Happiness eating with your hands 

To talk about the goodness and the increasing consensus that finger foods are obtaining among contemporary consumers, i.e. those foods in small single portions eaten without the use of cutlery, we want to start from the importance of the sense of "touch" for the perception of emotions and taste.

It was once thought that touch was man's most "intimate" sense. Today, many scientists even consider it fundamental, because it is the only one capable of perceiving mechanical stimuli. Touch is the first sense that develops in humans. Most mankind, for practical reasons, eats with their hands. The use of the spoon and the knife date back to the birth of civilization, that of the fork can be traced back to the Middle Ages. The culture of limiting direct contact between hands and food as much as possible was codified in the sixteenth century with etiquette. Touching a food reconnects us to our primary need for survival, and eating with our hands is a way of grasping the soul of food. Starting with the first forms of biscuits, biscuits or sweets, finger foods have historically represented a sublime form of the art of communication. During the famous banquets and banquets of the Roman Imperial era, people ate lying down leaning on their left elbow and nibbling the food with their right hand, in a position that today we would find very uncomfortable, but which had a double advantage: it allowed them to ingest a greater quantity of food and allowed the guests who were overly satiated to doze off between one course and another. This particular posture, however, made it virtually impossible to use cutlery that requires the use of both hands: the food arrived already cut into small pieces by slaves called "scissores", and only spoons (ligulae or cochlearia) find a certain frequency of use, used to collect sauces and farinata.

However, preparing finger food does not have to be a trivial and serial gesture. Like the foods presented at imperial banquets, those prepared for a dinner or banquet must have three characteristics: goodness, healthiness, beauty.

The first stems from the excellence of the basic products;

the second is attention to the preparations, which, unlike the ancient Roman ones, must be light and easily digestible; the third is generated by easy-to-use tools that are beautiful to look at and hold.

I conclude by revisiting a famous quote by Anthelme Brillat-Savarin: "The discovery of a new finger food benefits humanity more than the discovery of a new star".

WHY IS EATING WITH YOUR HANDS GOOD FOR YOU?

Do you remember when you were a child and told not to eat with your hands? Well, perhaps it was not a completely "healthy" teaching! It seems, in fact, that according to research by the University of Nottingham, eating with the hands is not only a good habit during the first years of life, but can even be good for the health of the little ones. Why? Let's find out together! That's right: research from the University of Nottingham, published in the British Medical Journal, argues that getting children used to eating with their hands would affect their future relationship with food. In fact, research has shown that replacing baby food and baby food with small pieces of food during weaning can help children maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle even in adulthood. In light of this, the kitchen environment could be transformed into a real playful and educational place: in addition to cooking with children, you could in fact think of leaving them free to interact with food in a natural and spontaneous way.

During the research, researchers at the University of Nottingham monitored 155 children between the ages of 20 months and 6.5 years during their weaning period. Of these, 63 were fed with the classic baby food, while the remaining 92 were able to eat small pieces of carbohydrates and proteins with their hands. Both groups were then offered sweets, carbohydrates, fruit and vegetables. While the second group preferred carbohydrates, the choice of the first group was directed towards sweets. According to the researchers, offering children reduced portions of carbohydrates and protein in the style of finger food would increase their awareness of food. It would teach them the nutritional value of food, so as to ensure a balanced relationship with nutrition and avoid the development of eating disorders during growth. This is because, according to research, those who are used to eating baby food and smoothies do not perceive the caloric value of the food ingested and are led to eat it in larger quantities, especially if it is rich in sugar.

And you, what do you think of this research? Would you train your children to eat with their hands? Let me know what you think in a comment!

Veal skewers 

Take some veal, cut it into chunks as big as an egg and brush it with oil. Sprinkle salt, crushed coriander and fennel on top. Then on a skewer skewer the pieces of meat alternating them with slices of bacon; Then turn the spit on the stove until they are cooked. Veal skewers with rocket and scamorza cheese are an original and tasty second course, a valid alternative to the classic slice of roasted meat. The veal wraps a filling of arugula and cheese that will make this dish even more inviting, stringy and creamy. A special idea that I am sure you will also make with other types of meat, such as chicken or pork! Perfect for a dinner with family, but also with friends or guests. They always look good!

INGREDIENTS

Veal slices 600 g

Scamorza (provolone) 200 g

Arugula 50 g

Extra virgin olive oil to taste

Fine salt to taste

PREPARATION

To prepare the veal skewers with rocket and scamorza cheese, first remove only the leaves, detaching the part of the stem. Wash them under running water and then pat them dry with a kitchen towel. Cut the scamorza cheese into thin slices; Then beat the veal slices between two sheets of paper and remove any nerves. Spread one of the slices of meat on the cutting board, place the slices of scamorza cheese on top and cover with rocket. Roll the meat lengthwise, so that it forms a roll. Insert 4 toothpicks on top of the roll which will be used to facilitate the cut and hold the filling in place. Divide the veal roll into 4 parts, gently remove the skewers and place them inside a skewer stick, piercing the closed part of the slice of meat. Make all the others like this, until you finish the meat. Heat a pan with a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and place the veal skewers inside.  Cook them for 7 minutes, turning them halfway through cooking. Salted and serve your veal skewers with rocket and scamorza cheese.

