Archive for the ‘Travel’ Category
Slow Food Travels 2010
Sunday, 14th November
My trip is nearly at an end, but before I depart for home, it’s back to old friends and familiar places for a final dinner and goodbye or as we say in Italian, arrivederci – ‘till we meet again’ which is much nicer!
Luckily before dinner there is time for a quick stop. A young friend of mine-who has done a whole lot of growing up since I left Italy in 2005, has published a book, and this evening he is doing a presentation (in Italian and German) at a local winery. An
opportunity too good to miss. I read his book whilst on holiday. It’s a funny thing to hold in your hands the product of the work of a person not yet 30 that you mostly knew when he was not yet 20. Set in the 1800’s, the book is based on a mix of fact and fiction, and follows 3 generations of women through the Italian Renaissance. It writes of characters and places that are still known of and associated with the village where I once lived. More than just an intriguing read, it is a fabulous ‘souvenir’ for me as it moves from one well known location to another within Catelletto Merli, making reference to important moments in time, and describing the perfumes and colours of the changing of the seasons as I remember them. What a fantastic gift to bring home with me. Grazie Claudio!
From the book presentation to thoughts of dinner. As I had pointed out a few weeks ago, it’s ox season, so off to the butcher we go for my last fix before I return down under. This also gave me an opportunity to have another chat to Lauro (the butcher). I am curious to know how a beef grower/butcher-in this case the same person-can manage to keep an animal for 4 years (ox) and still sell it at an affordable price. After much discussion I am none the wiser. He says he manages because he wants to maintain the tradition, and in any case the land is his, the animals are his. He isn’t buying from another producer and then adding his margin. At the end of the day though, space is at a premium in Italy, land is very expensive, and I couldn’t’ help but think that the investor in Australia would make a completely different choice with the way he chooses to make the most out of his land. Whatever the reason, I suppose it doean’t matter. I am grateful, thank goodness for Lauro and his dedication to upholding tradition. The Carpaccio we had from his 2 year old yearling and his 4 year old ox (see photo-note the difference in colour-the ox being the darker meat) was superb, and an appropriate way to finish off 4 weeks of priceless food experiences. To follow, more handmade pasta, more truffles, more Barbera, more laughs, and more promises of visits to Western Australia. We’ll see. To be honest I don’t mind that Italians are under the impression that it is further for them to travel to Australia than it is for us to travel there. Italy is a special place, and if it’s me that’s doing the travelling to keep in touch with old friends, then I guess that’s the way it’s going to be.
Saturday, 13th November
Bellagio (on Lake Como) is a tourist town. Like many other tourist towns around the world, the general philosophy is ‘fleece the tourist’. Unfortunately, not satisfied with a simple fleecing, there is also a general philosophy to sell what Bellagians want, not what the tourist asks for. After my very expensive meal on Thursday evening where an attempt to offload a bottle of Amarone (extremely robust wine made with grapes that have been dried for 3 months before fermenting) with some local lake fish ie: not a good match, was made, I decided to give food a miss and concentrate on other treasures in the area.
Tourism arrived in Bellagio in the 1900’s. It was on the all so important ‘tour’ for many a wealthy Englishman and an impressive amount of villas/hotels remain to this day. Prior to that life was pretty tough here. 80% of the local population worked in the ‘contraband industry’. The rest were fishermen. The contrabandist lived dangerously, carrying at times 50 kilos of cigarettes on their backs up and down the mountains into nearby Switzerland. More often than not they had the Finance police on their heels aiming and shooting at anything that moved. I’ve heard some pretty interesting stories (in realty this ‘business’ didn’t really stop until after WWII), some may be a little embellished, but it certainly brings home the harsh reality that if not for tourism, these beautiful little towns really would struggle.
A less exciting industry and one which still survives today, although at a much slower pace is the silk industry. Dating back to the 16thcentury, at it’s peak, over 70% of Italian silk was produced here. Today silk weaving still continues, but the silk worms and mulberry trees have moved to China where the thread is woven and then imported to Italy to be made into fabric.
