| |
|
Umbria is a region of Italy that is in the process of
rediscovering itself, and as it does a whole new range of
culinary treasures is coming into view. Whether it's wine, olive
oil, truffles or the precious lentils of Norcia, the accent is
on the genuine flavours and aromas that emerge naturally from
the landscape itself and that provide the basis for all real
regional cuisines. The rediscovery of this wealth provides the
theme for a delightfully pleasurable grand tour of the
ingredients of Umbrian cooking - of the highest quality while at
the same time of surprising simplicity - that will acquaint you
with a range of wonderful recipes that all derive from the
ancient traditions of Umbria and each in their own way
accentuate the flavours of the primary produce.
There is the delicious olive oil, produced here
since Etruscan times, which in recent years has had the
impressive recognition of no less than five 'doc' (denominazione
di origine controllata) awards. The whole of Umbria beneath 600
metres in altitude has a climate and geography particularly
suited to the cultivation of the olive, but now connoisseurs can
take particular pleasure in labels such as 'Colli
Preappenninici','Colli Martani','Colli Amerini','Colli del
Trasimeno', and 'Colli Orvietani', all impressive oils with
significant differences of taste and consistency. It goes
without saying that the best oils come from trees free of any
chemical treatment, with the olives hand picked and the oil
itself the first product of cold pressing.
And then there are truffles, a fundamental element of Umbrian
cooking and found more or less throughout the region. The "hunting
" of truffles - in Italian the same word "cacciatore" is used
for both this and hunting in the English sense - is a major
source of second incomes in the area as you can imagine from the
figures that the more exotic varieties command. In our opinion
however the dramatic differences in price that go from 20
dollars a hundred grams for the black summer variety to nearly
200 dollars for fresh whites, with winter blacks and "scorzoni"
in between are not necessarily reflected in taste. The
relatively cheap and readily available blacks are a delicious
part of ordinary Umbrian cooking, and there is a particularly
delicious sauce "lengthened" with porcini mushrooms that has the
effect of accentuating both flavours.
Throughout Italy there are special shops called "Norcinerie"
whose name reveals the importance that the mountainous area
around the beautiful town of Norcia - home of the great St
Benedict - has always had in the preparation of salami and
cheese, and any tour of Umbrian cuisine will reveal that this
predominance is more than justified. In particular the salami
made from "cinghiale" (wild boar) is a regional specialty and in
Norcia itself the preserved heads of these ferocious looking
animals have almost taken the place that balcony flowers have in
other Italian towns. As for cheeses it is the delicious "pecorino"
made from sheeps' milk that is most characteristic of the region,
forming the basis for such specialties as pecorino di botte,
rocaccio, or bigetto, each with its own highly specific set of
traditional procedures often linked with a single family.
And then there is wine, a product in which Umbria is amongst the
leaders in Italy. There are seven of the authorised doc areas
here - Montefalco, Torgiano, and Colli Perugini, Altotiberiani,
Martani, d'Orvieto and del Trasimeno - and in 1998 a Sagrantino
secco from Montefalco won the prestigious prize of Italy's best
red. It is worth saying a word or two about the reds of
Montefalco, in fact, as the sagrantino grape which so
characterises the area is a very unusual one with a high tannin
content and found nowhere else but here. Spread out over five or
six hills between medieval Montefalco and the ancient roman town
of Bevagna, it seems that the sagrantino grape involves
traditions that go back to pagan times. In particular it has
always been used to produce an extraordinary after dinner wine
called Sagrantino Passito, which used to be consumed as the name
suggests on sacred feast days, particularly the celebration of
the end of winter at Easter time, and to this day it is often
offered with the special little almond flavoured biscuits that
were also made for that occasion. Certainly, there aren't many
better ways to end a satisfying meal than this exquisite product
of authentic local tradition! |
|
|
|
