Italian Liqueurs and the Makings of an Aperitif and Digestif
Filed Under Kitchen Tips, Wines & Spirits Italy
Herbs don't just add flavor to your latest meal creation. They can add a wonderful twist to what you're drinking too -- and we're not just talking about cocktails like mojitos (although they are one of our favorite summer cocktails). Check out our cooking vacations in Italy. Aperitifs are drinks typically made with liqueurs and designed to stimulate your hunger; they're therefore served as an 'appetizer' drink at many of… Read
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Italy Culinary Trips: Summer Gnocchi Festivals
Filed Under Destination Features, Food History, Special Occasions Italy
We love celebrating food festivals and, quite frankly, food and drink we just plain like! In Italy food festivals, called "sagre," "feste," or "fiere" are common, and can feature something as specific as a particular type of snail or as general as wine. Communities across the peninsula and on the islands of Sardinia and Sicily organize the festivals, often in association with local holidays or harvest periods. And it should… Read
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Ouzo, Sambuca, Pastis, and More!
Filed Under Travel Tips, Wines & Spirits France, Greece, Italy
People usually either love licorice or hate it, and that means there are those who love anisette liqueurs and those who don't. But they are remarkably popular throughout the world, with so many different countries and cultures featuring their own version. What accounts for the popularity? Anise-flavored herbs have long been held to have medicinal properties, especially for settling the stomach (which made them ideal accompaniments to food and perfect… Read
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Pasquetta: An Italian Holiday
Filed Under Destination Features, Special Occasions Italy
What is pasquetta? "Pasquetta," is literally "little Easter," but is taken to mean Easter Monday. Sometimes called "il lunedì dell'angelo" ("Monday of the angel") for the biblical meeting of the women and the angel outside Jesus's empty tomb, there is little of a religious nature in how the day is celebrated in today's Italy . Pasquetta is historically a day for the countryside: after the church celebrations and pomp of… Read
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Tortellini Recipe from our Italy Cooking Vacations
Filed Under Food History, Recipes Italy
Emilia Romagna is known for an incredible range of gastronomical treats, but it's the tortellini that has one of the best origin stories around. As the story goes, the shape of the tortellini was inspired by none other the Venus, the goddess of love, and the shape of her navel. Today, the tortellini is an incredibly important part of family meals, and every family has their own version of the… Read
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Fiadonetti Zia Licia: Italian Easter Recipes from TIK
Filed Under Recipes, Special Occasions Italy
There are lots of traditional Easter recipes from around the world when it comes to the annual Easter meal. If you’re looking for Easter recipes inspired by Italy, look no further than fiadoni, a dessert that originally hails from the region of Molise. Or, if you’d rather have smaller versions of this half-mooned shaped pastry similar to a cheesecake, then it’s called fiadonetti. There’s no one single recipe for this… Read
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