Fortunately for the area, the locals still take pride in the making of the fabric and employment is guaranteed for young and old. Magnificent silk scarves and wraps can be found on every corner, hand bags, money pouches and shirts. Although it would be nice to think the silk worms were still here, it is encouraging to know that at least the manufacturing of both fabric and garments is still in the hands of the Italians.
As for architecture, the old central part of town is quite beautiful, but the points of interest take some looking for. From what I gather, Bellagio really came into it’s own in the 1200’s. The local Church, ‘La Basilica di San Giacomo’ built in Romanesque style is quite stunning and is considered one of the best examples of the period in the area. Left largely untouched and open all day (a rarity!) it is a delight to visit, black marble, magnificent stain glass windows and original altar and tabernacle, small but a real gem. The bell tower (which was originally the base of 1 of the 3 towers used for protection in the village) still works perfectly and locals and visitors alike are reminded of it’s proximity every 30 minutes. Lot’s and lot’s of chiming! The church square is now largely commercial, the monastery has now become a bar (Bar Sport) and although still very beautiful, I can’t help but think there was once a different atmosphere there.
Thursday, 11th November
Definitive Lake Como……………blue waters, clear skies, snow capped mountains and fluffy white clouds-and a few pretty coloured leaves to boot!
Wednesday, 10th November
After a sensational train trip through the Alps from Zurich to Lake Como I’m back in Italy……………..and the food! Dinner tonight, bresaola (air dried beef) with shaved parmesan and fresh rocket dressed with lemon juice and EVOO followed by a pizza with buffalo mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and fresh basil. Doesn’t get much better than that.
Tuesday, 9th November
Two days in Scotland. It’s been a dream of mine for some time now to visit this Celtic place. Two days would hardly do Scotland merit, but it’s all the time I could spare. After a quick flight from Bristol we landed in cold, windy and bleak Glasgow. In all fairness, it’s probably not the best time to visit northern countries such as Scotland, but I guess if you can love it at this time of the year, you will always love it. 
Our trip was really all about sea food. Erica is a budding fish farmer from Geraldton and she was interested to see how the big timers do things here. I, on the other hand, simply enjoy knowing where it comes from – and eating it. After a late afternoon arrival, we checked into our hotel and started to think about dinner. Early sunset (4.30pm) makes you think about dinner a little earlier than you perhaps should. I had a couple of things on my radar. Wild salmon-which I later discovered to be out of season, and loche fyne oysters. I’d heard the scallops were also good. First night out in Fort William and we decided to eat at Crannog Restaurant. A renowned little place famed for it’s superbly fresh seafood. I could go on about this for a very long time……………the scallops served with crispy pork belly were simply divine. Plump and luscious. The mussels were excellent. The crannachon panna cotta, surprisingly delicious. We were off to a good start!
Monday evening, dinner at the castle-nothing less than Inverlochy Castle Hotel, complete with Michelin star chef. Aperitifs were served in front of the fire (a good thing after a day on the isle of Skye!). I had the best gin martini I’ve ever had served in the most beautiful martini glass I’ve ever drunk out of. It was one of those culinary moments I know I’ll never forget. Apparently Sean Connery also had his best ever Martini at Inverlochy, so I’m in good company. Onto our four course meal, and to begin with, oysters and smoked salmon. We Australians have something to learn from the Scots. When they say ‘local’ they mean exactly that. If the seafood is not caught in the local loch, then they say so, and what’s more, it’s no longer considered local. Love it! Again, I could go on about my meal at the risk of boring you to tears but I won’t. The cheese tray needs a special mention though. Instead of dessert I opted for cheese. 4 out of 7 (the remaining 3 French) were Scottish cheeses-as my knowledge on Scottish cheese is somewhat limited, I was pleasantly surprised to find such a choice. Although I was disappointed to discover all the cheeses were made with pasteurised milk, they were nevertheless varied and really interesting. I was told that after eating the Strathdon Blue I would never eat Stilton again. Probably not the case as I doubt I’ll ever be able to get my hands on some in Australia, however I get the drift. Manna from heaven. The Campbeltown Loch was superb. You guessed it, a washed rind rubbed with whisky. Made from the milk from the magnificent Guernseys, this is a gutsy cheese reflecting the area in which it is made. Pretty exciting stuff.
