L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 8 L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2017 I f there is a time in the year when ending up your din- ner should also mean to give a good start to your digestion, this is the one. It all starts with Thanksgiving in U S and, in Italy, w ith the Immaculate Conception Feast: between pies and turkeys, early panettoni and Christmas cookies galore, it's hard to find someone who doesn't eat considerably more during these last, festive weeks of the year. I personally began my own festive culinary path feasting by baking giant Saint Nicholas cookies for the 6 th of December, and consum- ing copious amount of cookie dough while at it: I am not the only one who does that, right? In the end, though, these are times when healthy -but scarily frugal, let us be honest - diets do need to take a back seat and let flavors flow freely. Quit frankly, the only issue should be finding a way to stretch our stomachs enough to fit everything in, without having to play it like the ancient Romans who, according to legends, had the nasty habit of emptying their bellies during banquets to make room for more food. Let me briefly wander off topic for a second here: that w as n't true, but the image remains , s tronger and more powerful in the world's collec- tive imagination than historical reality. If we want to enjoy fully our festive treats and pantagruelian dinners, ladies and gentlemen, w e need to up our diges tive game and who if not the Italians, FRANCESCA BEZZONE masters of abbuffate, could find the perfect s olution to food induced stomach aches? Indeed, we need to talk about Italy's cel- ebrated tradition of after dinner tipples. We are all familiar with aper- itivo, that pleasant made in Italy way to start your evening that is, today, a w orldw ide phe- nomenon. And some non-Ital- ians have probably developed a certain know ledge of their Negronis, Spritzes, Ferraris and Martini Bianco con ghiaccio, but what do we know about Italy's post dinner's drinking habits? Well, indeed, the country as a whole believes a good dinner is not complete without a good digestivo, a little shot of some- thing usually liquory, always strong, that helps digestion and facilitates sleep. Before delving into the world of after-dark shots, though, I feel there are some brief considera- tions to make about the way we drink during a meal: you see, when Italians decide to take out their bigges t culinary guns , drinks follow suit. It is far from surprising to change wine for every course of the meal, or even to have more than one type for each course; even when we decide to stick with one variety for the whole feast, desserts always call for a different wine. And you cannot have dessert without wine during a proper, big meal. In spite of what may look like the ID card of a alcohol-laden evening, Italian dinners, as many of you I'm sure know, witness notably low numbers of inappro- priate, wine-induced behavior: it must be the sheer amount of food we eat, really. But when even the dessert wine came out of the cellar and coffee was delightfully con- sumed, out come the digestivi. Most of us, when thinking of digestivo, think quite rightly of grappa, because grappa, in all its varieties and declensions, is probably the most common after dinner tipple in the country. Yet, there are so many more options, perfect for all palates: be aware though, there is no such a thing as a mild digestivo. An after din- ner tipple most people are likely to know is Tuscany's own vin s anto, a s w eet, velvety w in made from Malvasia and Treb- biano grapes, often served in pair w ith cantucci, thos e crunchy cookies known is the US as biscotti. Another extreme- ly popular option is, of course, limoncello: known international- ly, its Amalfi coast variety is particularly renowned, but do not underestimate that made in Liguria, it's very nice, too. Limoncello has a characteristic typical of many Italian digestivi: it's easily made at home. In Italy, in fact, especially if you are in an area by the sea where lemons abound, you're likely to be served home made limoncel- lo, even in restaurants. Speaking about home made liqueurs opens up a whole chap- ter of our little excursus among Italian digestivi: indeed, artisan tipples are very popular in the country and, more often than not, they are created purposeful- ly to drink after a heavy meal. This is because they are often made with herbs and deliver that tangy, aromatic punch you need to get your stomach working. In Piedmont, and a bit every- where on the Alpine arch, you'll find genepì, made with worm- wood just like absinthe. It is comparatively less sweet than other alpine liqueurs, and has a beautiful light green to gold color. Be weary of deep green commercial versions: they are, likely, filled w ith food dye. Always from the Alps comes arquebuse, a sweet, delicate drink made with tansy leaves: this is usually a favorite even among who dislikes the bitter- ness typical of digestivi, as it is mild and quite sugary. Another staple of the home made digestivi collection is gen- zianella, which is made with gentian roots, but is more often than not associated in image to its beautiful, deep blue flowers. Genzianella, too, is a product of the A lps , that almos t every grandma acros s the Italian mountains know how to make. In Sardinia, you'll find delicious mirto, made by macerating myr- tle berries and leaves in alcohol. If you want to try something a bit more commercial, then look no further than Galliano, a herbal elixir from Livorno easily found in good wine shops. Gal- liano has the advantage it can be used to make cocktails, too, so you can enjoy it even without having eaten the equivalent of a queen's wedding meal before hand. Strega, which counts saf- fron among its more than 70 ingredients, is another popular digestivo that you can find easi- ly enough on the high street. Last but not least, never dis- count the appeal of "the" diges- tivo par excellence, Fer net. Strong, bitter, dark, sometimes with an added minty twist, Fer- net remains the king of post- feasting drinks, so effective that even little hard sweets made with it have been gracing our shops for centuries. You see, then, with all these digestivi you have one more trick to try before reaching for that bottle of antacids. In case they don't work, however, boil- ing bay leaves and lemon rinds for 20 minutes, adding some s ugar and s ipping it s low ly before bed should also help set- tle your stomach! Cantucci and Vin Santo, at typical Italian pair to end a dinner Digestivi d'Italia and how to end your holidays dinners Italian style LIFESTYLE FASHION FOOD ARTS ADVICE

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