PRESERVATION

Veal skewers with rocket and scamorza cheese are perfect freshly made. They can be stored for up to a day, closed in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Freezing is not recommended.

ADVICE

For veal skewers you can use both sweet scamorza and smoked scamorza. You can enrich the filling by adding a slice of prosciutto or speck inside the roll.

Quality from yesterday to tomorrow

In the past, pure sustenance was the prime mover of the human jaw; In the present, on the other hand, the curiosity of globalization and the consequent codification of cooking techniques and dishes learned from history and peoples stand out, through the search for gustatory perfection and the selection of ingredients all over the world, thus giving life to the cuisines of every geographical and cultural tradition.

Sooner or later, the future will arrive, the one that is so difficult to interpret in other human disciplines, but perhaps easier to deduce in the field of food: we optimistically hope that the quality of food will be the new primary objective of human nutrition.

The ars coquinaria, then, is a multifaceted subject with a thousand facets, complex and fascinating: globalization and culinary curiosity have universalized ancient recipes and ingredients that may be thousands of miles away, but also the spasmodic use of the internet and social networks has engulfed the interest in eating in all its multimedia diversity.

Today, compared to even just ten years ago, you can immediately know what the larvae (or chamois) of the flour taste, you can easily taste a broth of mosses and lichens, it is not difficult to find the rare citrus fruits such as chinotto or Japanese yuzu. 

The future scenario of our diet? Above all, what will we really eat in the near future?

Understanding why we ate something in the past can perhaps also give us an idea of the cuisine of the future for better or for worse.

Will we refresh the ancient culinary passions of the first humans, such as insects, fruit and wild roots or cannibalism?

Or will there be restaurants where a nutritious drink will be enough to satiate the appetites of customers?

Will fast food chains be created in the hands of food bioengineering industries that will be able to "offer" to the table, starting from their DNA, the bodies and flesh of dinosaurs or other extinct animals?

Or with our 3D printers will we be able to shape mythological beasts in the manner and cartoon characters that can be chewed and enjoyed in company? To "print" a pizza, all you need to do is get fresh ingredients and grind them into a liquid state so you can put them in the machine, choose a recipe from the touch screen and wait for it to do the rest.

Will the future of food be so mechanical and unpassionate?

Everything will depend on our awareness in considering food as the primary source of thought of our species, trying to preserve it in its quality and variety. Each individual will have to love their own gastronomic culture and respect that of others.

We cannot extend palm plantations to keep cooking oil and at the same time extinguish the biodiversity of the jungles full of tropical fruits and native vegetables.

It is insane to destroy forests to grow cereals to feed billions of animals, when the same forests and crops can produce food for everyone. Polluting the sea will lead to the extinction of many fish species and then we will create expanses of reclaimed fish farming, with scaly animals fed cheap insects? The sustainable hypothesis of the food future is that every city should have urban gardens, small farms in communities, fields cultivated in a collective way; Every nation, or at least a region with a cultural specificity, should save its agri-food products so that everyone can taste everything.

If humans decide to stop eating common animals because they are suffering, could insects be the new nutrient candy to be "raised" at home?

Will animal protein intake therefore be shaped directly at home and will cattle farms gradually be reduced because they are too expensive and wasteful of water and fodder?

Among cereals, will rice be reduced because it needs too much water for cultivation? Are we going to start tilling land all over the place to sow the thousands of existing potato varieties, just because they are more adaptable to the harshest conditions and need mild agricultural precautions to grow?

Will the nutritious quinoa of the Andes, very easy to grow, be the food that will feed the world?

Cuisine, like science and fantasy, has no limits of investigation: it is a confident and appetizing look at man's natural progress. Man can eat anything, optimistically hoping that what he ingests is quality food.

ORGANIC FOOD: WHAT ARE THE PROS AND CONS?

"Recent research has shown that since no pesticides are used in organic crops, plants develop their own natural defences, which makes the fruit and vegetables produced more nutritious and richer in vitamins and antioxidants. In addition, it has been shown that children who eat only organic products have fewer toxins in their blood. Organic products, precisely because of the agronomic techniques adopted, are usually safer than others from a hygienic-sanitary point of view.

However, eating organic has a higher cost than consuming foods that do not belong to this category. The reason for this would be that, although the companies that produce these products are environmentally sustainable and do not have to spend money on chemicals, the yield of the crops is far lower than the conventional one. In addition, the harvest of organic products is unstable because it depends on climatic conditions and the quality of the harvest.

Despite being more expensive, organic foods offer inestimable advantages: they taste more genuine and natural, are more satiating and satisfying for the palate; they are more controlled and do not contain substances of chemical origin; The waste of raw materials during production is minimized, decreasing the environmental impact and respecting biodiversity. Organic Farming prefers the use of renewable resources, recovery and recycling, does not involve the use of fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides, insecticides and pesticides in general and only admits organic fertilizers – manure, compost – or minerals or biological control techniques against diseases of the plant world. Finally, it does not use dyes in the production of processed foods."

WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ORGANIC FOOD AND HEALTH?

"Organic products have a high nutritional value because they contain more vitamins, minerals and other substances, which conventional foods do not have. An added bonus is definitely the freshness and flavor of organic food. Thanks to their growth on "pure" soils, and because they are not treated with pesticides and other chemicals, organic foods have many beneficial properties: they strengthen the metabolism and immune defenses; prevent the deposition of toxins; they have a restorative, protective and anti-aging effect (by virtue of the antioxidants they are rich in); and accelerate healing and stimulate the regeneration of organs and tissues. Scientific studies (such as A Systematic Review of Organic Versus Conventional Food Consumption: Is There a Measurable Benefit on Human Health? Nutrients) show that the consumption of organic foods reduces the occurrence of metabolic syndrome, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, infertility, birth defects, allergies and ear infections. The most important health benefits of organic food derive from the fact that chemical fertilizers and pesticides are not used in agriculture, while livestock products contain a higher share of omega-3 fatty acids than conventional products (according to the 2017 study Human health implications of organic food and organic agriculture: a comprehensive review.''

 

Partnership Nature and Human Beings

Are our food stocks sustainable? Are they healthy for the environment and for the workers who produce them? Will control of our food continue to remain concentrated in the hands of a few powerful companies? Or will we be able to find another model based on collaboration with nature rather than its domination?

In the past, people formed a partnership with plants and animals. We selected the ones that met our needs and helped them reproduce and spread. We crossed different varieties to produce new ones with the characteristics we needed. It has been a fruitful partnership both for us and for the plants.

But we should now ask ourselves whether that partnership has broken down. We are changing the true nature of the plants we are in society with, treating them more as raw material than as living things. We behave as if the balance between human beings and the environment can be ignored. After all, if we can rewrite DNA, why can't we rewrite the rules of nature? Or, perhaps, simply ignore them. But history has taught us that nature cannot be controlled in that way, that it cannot bend to the will of man. If we disturb the balance of nature too much, we and our members will both suffer.

There is a growing global movement for justice and equity in our food system tied to all of our other concerns about the environment, especially climate change. We hope that this movement will restore some of that balance and put our long and fruitful partnership with plants back on the track of collaboration and symbiosis: different species in a mutually beneficial relationship.

The environment is not simply a source of raw materials that we can use and throw away. The land of a farm is a rich and luxuriant ecosystem, a network of relationships between all forms of life, relationships that we do not always fully understand. When we ignore them and try to reshape the natural world to fit our needs, acting as if we control everything, we end up destroying that delicate web of life.

The results of that way of acting are evident everywhere today, from the gigantic mountain of plastic floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, to the sterile monoculture of industrial agriculture, to the climate change crisis. We humans must learn that we are not separate from the natural world, but that we are part of it. We must learn to work with it, to be partners in it, instead of trying to use it and command it.

We need to protect the diversity of nature, not only in seed banks but in nature reserves around the planet. And like good farmers do, we must accept that our attempts to control nature from above are doomed to fail. We must learn that we too, after all, are part of nature. Any action we take in the natural world will also affect ourselves.

We will, of course, continue to sow our gardens and fields. We will continue to find new ways to take everything that plants offer us, whether it's control, sweetness, beauty, or energy. And as a result, we will continue to plant the plants, just as they will continue to change us. It's a story that's been going on for millennia. There's nothing wrong with using new tools to do this, whether it's engineered genes or technologies that haven't yet been invented, as long as you use them wisely.

We need to be aware that the entire living ecosystem is like a single, interconnected web of life.

 

Sensory chocolate tasting

There are several types of chocolate on the market: dark, when the cocoa mass, which exceeds 43% of the weight, is milk-free (optimal between 70 and 80%); milk, contains less than 25% cocoa mass, and a minimum of 14% milk powder; gianduja, contains cocoa mass, sugar and hazelnuts present for 20/40%; White, contains cocoa butter, milk powder, sugar, lecithin and vanillin.

The sensory characteristics may vary according to the use of the different types of cocoa, the proportions of the ingredients, and the different processing methods. Untreated fava beans are astringent and bitter, but fermentation gives them fruity flavors, reminiscent of wine or sherry, and roasting introduces an almost endless range of notes of flowers, spices, earth, wood, and dried fruit. The flavor of high-quality chocolate is appreciated by squeezing a splinter against the palate and allowing it to melt. The higher it is in sugar, the sooner it will reveal its flavor. With high percentages of cocoa, even if it takes more time to highlight the taste, the bitter notes and persistence in the mouth are increased.