Next morning and off to Ben Nevis Distillery. Fort William is happily situated at the base of Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in
the UK, and of course the finest source of water can be found here. Water is the most critical ingredient in whisky making and this source is highly guarded. A special note to all you budding whisky makers out there-make sure you get hold of your second hand (used a maximum of five times) barrels from either Spain (sherry barrels), France (red wine barrels) or the US (bourbon barrels) and then age them for another 3 years before using. Incredible. A self confessed ignoramus in the whisky making business, I had no idea so much care was given to the sourcing and preparing of the vessel in which the whisky is made-and all of this before any distilling begins.
So, do I love Scotland? Absolutely. Scotland isn’t pretty at this time of the year but it has a certain austere beauty that demands your respect. It’s stark, magnificent and the arctic winds really make you feel alive. I imagine it’s not an easy country to live in (the highlands at least), but the people here are fantastic. Welcoming with the driest sense of humour, you can’t help but love them. Yes, I loved Scotland, loved the people, loved the sea food, loved the sense of provincial pride these people have. Can’t wait to go back.
An overnight stop in Exeter treated us (me and my friend Erica) to the unexpected pleasure of visiting the Exeter Cathedral. 
Proud of it’s claim as having the longest medieval nave in the world, it is one of the most magnificent cathedrals I have seen. If visiting the cathedral wasn’t enough, we also had the pleasure of the choir accompanying us during our tour. Complete in full choir regalia, boys and men practiced for over two hours as we took in the majesty of a building that is nearly a thousand years old.
On leaving Exeter we headed south west to The Eden Project in Cornwall. The result of the passion and enterprise of Tim Smit (also known for his amazing work at The Lost Gardens of Heligan), The Eden Project is known as an educational charity. Although completely artificial in it’s creation (which I personally found a little unsettling) the concept is brilliant. Take an abandoned clay pit, show how a degraded environment can be fixed, fill it with plants, and then pose the question-how do we sustain an environment that sustains us? In an attempt to encourage us to ask ourselves this very question, The Eden Project has recreated different environments from across the globe in massive temperature controlled bubbles. In addition to experiencing a mediterranean environment or a tropical one, the visitor can dine in similarly themed dining spaces, eating produce sourced from nearby, often from within the parks perimeters. Food miles are highlighted, seasons are acknowledged and the aim to be waste neutral is a priority. Have a look at 
www.edenproject.com Although the web site appears to be aimed more at children than adults, the park is stimulating and educational for all ages and has something to offer everybody. If you are ever in the area, I recommend you go.
The day wasn’t finished and we travelled on to St Austell to visit the Lost Gardens of Heligan. What a place! ‘Discovered’ in 1990, the gardens were abandoned and dilapidated. Originally built at the very beginning of the 17th century, and surviving 400 years, the gardens fell into disrepair in the 20th century. On discovering the gardens in 1990, Tim Smit decided to return them to their former glory and so he did. The Productive Garden is a remarkable example of a working Victorian garden. Functioning as it did at that time, the garden is maintained by the same number of staff, is not irrigated and therefore the soil is treated in manner that enables to produce optimally all year ‘round without watering. Everything is done by hand as it was then. It appears nothing was considered too difficult. Of course the Victorian era was a grand one for England. The Americas had been discovered and all 
kinds of fruit and vegetables were suddenly desirable. Even the cool climate of Cornwall didn’t deter and every kind of glass house was built in a manner that maximised the sun at the most critical time of the year to ensure productive crops. Peaches, pineapples, gourds and bananas are just a few of the then considered exotic fruits that were grown at Heligan. Check out www.heligan.com
What a wonderful place. I could have spent the entire day there quite easily. The Lost Gardens of Heligan are a testimony to the wisdom of our ancestors, lest not we lose this patrimony!
