anotheranon | Florence: food and food culture

This is the first of what will hopefully be many posts about the Italy trip :)

I thought about going chronologically but that could be a trying write (and possibly read), so I'm posting by subject. And let me tell you what, the food and wine of Florence is worth writing reams about!

I'm not a foodie but I've always listened to those who are, figuring they know more than I do. I'd heard only good things about Italian food, wine, and gelato and was looking forward to good cooking, but I had no idea it would be in such delicacy and abundance. With one exception (overdry grilled rabbit) the food everywhere was *spectacular* - fresh ingredients, well combined and handled, prepared excellently!

I also learned of the subtleties of flavor. Given that we had a kitchenette in our rented apartment and were staying across from the Mercato Centrale, we went to get provisions and a salesperson treated us to an olive oil and balsamic vinegar tasting/comparison.

Conclusions: it matters what oils and vinegars you choose, far, far beyond "extra virgin". How were the olives/grapes grown, and how ripe were they before processing? How long was it aged? What are you eating it with? I never knew olive oils could be so different from one another, or balsamic vinegar so sweet! I literally had no idea and now I'm totally spoiled! (We spent the Friday before our flight home furiously leak-proofing the remains and shipping them home, and have a means of refill!)

Though we prepared some things at "home" (ravioli, hand made that morning!), we did eat out a lot and it was worth every penny. Cute animals are tasty! Rabbit, lamb, and some of the uglier ones too (boar). I had spaghetti carbonara that didn't hit me over the head with "bacon bacon bacon!", and that was true of almost everything we ate - always subtle in flavor, never too much, and I only felt really stuffed once even though 2 courses preceded by antipasti is the norm (we were walking everywhere, and that helped, but is another post).

While I was in the conference,

dotheranon did some wandering and discovered Vestri in his meanderings. I sampled their very fine chocolate bars but what warped my taste buds forever was the hot chocolate - sold in tiny plastic cups, it looks like chocolate syrup and goes down like velvet! I brought some of their mix home, but

jlsjlsjls was kind enough to send me a home recipe! Clearly a side-by-side comparison is in order :)

Gelato - I can have gelato! I decided to risk it and had no ill effects. Maybe it was the vacation lack of stress; maybe Italian cows are made of different stuff than their American cousins, I don't know, but I'm sold - this is better than standard ice cream. The flavor is denser and the texture is finer. I must admit I only experimented with formulations of chocolate but I was much impressed :)

Espresso: conference + jet lag + caffiend = of course I had espresso, in abundance. Again, smooth is the watchword - bitter but no stale taste at the back of the mouth, and again, small - a little dab will do ya. Cappuccino is considered a breakfast drink and I had a couple of these as well - never had one stateside so I can't really compare, but I liked it. And the frozen look of one of the waiters when I ordered one with lunch drove home the fact that caffeine is for after eating, thankyewverymuch :P

A couple of notes on the social aspects of eating: it seems to me that food is a social occasion in Florence in a way that it isn't here. Waiters are paid a reasonable wage and tipping is rare, so there's no reason to rush you out the door. Dinner is late and lingering, with several (moderately sized) courses followed by coffee. Breakfast is small (coffee + bun or other bready thing) but after a late, huge dinner I didn't really want anything in the morning.

I can't say much about the wine except that I liked it with the food - I don't drink terribly often so I'm not a connoisseur, but again with the subtlety - the flavor DOES change when the chianti is allowed to breathe.

Can't forget the devil Limoncello, clearly Italian for "whomp"! Smells like Pledge, tastes like gumdrops, sneaks up and reduced me to a giggling mess more than once :P

Bringin' it home - like I said, we shipped the olive oil and vinegar, but I don't know how I'm going to translate the gastronomic ecstacies back home. I'm not a bad cook but not a joyous or experimental one either - mostly I just want to eat something filling and healthy in the evenings. However, that was before I realized just how much there is to savor and appreciate. I've definitely learned the value of fresh/complementary ingredients and eating slowly.

Suggestions for future visitors to Florence: eat without hinderance - it will always be good, frequently spectacular, worth the $ and leisure, and you WILL walk it off. And go here and have the rabbit - it falls off the bone! Extra cup of Vestri hot chocolate in it for ya if you bring me their cook! :P