Week 2: Tastings
What have I been doing this week? Exploring Venice (breath-taking), eating lots of food (what's new?) and enjoying the Italian atmostphere! Pictured to the left is a picture of one
of the islands on Venice!
Wanna know my thoughts on all of this food I've been eating?? Keep on reading!
At first, I was quite nervous to try new foods and wanted to stick to pasta all-day-every-day. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had my fair share of pasta, but I’ve also stepped out of my comfort zone and tried a variety of different dishes as well! Living with a host family has somewhat forced me to eat new and interesting dishes, and I’ve come to love some authentic Italian food! I've also had the incredible experience of being able to take a food and wine class here in Orvieto. I've tried many different cheeses, meats and wines. Getting to know how to taste these certain items and what pairs well together has been beneficial for me when ordering at meals!
of the islands on Venice!
Wanna know my thoughts on all of this food I've been eating?? Keep on reading!
At first, I was quite nervous to try new foods and wanted to stick to pasta all-day-every-day. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had my fair share of pasta, but I’ve also stepped out of my comfort zone and tried a variety of different dishes as well! Living with a host family has somewhat forced me to eat new and interesting dishes, and I’ve come to love some authentic Italian food! I've also had the incredible experience of being able to take a food and wine class here in Orvieto. I've tried many different cheeses, meats and wines. Getting to know how to taste these certain items and what pairs well together has been beneficial for me when ordering at meals!
Good meals
One of the most interesting aspects of Italian food culture is their use of olive oil, on pretty much everything. I was a little skeptical at first to eat oil with every meal, but it turns out, it all tastes wonderful. One of the first meals that my host family cooked for me was a pasta dish that had nothing but olive oil and mozzarella cheese. It was absolutely delicious and from them on was extremely excited to try everything she made! I’ve also had pheasant-stuffed tortellini, which was incredible! One day we had a meatball (I’m not quite sure what meat it was), quiche pie and rice. Apparently, this is a dish that the mom loved to cook, and you could definitely taste the love that it took to prepare it, wow, incredible! I’ve also been able to try different kinds of pizza (one with shrimp, which was new for me). Overall, Italian cuisine definitely leaves you wanting more! |
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Meats & Cheese
I have gotten to try many different meats and cheeses while here! In class, we went to a restaurant in which we specifically tried different meats and cheeses. Perhaps my favorite meat was the fresh, local ham. It had a nice flavor and I enjoyed it much more than the non-local one. As for the cheeses, I have liked the pecorino (a soft cheese made with sheep's milk), parmigiano-reggiano (like ours in America, but 100 times better), and mozzarella (so so fresh and yummy)! When I went to the market I was able to pick up some pecorino cheese with truffles (pictured on the left) and it was absolutely incredible! If you are a cheese lover as I am, then Italy will definitely not dissapoint. The only cheese that I did not like, and honestly have never liked before, was the gorgonzolla. It was fresh, I just didn't care for it.
I have gotten to try many different meats and cheeses while here! In class, we went to a restaurant in which we specifically tried different meats and cheeses. Perhaps my favorite meat was the fresh, local ham. It had a nice flavor and I enjoyed it much more than the non-local one. As for the cheeses, I have liked the pecorino (a soft cheese made with sheep's milk), parmigiano-reggiano (like ours in America, but 100 times better), and mozzarella (so so fresh and yummy)! When I went to the market I was able to pick up some pecorino cheese with truffles (pictured on the left) and it was absolutely incredible! If you are a cheese lover as I am, then Italy will definitely not dissapoint. The only cheese that I did not like, and honestly have never liked before, was the gorgonzolla. It was fresh, I just didn't care for it.
Wines
You can’t go to Italy and not talk about the wines, it’s essential to almost every meal it seems! Before coming to Italy, I wasn’t a huge fan of dry wines, and I’m still not, but I have been able to develop an appreciation for flavors and aromas that they have! In class, we got to taste 3 red and 3 white wines. Overall, I loved being able to distinguish different types of flavors that are in the wines and it has helped me to appreciate them quite a bit more. I don’t often order wine with my meals because I would much rather just drink water, however, I have been ordering them a bit more since learning about the different kinds. For instance, when eating a dessert, I have learned that a sweet wine paired with it (or a sparkling one) enriches the flavors that much more. Pictured to the right is an example of this that we got to try at Montanucchi's! I also had a dry white wine with my pasta for dinner one night (also to the right). However, since the pasta was a tomato sauce, perhaps a red wine would have paired better, but it was delicious nonetheless. |
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PASTA, PIZZA, MEAT, CHEESE, WINE! What more could one ask for? Perhaps dessert? But honestly, that deserves it's own blog, for now I leave you with this!!
Ciao for now!
Ciao for now!