My last day in Italy, the 4th November, the day when fallen soldiers are remembered. Such a young county (Italy didn’t become a nation until 1861), it really is one of the few days that Italians feel united as a people. Naturally, my thoughts go to our Anzacs today.
My mind also wanders and reminisces over the past two and half weeks, and the wonderful food that I’ve been exposed to takes priority. Except for my time in Torino, I went out to a restaurant once. Despite the chaos, extremely long working days and the ferrying of children to and from various destinations, meals are still enjoyed at the table with family-and fortunately for me-friends. Maybe I was simply very lucky, but I was treated to homemade pasta, gnocchi, freshly found white truffle, roasted chestnuts, home grown -then roasted- chickens, superb risottos, locally produced preservative free Barbera, new season’s porcini, cakes and biscuits made in the kitchen by three generations of family and the appropriate industrial quantities of chocolate that any self respecting Piedmontese family enjoys. Why would anyone go to a restaurant? In realty this dedication to the tradition of eating at home as a family is surviving by the skin of it’s teeth. As you drive around Italy, the likes of McDonalds eateries are multiplying
prolifically and supermarkets are catering more and more to the needs of those choosing to give priority to ‘fast’ rather than ‘good’. Those fortunate enough to live in rural areas still 
demonstrate an attachment to tradition and an understanding of the land. Local festas and village festivals still continue, but these days have more of a museum feel about them and have become and educational opportunity, a reminder of how things were once done. Credit where credit is due though and it has to be said that Italians are fiercely proud of their history and are still extremely provincial when it comes to their love for their gastronomic heritage. Unfortunately the frantic pace of the modern world has left it’s stamp here also. Groups like Slow Food have encouraged a reawakening at grass roots level, and although there is concern from
older generations that the future is bleak, I can’t help but feel optimistic when I hear young kids speaking local dialects, appreciating and understanding the difference between locally made cheeses and smallgoods and making choices about whether to have risotto or pasta for lunch.
Thankyou Italy for your warm hearted people, your autumn colours, your unique landscapes, and last but not least, your ever diverse and oh so remarkable food.
handle with care
olive oil, pasta, truffles, the list goes on. It’s pure heaven, and I confess I visited more than once during my 5 days in Torino.
risky business
squirts out freshly delivered raw milk at 2 euro per litre. Strangely people were buying it. Could it be that raw milk is not so bad for us after all? What a fabulously simple way to make people think about the milk they are consuming-and making it accessible to the public. Well done Italy, well done Eatily.
Tuesday, 26th October
…..just when I thought all the fun (all the Slow Food fun at least) had finished, another fabulous day amongst the local Piedmontese people unfolds. It was one of those days that didn’t really start with a plan and ended up being a fantastic day out. A group of us who had struck up a friendship at Terra Madre (Amy, chef from America, Matthew, originally from Yorkshire, now a chef in Melbourne, Anthony, editor of the very fabulous Spice Magazine and me-and I should mention Annie Kavanagh from Spencers Brook Farm who would certainly have been with us if not for other commitments) headed off to visit Mazzetti, a family run grappa distillery in Altavilla, not far from Asti. Although not a grappa drinker myself, it was a privilege to watch a 70+ year old (Paolo) dart around the distilling area in complete control of his craft and at the same time talk us through the process of making grappa. This really is all about ‘waste not want not’. My hat goes off to the person who thought of distilling the by product of wine making (the pomace), and even more so, as Matthew pointed out, to the person who drank the first grappa which contained without doubt, toxic alcohol which is now removed and converted into cosmetic products and the like. True pioneers!
Paolo Oppezzo and his much loved still
After listening and doing my best to translate the words coming from a mind as sharp as I have come across, we tasted three different varietal grappas in the making, some of which had an alcohol level of over 80%, all presented in the appropriate glasses. This is light years away from the still in the back yard folks! As I said earlier, although not a grappa drinker, when immersed in the inner sanctum of this charismatic and ever so capable person, even I appreciated the floral notes and delicate tones that were pointed out to me. What a pleasure to see a family owned business still sourcing from local wine growers and producing a product indicative of the surrounding area since 1846.
