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Which came first: pasta or noodles?
Plot spoiler. Its noodles. Lovers of Italy, doff your cap to China! … Well, at least that’s how I was going to start this article. That was before I started reading Jen Lin-Liu’s delightful book: On the Noodle Road. She’s not so sure the story is that simple. Like Marco Polo, she travels the Silk Road, but in reverse. She is on a 21st century quest to trace the journey of noodle from East to West. No one more determined could be imagined. And, her quest is personal. Travelling through cultures that straddled East and West, I figured, might reconcile what I’d felt were opposing forces in my life; maybe I’d find others…
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Snow Harvesters and the Origins of Gelato
Like the tomato sauce on pasta, there are few things that today say Italian as much as gelato. Particularly gelato from a local gelateria. Dozens of flavours can be found: pistacchio, stracciatella, panna cotta, nocciola, anguria, amarena and fragola among many others. While we can translate some of the names (pistachio, hazelnut, melon, strawberry) it is only in tasting such a locally produced gelato that you really get an idea of what all the fuss is about. Although similar to supermarket bought ice cream, the local production (and usually entirely natural ingredients) just makes for something better. Particularly in the summer months, a stop at the gelateria is a natural…