Visual analysis

Uniformity: a quality product, stored correctly, must not have white patinas associated with cocoa butter outcrops, or grayish coatings that indicate sugar outcrops (characteristic of Modica chocolate). Gloss: the colour must be brilliant, not opaque, otherwise the product has undergone too abrupt temperature changes or has not been worked correctly during tempering and shaping. Tactile analysis - Silkiness: perceived by touching the chocolate indicates a correct texture, structure and preservation. Chocolate is not a candy, you have to bite into it and then melt it. A quality chocolate should melt in a short time, the final effect should be that of a nice spoonful of chocolate. Roundness: perceived inside the oral cavity, it is the homogeneous melting of the chocolate, there must be no abnormal tips, dustiness or graininess and it must leave the mouth clean. Aromatic complexity: it is determined through the perceptions of flavor, length and aromatic roots (cocoa, floral, fruity, vegetable, toasted, spicy). Flavours: sweetness, bitterness and acidity to be evaluated. A good chocolate should be velvety and harmonious. Persistence: A high-quality chocolate should be felt in the mouth for a few minutes even after it has been consumed.

Olfactory analysis. When we talk about olfactory investigation, we refer to retrolfactory investigation. Directly, before tasting, it is possible to feel only gross defects such as the presence of mold or abnormal odors transmitted from the packaging to the product. For a more in-depth analysis, it is necessary to use the aftertaste with which it is possible to identify two groups of fundamental aromas: primary and secondary. The primary aromas can be more or less intense and are referred: to the origin of the cocoa and to the intensity of the milk (for milk chocolate). Secondary aromas are developed during fermentation, roasting and conching, and can be divided into: floral, herbaceous, spicy, etc. Important: in a quality chocolate there should be a good balance between primary and secondary aromas, and these aromas should be perceived for several minutes even after its consumption.

Chocolate is often associated with falling in love and sensuality, because it contains something elusive and enchanting in its goodness.

Among the substances contained in cocoa, we point out theobromine, which was already recognized as having a mild pharmacological activity in the 1700s. Its action would mainly affect the central nervous system where it would act as a stimulant, increasing energy, quick reflexes, concentration and sexual desire, qualities that can be linked to the "good mood" effect.

Recent scientific studies have also found the presence in small doses of "phenylethylamine", a molecule naturally produced by the body during falling in love. Its main effect would be the release of "dopamine", a neurotransmitter linked to feelings of pleasure that satisfy stimuli such as hunger, thirst and erotic drive. Among the various literary testimonies that exalt the "aphrodisiac" properties of chocolate, we want to report two.

The first is the work of the abbot Pietro Metastasio, playwright and poet, who with his cantata "La cioccolata. A Fille" (1735) proposes an erotic skirmish in which he tries to seduce the reticent nymph Fille, illustrating the merits of the drink so that he can drink a cup. The second is linked to a great consumer of chocolate, Brillat-Savarin, who dedicates pages full of enthusiasm to it, suggesting its use to the man who spends most of the night "working", instead of sleeping; to the person of spirit, who felt feeble, and to all those tormented by the "fixed idea."

Among the many famous people who would have used chocolate for aphrodian purposes I point out Pompadour, Casanova, Mozart and D'Annunzio.

 

Food education: educating the spirit through taste

In food it is possible to grasp one of the most universal polarities that accompany existence on earth. "There is a natural rhythm characteristic of all forms of life: the eternal breaking of the waves that break in and retreat from the shoreline, the moon that rises and falls, the breath of all living beings made up of inhalation and exhalation, the constant beating of the heart. Life depends on this eternal alternation. If it were always night or if our heart didn't relax after every contraction, life would end. Exhaling is just as important as inhaling. Emptying is just as important as filling. We know this is true when we think about breathing, but we have forgotten that this applies to the stomach and mind.

On the rhythm that presides over the existence of the cosmos and living beings, we should not forget the awarding of the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine awarded in 2017 to three American researchers who highlighted the organic mechanisms underlying the so-called circadian rhythms (from the Latin circa diem), which mark our every day and influence of our lifestyle. Abstention and contentment require that the timing be respected and that the relationships be harmonized.

In short, we can encapsulate thought in a slogan: "Educating the spirit through taste", so that the act of eating becomes a daily spiritual exercise. Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) had already foreseen this in his classic Exercises, where he dictates the "Rules for ordering oneself in eating". In fact, "by respecting the rules of food, we submit to a discipline that God himself prescribes to us", since they "serve to impress an attitude of spiritual asceticism, even when one is apparently performing a material act such as the consumption of food".

https://www.britannica.com/biography/St-Ignatius-of-Loyola

St. Ignatius Loyola died in 1556 and was canonized in 1622, in the same ceremony as St. Teresa of Avila, St. Francis Xavier, and St. Isidore the Farmer. This saint gave the Church the spiritual exercises... and also Pope Francis! Born in Spain in 1490, Ignatius became a soldier in the army of Navarre, but his military career was cut short when he was wounded in the siege of Pamplona. In God’s Providence, though, this injury led to his conversion to Christ, because during his convalescence, he began reading the lives of the saints and a life of Christ.

After making a pilgrimage to the famed Benedictine Abbey of Montserrat, he resolved to follow Our Lord. May 20, 2021, marked the 500th anniversary of St. Ignatius’ conversion — that fateful day when Ignatius the soldier, struck by a cannonball, began his transformation into Ignatius the pilgrim. With six companions, Ignatius pronounced religious vows in 1534, establishing the Society of Jesus, known as the Jesuits. The community was officially approved in 1540. Pope Francis is a member of the Society of Jesus, the first pope in the history of the Church to be a Jesuit.