Our day continued and onto Moncalvo we went. In the middle of the beautiful medieval square my friend Lauro has a butcher shop. He is another of those extremely humble people who gets on with what he’s doing without any fuss. Lauro’s butcher shop sells mostly beef, but only beef of the breed Piedmontese- the local breed of cattle. His farm is able to supply 50% of the beef he sells and the rest is sourced from nearby farms. He is able to tell you at any given time where the animal comes from, the sex and it’s age. He knows because he visits the farms and has a close relationship with those who supply his shop. He also knows that his customers most likely know the farmers, and so any embellishment of the truth could be put his reputation in jeopardy. How sad we have lost this transparency with our butcher shops.
Amy and the girls
It was indeed our lucky day. It’s ox season, so when I asked if we could taste some raw (not a typo) beef, we found presented in front of us a choice of beef and 4 year old ox-and I mean real castrated ox, not the stuff that masquerades as such in Australia. What a treat! Matthew, quite used to working with Wagyu in trendy Melbourne was blown away by the flavour and texture. Amy too couldn’t quite believe it and Anthony didn’t really want to waste too much time with words. All of this deliciously washed down with a bottle of Barbera made by Lauro’s brother. After our tasting we were accompanied to Lauro’s farm where we were introduced to his beautiful animals. Each of them named individually and easy to meet at this time of the year as they are brought into the shed to avoid the below freezing nights. I can’t help but wonder how our farmers in Australia find it so difficult to make a living and yet here, a small local farmer can have a shed full of 4 year old ox. It certainly must have something to do with the respect the consumer has for the work and the product people like Lauro sell, and are therefore prepared to pay for it. Now that I think about it, you very rarely hear people saying ‘that shop has the cheapest beef’ but nearly always ‘that shop has the best beef’. We have to move in the same direction. We owe it to our taste buds and we owe it to our farmers.
beautiful faces
5000 people from over 130 nations descended on Torino for Terra Madre. An additional 200,000 were expected for Salone del Gusto. Poor Torino, it really isn’t a very big city!
It would be impossible for me to detail the five days and do them justice. I would like to share with you however some of the highlights. I guess it can be risky putting 5000 people from every corner of the planet in one big convention centre and expect them to manage themselves. Under ordinary circumstances this would be true, but something special happened at Terra Madre. These 5000 people weren’t just ordinary people. They were open hearted committed people willing to share their stories and experience with whomever would listen. There was a lot of warm and fuzzy stuff, but more importantly (in my book), there was a lot of sharing of concrete examples of what amazing people are doing to make our world a better place for us and a better place for generations to come. I met a chef from America for example, who opens her kitchens at 3.00am in order to supply over 6000 meals for school canteens every day. How lucky are those kids! She ensures they know where their grass fed beef is sourced from, where their in season vegetables are grown. She cares just as much about their food as she does about her own. I met an organic farmer, also from America, who supplies top end restaurants in his region. He has been using organic farming methods for over 25 years and he and his wife and children really live the Slow Food philosophy. The wonderful thing about Andrew is his humility. He doesn’t see himself as special, he is just doing something he believes in and welcomes anyone who shares his love for all things good to be part of his way of life. He is truly inspiring. I met others who had given up 10 or 20 years of their lives, dedicating themselves to ensure the survival of an endangered species, be it flora or fauna, in their local areas. It is easy for us to forget in Australia how integral a specific breed of rabbit or cow is to the landscape and local culture of countries like Italy, Brazil or Kazakhstan. Fortunately, and with the support of Slow Food, there is a resurgence of acknowledgment of the importance of local culture and Terra Madre really brought this to the forefront.
For those of you interested, many of the forums of the workshops we attended have been reopened, and they welcome anyone to join. Have a look at http://forum2010.terramadre.info/. ‘Less Meat, Better Meat’ was a highlight for me, and I see it’s still open. Please have a look-and have your say if you wish!
