of inns and innkeepers," of osti e trattorie, and he was right. More, perhaps, than many other famous cuisines, ours is based on simplicity, tradi- tion and what nature can offer in season, which are the key elements of the food we should find in osterie. A short clarification about the difference between "osteria" and "trattoria," which is, in fact, mostly only linguistic, should be given here. While both of them come from the French, "osteria" has been in use since the 13th century, while "trattoria" came to us much later, in the mid-19th century, at the same time as another term we inherited from our Gaulish cousins, "ristorante." In a twist so typical of our culture, we embraced the foreign and neglected the local, so "trat- toria" and "ristorante" didn't only become more common, b u t a l s o c a m e t o s i g n i f y higher-quality eateries. But that was one hundred years ago: today, osterie and trat- torie are virtually synonyms and there is no difference in q u a l i t y w i t h t h e c u l i n a r y offers of ristoranti. The dif- ference is in the atmosphere and in the type of cuisine. Let's step back in time and trace the history of our o s t e r i e , w h i c h b e c a m e a thing in the 14th century when commerce and trade w e r e a t t h e h e a r t o f t h e peninsula's economy and merchants often ate on the road, in osterie. People sit- t i n g a t t h e i r t a b l e s c a m e from everywhere and often shared experiences and tales while having food and some g o o d w i n e ; t h a t ' s h o w o s t e r i e , i n t i m e , b e c a m e synonymous with socializ- ing and also with a certain level of class-mingling, at l e a s t a t t h e b e g i n n i n g . O s t e r i e , i n o t h e r w o r d s , became more than a place to eat, they became a place to f i n d a n d m e e t f r i e n d s , a characteristic they main- tained intact through the centuries. Even today, osterie are a place you go with friends for a n e a s y S u n d a y l u n c h , somewhere where the way you are dressed isn't impor- tant and no one complains if your dog is with you. B u t w h i l e d e f i n i n g a n osteria some thirty or forty years ago was simple, today it's a different story. Carlo P e t r i n i , f o u n d e r o f t h e Slow Food movement, said it well in an interview with La Cucina Italiana where he explains that an osteria "is a welcoming, familiar place, where food is simple and tasty. Today though, osterie are almost a mytho- logical creature: we all know them and recognize them, but we can't define them." A n d h e i s r i g h t . I m y s e l f couldn't quite put the finger on what's the real difference between an osteria and a r i s t o r a n t e , b e s i d e s t h e atmosphere and that je ne s a i s q u o i I c a n ' t d e f i n e . Thankfully Petrini, who def- initely knows more than I do on the subject, comes to help and explains that mod- ern osterie are of different k i n d s a n d t h a t ' s w h y w e find it hard, sometimes, to give a proper description of what they are. We have, he s a y s , o s t e r i e m o d e r n e , o f f e r i n g b o t h t r a d i t i o n a l and more modern dishes; o s t e r i e t r a d i z i o n a l i , t h e most quintessential osteria of them all; agriturismi, which often cook what they grow and produce; and ris- t o r a n t i d i t r a d i z i o n e , restaurants specialized in local cuisine. Each declen- s i o n o f o u r o s t e r i e , f r o m modern to agriturismo and traditional restaurants, has some characteristics in com- mon, of course. First of all, the menu, which must be focused on quality rather than quantity: b e t t e r a s h o r t , b u t h i g h - quality set of dishes than a long list of anonymous and generic offerings. Key is also the attention to local culi- nary tradition: osterie's food is that of the region or even the provincia where they are located, and their menu changes based on the season and what nature can offer. Bread must be local and, if not made in the kitchen, at least delivered daily from a l o c a l b a k e r y ; t h e s a m e i s true for desserts: simple, grandma-style, traditional and local are the keywords here, along with - I say this f r o m e x p e r i e n c e - a p e n - chant for decadently large portions! Desserts should be m a d e i n t h e k i t c h e n o r , w h e n n o t p o s s i b l e , t h e y should come from a local bakery or pasticceria. Of course, we can't forget wine, because osterie aren't only about good food, but a l s o a b o u t g o o d w i n e : i t should be always local, just like everything else on the m e n u . A n d j u s t l i k e t h e m e n u , t h e w i n e l i s t o f a good osteria doesn't need to be exceedingly extensive but q u a l i t y i s a m u s t . L a s t , a good oste must also think about price, because people w h o c h o o s e a n o s t e r i a aren't in for 300-dollars-a bottle wines. So quality, yes, but with an eye to people's pockets, too. And that's why the last essential factor that makes a n o s t e r i a g o o d i s h o w much you pay. Mind, it's not about eating for cheap, it's about paying the right price: if ingredients are local and in season they may be cheaper and if the osteria is f a m i l y - r u n , s e r v i c e f e e s should be cheaper for the owner, too. To sum it up: tradition, simplicity, seasonality, an accent on the territory, the w a r m t h a n d c o z i n e s s o f h o m e : t h a t ' s t h e p e r f e c t osteria, wherever you are in Italy. GIULIA FRANCESCHINI Restaurant, trattoria, osteria: what's the real difference? (Photo: Ioana Grecu/Dreamstime) The heart of Italian cuisine beats in osterie and trattorie LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE TRADITIONS A n o l d - f a s h i o n e d t r a t t o r i a s i g n i n V o l t e r r a , T u s c a n y ( P h o t o : Banepetkovic/Dreamstime)

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