 

The history of sauerkraut sandwich

The term sauerkraut comes from the German Kraut (grass, herb). While in the original language all leafy vegetables and even some spices are considered Krauter, the Italian sauerkraut corresponds more to Sauerkrauter, or sour cabbage.

The use of sauerkraut was introduced in Italy during the Habsburg rule. Opposed at first, they then found favor with the poor mountain people exposed to the difficulties of finding vegetables during the winter. In the cold season, sauerkraut was the survival food along with pork. The preparation of this preserve is very simple. Cabbages are washed and cored and outer leaves; They are then cut with a special slicer and placed in layers in a tall container, alternating with a handful of salt to which cumin seeds and juniper berries can be added.

Well pressed and covered with a few cabbage leaves, they are then left to ferment, first at room temperature, for a week, then in the cool of a cellar for at least 3-4 weeks covered with a cloth and a wooden lid, surmounted by a stone. In these conditions, the fermentation process begins, or rather, a particular preservation technique that exploits the preservative properties of salt associated with lactic fermentation (a technique already in use by the Chinese thousands of years ago). Cooking sauerkraut does not require long cooking processes: you take the desired amount, rinse it in cool water and cook it with lard, juniper berries and white wine.

This is a light food, rich in vitamins and minerals, which promotes digestion, as it strengthens the intestinal flora, warding off pathogenic bacteria and viruses. Sauerkraut belongs to the gastronomic tradition of German-speaking countries: Germany, Austria, some Swiss cantons, South Tyrol. They are obviously very common in the immediately adjacent areas, such as the upper Veneto, Trentino and Venezia Giulia.

Famous throughout Italy is the sandwich with sauerkraut and hot dogs.

Did you know that behind a simple sausage sandwich there is much more than a pleasant moment of taste? Today I decided to leave our kingdom, the kitchen, for a few minutes to take a trip back in time to discover the hot dog, another highlight of fast food in Rome. It is said that the origins of the stuffed sandwich, one of the most famous in the world, date back to the 1600s, in Germany, just like the much-loved hamburger. In fact, it seems that a German butcher, Joahannan Georgehner, in the seventeenth century began to produce long and thin sausages, which he called "Dachshund", or dachshund dog. A resemblance that has become in the collective imagination a bit of a symbol of the delicious food.

With the migrations to the new world, the recipe for ancient Teutonic sausages arrived in the United States, brought by the first Germans who crossed the ocean in search of fortune. In a short time, the delicious meat-based "dish" became very popular. From 1867 onwards, numerous shops were opened serving the special sausages made in Germany. But how did the American hot dog we all know come about? As is often the case, some discoveries arise from a need. The irresistible sausages called "Red hot", precisely because they were served hot and steaming, burned the hands. One day a saleswoman from Missouri, the sister of a baker, had a real flash of genius: she put sausages inside the bread, so that they could be enjoyed more easily. The story doesn't end there! One day a comic book artist at the end of the game, took a pencil and paper and began to depict the fans in front of the sausage vendors in a rather funny way: dachshunds crushed inside sandwiches. The cartoon, which he titled "hot dog", not remembering the original name of the stuffed sandwich, was very successful, nowadays we could say it went viral. From that moment on, the United States became the official home of street food par excellence, which today we continue to appreciate in the most diverse ways and with the most diverse fillings. For example, we love to serve it with sauerkraut, in perfect German style. Have all these curiosities made you hungry?

 

McDonald's invests €960 million in the Italian supply chain

Purchases from Italian companies rose to 960 million, but, considering the whole system, the value generated by McDonald's in Italy doubles to about 2 billion. "Today, 85% of suppliers are of Italian origin," explains CEO Dario Baroni. We support local products and elevate quality, but we are always interested in affordability."

The key word is impact, a sort of fifth dimension of sustainability, more up-to-date and concrete, which the private sector has understood it wants – and must – to bring closer and closer. Impact means creating value inside and outside the company, in the belief that it can generate change while pursuing the economic, environmental and social sustainability of the company itself.

For McDonald's Italy, this impact has a precise number: 1.9 billion euros. This was measured by the Althesys Institute and corresponds to the shared value generated by the company for Italy in 2022 between restaurants, supply chain and services, as explained in the report "Sharing value", presented in Rome in recent days.

"For every euro of turnover generated in the territory, McDonald's redistributes 3.3 euros divided between households, the state and other businesses," explains Dario Baroni, CEO of McDonald's in Italy. An important contribution to the country-system, also evidenced by the progressive increase in spending on local suppliers".

A few numbers help to complete the picture: in 2022, purchases from Italian companies of the restaurant chain rose to 960 million euros, of which those for agri-food, packaging and logistics reached 436 million.