Tuesday 19th October
University of Gastronomic Sciences………….where else in the world would it be more appropriate to find a University of Gastronomic Sciences but Italy? A three year undergraduate degree designed around every aspect of food culture imaginable. If only I were 25 years younger.
I spent the day today with Steph (a Youth Delegate for Terra Madre from Perth) at this one of a kind University. Attracting students from all around the world, this really is beacon of hope for those of us who have concerns about food in the future. Not your average campus (check out the photos), set in an 800 year old castle, if students aren’t inspired to embrace culture and appreciate history here, then I have to wonder what it would take. It really is something special.
The highlight of the day was certainly unexpected. Steph and I attended a lecture in the afternoon which was given by none other than Carlo Petrin himself. He is truly a man with a vision. Petrini founded Arci Gola in 1986. From this humble movement Slow Food was born in 1989. Since then Salone del Gusto, Terra Madre, Cheese and Slow Fish have all been added to the Slow Food repertoire. The latest achievement of this unbelievably energetic man is the University of Gastronomic Sciences. I’ve often heard Slow Food criticized for being a ‘dinner club, something elitist’. The university proves to be a very tangible example of a positive and constructive step towards the conservation of ‘good, clean and fair’ food.
After a two hour lecture I was still wanting more. The man has charisma. At 60 something he held eye contact with everyone in the room, he used no notes and connected with young people as people his age can rarely do. I had to wonder if the kids in that room understood who they had standing in front of them. Most of them weren’t even born when all those events took place back in the 80’s that proved to be the catalyst to motivate Petrini to begin his movement, and yet there they were. Soaking it all up, and loving it!
Ps: For those of you 25 years younger than me check out www.unisg.it/welcome_eng.lasso
Monday, 18th October
Whilst still in Australia friends of mine asked me if I wanted to eat anything special once arrived in Italy. What a difficult question, hmm, I had to think of one thing I especially wanted.
Piedmont, the region where my friends live, the birth region of Slow Food and the place where I spent 10 years of my life is indeed a mecca for the buongustaia. So many things come out of Piedmont that are well known to the world. Although not blessed with coastline, Piedmont has everything else. Mountains, lakes, rolling hills, fertile plains and the life giving River Po. This mixed typography provides the people of the region with varied environments in which to live and the result is a plethora of traditionally produced local delicacies.
The Savoy (the noble family of Piedmont who subsequently became the royal family of Italy) were the first to bring chocolate to Europe, combined with sensational native hazelnuts, and Nutella is born (and folks, there is a grown up version of Nutella which is really good!), Carnaroli and Arborio rice, Nebbiolo grapes, hence Barolo amongst other seriously good wines, the list goes on and on. What a region. Anyway, back to my dinner choice. I really didn’t have to think too hard. Risotto con Castelmagno. Castelmagno is a rare Piedmontese cheese made from the milk of a breed of local cattle known as the Piedmontese with up to 20% of either goat or sheep milk added. This breed is protected by a Slow Food presidia, a testimony to it’s importance in the culinary history of the region. Please see www.presidislowfood.it
Famed for it’s beef, the versatile Piedmontese also produces milk with a particularly high level of protein. Although yielding small amounts compared to more well known milking breeds, the resulting Castelmagno cheese is definitely worth this labour of love. Combine this cheese with carnaroli rice, some local cortese and some pretty important know how handed down from generation to generation and you have Risotto con Castelmagno. Wow! A simple dish where the ingredients are the stars. One thing I love about Italians is their resistance to meddle with perfection. There was no temptation to add sun dried tomatoes or heaven forbid, the ever so trendy black truffle. 4 simple ingredients, respect for tradition and dinner was served.
With that delectable dish of rice memories came flooding back. People eat well in Italy, every family has their favourite salami, bread or wine often home made. Something important also came to mind. Every morsel I ate reminded me that no matter how well we imitate Italian food in Australia, we can never replicate perfectly…………….and that’s the way it should be. We are developing our own food culture in Australia and it seems right that the very special circumstances combined to create such wonderful food cannot be duplicated anywhere else in the world.
