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Italian Flavours
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To really discover Italian gastronomy, you have to make your way down the whole
boot, from Piedmont to Sicily, dawdling in each region, exploring the streets
and alleys in order to better understand its roots.
Every region has its own gastronomic traditions, cultural habits and
specialties, like so many individual signatures and perfumes. But it is
generally agreed that it is in the cooking of the south that this country's
cuisine has attained its noblest heights.
All along the coasts of the peninsula and the islands, fish is king, from mullet
to bass to sardines, all enhanced with the countless flavours of the
Mediterranean. Italian cooking is imbued with sunlight and draws its inspiration
from the products of the land.
Besides pasta, olive oil and tomatoes, Italians love their vegetables which,
despite their generic names, nevertheless possess a distinctive flavour,
texture, shape or colour, almost as if they bore the imprint of a great Italian
designer.
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Wine:
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Italy is a country of divinities,
the land of Bacchus who, with his
warm breath, made the vine grow from
north to south and who imparted to
the inhabitants of this boot
stretching into the sea the secrets
of making great spirits, wonderful
nectars flavoured with almonds,
lemons and other fruit.
Italy's glowing reputation with wine
is due not only to the fact that it
produces and exports more than any
other country but that it offers the
greatest variety of types, ranging
through nearly every color, flavour
and style imaginable.
Experts increasingly rate Italy's premier wines among the world's finest. Many of the noblest originate in the more than 300 zones officially classified as DOC or DOCG.
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Pastry and Dessert:
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For even the most disciplined
traveler to Italy, it is hard to say
no to all the delicious temptations
that await you.
Italian desserts range in flavour
from slightly bitter to sweet but
usually not overwhelmingly sweet and
are often best served with a wine.
However if indulgent desserts are
not your thing, keep in mind that
many Italians prefer fresh fruit
after a meal, which is often just as
abundant as the sweets and used in
numerous varieties of fresh fruit
tarts.
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Gelato:
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The differences between Italian Gelato and Ice Cream are slight,
but make all the difference in flavour and texture. Gelato is made with
milk, sometimes skim-milk as opposed to cream which gives Gelato a much
lower milk fat content. Less milk fat allows the flavours of Gelato to
really stand out compared to the more blended flavours of Ice Cream.
Gelato flavour is helped by the fact that it has less air whipped into
than Ice Cream, making it much denser. Fans of Ice Cream are
often surprised as just how flavourful Gelato can be and the ultimate
chocoholic might find themselves in love with one of the vibrantly coloured
fruit flavours.
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