Dario Baroni

CEO

Graduated in Chemical Engineering in Pisa, he began his professional experience in Procter & Gamble in Marketing, Research & Development and Sales, in Italy and abroad. He then worked at Vodafone in roles of increasing responsibility, until his appointment as Marketing Director of the Consumer Business Unit before joining McDonald's in 2016 as Chief Marketing Officer. In 2018, he assumed responsibility for the restaurants for the South area, and in the fall of 2020, he was appointed Vice President with responsibility for Strategy, Field Service, Marketing, Development and Construction. He has been at the helm of the company since August 2021.

Source: L'Economia – Il Corriere della Sera

 

The history of Lazio street food 

THE PORCHETTA OF ARICCIA

Don't blame the people of Romagna, don't blame the Tuscans (the people of Arezzo, in particular), but the porchetta of Ariccia is truly sublime. This small village south of Lake Albano, which in turn is south of Frascati which in turn is south of Rome, has been the undisputed capital of porchetta, since it became PGI in 2011.

The Cioli, the Lions, the Leopards are just some of the families of Ariccine that have brought to its maximum splendor the ancient art of boning a female beast of 30-40 kilos, seasoning it with salt, pepper, garlic, liver, spleen, fennel and rosemary.

The innkeeper, whether it is in a "fraschetta" in the Castelli, that is, in the area of Ariccia, Cecchina or Marino, cuts it into slices and serves it to you on a piece of paper or in a sandwich from Genzano. Here porchetta is an art, you eat it as soon as it is made, you lick your lips.

In some places that serve porchetta you may also find coppiette: here too we are talking about an ancient dish of those born precisely to be transported. In fact, coppiette are strips of horse or pork dried with chili pepper and fennel seeds. Couples, rather than eating each other, chatter: they are in fact tasty but difficult, not for all jaws. But munching on them while walking is a delight.

 

SUPPLÌ (AND OTHER FRIED FOODS)

A walking pleasure, the supplì (which owes its name to the Italianization of the word French) is exactly like the arancino: a fragrant, tasty rice croquette that is received in a bag or tray and can be eaten anywhere without even getting too greasy. Immortalized by the great Ada Boni in 1929 and loved by Joyce, supplì is very similar to arancino in shape and recipe but, to tell the truth, in the mouth the result is quite different: less exuberant, less seasoned. However, we are always at high levels: boiled rice with chicken giblets (or, now more widely, minced meat, sauce, mozzarella); all breaded and fried. And it must be said that this "basic" version today is flanked by all kinds, from the one with porchetta to the one with prawns. In Rome and Lazio you can find it in a rotisserie, in a bakery with a minimum of gastronomy or even in a high-end restaurant, where it is perhaps served as an appetizer together with fried cream and potato croquettes.

And here is another point of contact with Sicily: there are crocché, cazzilli, here they are called croquettes and are mashed meatballs with parmesan, butter, egg, salt and pepper and a heart of mozzarella, also breaded and fried. Ah, we forgot: we find it funny that supplì are called "supplì al telefono" because when you divide them, the mozzarella line looks like the cable between the base and the handset.

 

ROMAN PIZZA BY THE SLICE

If you say pizza, you think Naples. But if you say pizza by the slice, here comes Rome, which not only has a tradition that dates back to the fifties but, above all, in recent times has revived and made famous in the world an all-Capitoline version of the most famous national dish. Rome's pizza is by the slice, generously leavened and above all covered with delicacies of all kinds, ranging from classic potatoes, such as the yellow ones of Avezzano, and mozzarella to the most sought-after cured meats. This new wave of street cuisine started in the nineties but in a few decades it has been able to express itself in a big way.

 

THE TRAPIZZINO

A small concession to fashions, which are often also good ideas, sometimes you have to make it. So, this is not a historical street food but a very recent invention signed by Stefano Callegari. The trapizzino was created with the aim - a bit like the kebab sandwich - of being able to contain a lot of stuff without it dripping on floors, trousers, pots and staff. So here is a triangular pizza closed on the legs and open on the hypotenuse, with exuberant and typically Lazio fillings: oxtail, meatballs, chicken cacciatore, tripe, tongue.

Porchetta di Ariccia PGI is a cooked and seasoned pork product obtained from the processing of either a whole pig or the central part (“trunk”). The pigs belong to the Landrace, Large White or Pietrain breeds or their hybrids, and must be female. Porchetta di Ariccia PGI is produced within the entire territory of the Municipality of Ariccia, in the Province of Rome, in the Lazio Region.

PRODUCTION METHOD

The carcasses are deboned by hand (excluding the tibia, fibula and head bones) and the shoulder, neck and fillet are removed. The product is salted and then left to rest for 60 minutes before being massaged by hand in order to eliminate any eventual salt that has not been absorbed by the meat. This is followed by seasoning with rosemary, garlic and finely ground or coarsely ground black pepper. The meat is tied with a natural fibred string, which is stitched around a food tube, allowing the heat to arrive at the centre of the carcass. It is then put in the oven and cooked at a temperature of 160 and 280°C; 3-5 hours for whole pork and 3-6 hours for the “trunk”. Once removed from the oven, it is cooled at a temperature of between 10 and 30°C for 5-15 hours, in order to eliminate the fat and excess liquids; this part of the process allows for the formation of the characteristic crispy rind and for the meat to obtain its typical colour; it also preserves it during the days following preparation.

APPEARANCE AND FLAVOUR

Porchetta di Ariccia PGI is characterised by a brown, crispy rind and a softer under-side. The meat is pinkish- white in colour, interspersed with the brown colour of the spices. It has a strong flavour thanks to the rosemary, garlic and black pepper.

HISTORY

The production of Ariccia porchetta boasts a millenary tradition, most likely dating back to pre-Roman times and the Latin populations. In fact, not only can the custom of offering meat as a sacrifice to the gods be attributed to Ariccia, it is also retained that thanks to Roman nobility – who often transferred to Ariccia to hunt –the artisan mastery of preparing porchetta was able to develop. This traditional method has been passed down from father to son for centuries. The first Sagra di Porchetta di Ariccia was organised in 1950 by the town’s major, who wished to honour this famous and tasty product. Each year since then, this characteristic and atmospheric event has brought the streets of Ariccia to life, with porchetta being sold fresh from the stalls by sellers in traditional dress. Testimony to this is the Estratto dal Registro of the Town Council’s acts, from September 14th 1962, relative to the contribution towards the festival of Patron Saint Apollonia and the Sagra della Porchetta, found in the archives of the Town Hall of Ariccia.

GASTRONOMY

Porchetta di Ariccia PGI should ideally be eaten fresh but can be refrigerated at a temperature of between 2 and 6°C for a few days. In the Province of Rome it is traditionally diced and served with an appetizer or sliced and served cold as a main course. It is a perfect street food, making a delicious sandwich filling.

MARKETING

The product is marketed as Porchetta di Ariccia PGI in the following typologies: Intera (whole) or Tronchetto (trunk). It is sold whole, in pieces or in slices; it can also be found vacuum-packed or in modified atmosphere packaging.

DISTINCTIVE FEATURES

One of the distinctive features of Porchetta di Ariccia PGI is its crispy rind, which remains unchanged for several days, ensuring that the internal meat does not dry out.

Sandwich with porchetta. That is, street food!

Whatever they say, the best way to consume porchetta di Ariccia is inside a richly stuffed "porchetta sandwich". The question remains on the type of bread to adopt, there are those who prefer it soft like "ciriola" or "rosetta" which is a bread well known in Rome as in the Castelli Romani, or the traditionalists according to whom a good sandwich must not be separated from a homemade bread, better if a "loaf" visible below or slices made from a "loaf."

A sandwich with hot porchetta and homemade bread is the ultimate in Castellan street food, but also an excellent healthy and nutritious snack. For those who haven't tasted it, another possibility to taste porchetta inside a sandwich is to get some local castle pizza, heated with a toas plate, and put the delicious dish inside. The taste of hot pizza with crust will enhance you! The history of the porchetta of Ariccia has also been made by this simple food that is this "streetfood delight". To be understood in the strict sense of the word, to be eaten exclusively standing up, and to be prepared absolutely with homemade bread. I recommend that you don't do any "Americanization" like putting barbecue sauce inside...

Torta al testo

The "torta al testo" has been known since ancient times. Typical of the Perugian tradition, it is a flatbread of flour, water, olive oil, a pinch of salt and, if you want to raise it a little, a pinch of baking soda or brewer's yeast. The bread owes its name to the "testo", the flat refractory stone made red-hot by the fire and originally used for its baking, but in Umbria they also call it "crescia", "torta del panaro" or "pizza sotto il fuoco" (Terni). Elaborated in the family especially in the province of Perugia, it was a substitute for leavened bread.

In the Gubbio area, the "crescia" was cooked in the traditional "panieri" (testi) leaning against the fireplace of the peasant houses next to the fire. The occasions to prepare it were those related to the great work of the fields (harvesting, harvesting, killing the pig), when it was necessary to satiate robust appetites with a food that was difficult to digest and that would save the most precious bread. Today, torta al testo can be enjoyed plain or stuffed with ham, salami, cooked sausage, boiled vegetables, porchetta, stracchino cheese and rocket.

A very ancient bread, the torta al testo. Known as "crescia" in the Gubbio area (not to be confused with crescia with cheese from the Marche region or crescia sfogliata), called "torta del panaro" or "pizza sotto il fuoco" in Terni, it is a specialty that could resemble a piadina. It is served in typical Umbrian trattorias accompanied by mixed cured meats, grilled sausages, fresh vegetables and sautéed chicory. For the peasants, it was a poor but substantial bread, which was carried into the fields during the harvest, the grape harvest or the wheat harvest. Bread was a luxury, so it was necessary to save it and consume a product that was just as filler and quick to make on a daily basis. Originally, the ingredients to make it were flour, water and salt. In today's recipes, yeast or baking soda are added, there are those who use corn flour or those who even add an egg to give more color and substance, those who use milk to ensure greater internal softness. Finally, the name "torta al testo" derives from the tool used to bake this simple bread: a disc of brick resting on burning embers. Today you can use a cast iron text for the stove at home or a non-stick pan (like the one used for pan pizza), although in this case the result will not be quite the same.

INGREDIENTS

Flour 500 g

Water 250 g

Extra virgin olive oil 20 g

Salt up to 10 g

Baking soda 5 g

PREPARATION

To prepare the torta al testo, pour the flour and baking soda into a bowl, then add the salt and water. Add the oil and stir with a spoon to combine the ingredients, then transfer the mixture to the work surface and continue kneading. When the dough is smooth and homogeneous, transfer it to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. After this time, heat the pan (the testo) over low heat. Take the dough and divide it into 2 portions of about 350 g each. Roll out each portion with a rolling pin until you get a disc with a diameter of about 25 cm. Place a disc of dough on top of the hot text and cook over low heat for a few minutes. When brown spots begin to form on the underside, turn it over to the other side and cook for a couple of minutes. Remove the testo cake from the pan and let it cool while you proceed with the baking of the second one. Your torta al testo is ready to be cut in half and filled!

PRESERVATION

The torta al testo can be kept at room temperature for 2 days, closed in an airtight container.

 

History spinach and sandwich

They are one of the rare green vegetables so versatile that they can be used in both raw and cooked dishes. They are a vegetable with a very uncertain origin, and it seems that the Persian area is the most accredited. Even on the name the legends thicken: some derive it from the Italian "spinace", originating from the Latin spina for the thorny fruit, others instead from the Arabic "aspanakh" passing through the Spanish "espinaca".

The arrival in Europe is also mysterious, it seems that it was the Arabs or the Crusaders who introduced it around the year 1000. Already at the beginning, this vegetable was recognized as having special virtues. According to al-Arbuli, an Arabic author of the fourteenth century, spinach had the ability to calm the belly and fight coughing. Other scholars of the time attributed to it both invigorating qualities for the gums, as well as laxative and emollients: advising women to wash their uteruses with cooking of vegetables, since due to its astringent effects, it prevented the flow of moods.

Despite the fact that Ibn al-Awwan, the twelfth-century Islamic author of a treatise on agriculture, qualified it as the queen plant of the vegetables for their nutritional virtues, spinach did not enjoy much success among privileged groups. Only the lower classes are able to do so. They were used assiduously in soups and stews.

It is said that Catherine de' Medici, when she left Florence to go in marriage to the future king of France, she also wanted a cook who would be able to cook spinach, one of her vegetables favorite. Since then in the classic French cuisine, the preparations that require a bed of spinach are called "a' la Florentine".

It was only in the nineteenth century that these vegetables became widely consumed, first in Europe and then in America. The intake of spinach is recommended in all low-calorie diets because it contains a lot of vitamin A and C, copper, phosphorus, zinc, calcium, potassium. This composition gives spinach a remineralizing, toning and cardiotonic power. The high presence of folic acid also makes it a useful food to give vitality to the immune system. Probably, it is the 3 milligrams of iron contained in 100 grams of vegetables that have made spinach very popular, even if this iron, in the form of a salt, is only partially retained and used by the body. An icon of the strength given by spinach are the stories of the character of Popeye.

Scientific research recommends, in order to benefit from the healthy properties of this vegetable, to consume raw spinach as a filling for a sandwich or a piadina, seasoned with oil and salt; By boiling them, a good percentage (about 50%) of the elements useful to the body are lost. In addition, if we want our body to assimilate the greatest amount of iron contained in spinach, we must season it with a squeeze of lemon. For gourmets, I recommend a sandwich with sausage, fontina  cheese and spinach.

The chicken, mushroom and spinach sandwiches, forgetting to mention the Fontina cheese that is part of the rich filling, is a super recipe, very tasty and above all not trivial: if you are tired of the usual hamburger or the usual mozzarella and tomato sandwich, try them. In this recipe, it is also interesting the particular technique of baking the buns wrapped in foil in the oven to melt the cheese without problems, and without spills and dirty oven.

INGREDIENTS

1 CIABATTA BUN

200 G. OF FONTINA CHEESE

350 G. OF  MUSHROOMS

3 GARLIC CLOVES, SQUEEZED

400 G. OF COOKED CHICKEN BREAST

150 G OF SMALL AND TENDER SPINACH

EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL TO TASTE

WHOLE-GRAIN MUSTARD TO TASTE

SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE

PREPARATION

Preheat the oven to 205 C degrees. Empty the buns slightly, removing some of the crumbs, then sprinkle them with a little oil. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan, add the mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced, and cook for 4 minutes. Add the squeezed garlic and cook for another three minutes. Finally, throw the chicken cut into small pieces and then crumbled into the pan and heat it up and cook for another couple of minutes. Put everything on a plate. Cook the spinach, cleaned and washed, with a tablespoon of oil in the pan for 2 minutes, salt and pepper. Drain the spinach to remove the liquids produced during cooking. Spread a little mustard on the top of the buns and spread half of the thinly sliced Fontina cheese on top, pressing lightly. Spread the chicken and mushroom mixture over the bottom halves of the buns, top with spinach, and top with the remaining cheese. Close the buns and wrap them tightly in aluminum foil. Put the buns in the hot oven for about 20 minutes, to melt the cheese, then enjoy this super and very refined bun immediately.