A Lot to Catch Up On Part II: Italian Food Tour

October 30

I spent my last day in Italy having an unforgettable food experience. I learned just as much, and maybe even more, than I ate, which is certainly saying something. I was more stuffed than a turkey by the end of it. 

My epic food tour started at 6:50 a.m., when the company running the tour picked me up from in front of Carmella's apartment in Bologna. I didn't know exactly what I was in for. All I knew was that I had signed up for this food tour after reading rave reviews about it on Trip Advisor. I knew it would be up close and personal, and at the end of it I wouldn't be able to eat I would be so full. All this was true, and more. I had such a great time, and although it was a little pricey, it was truly a once in a lifetime experience.

To be honest, I was a little nervous about going on the tour, because I was plunging into this adventure entirely on my own. I was expecting to spend a day surrounded by retired couples who had nothing in common with me. So I was pleasantly surprised when the second group that climbed into the van was a young American couple, not much older than me. I surmised that they both had recently graduated from college. The woman was studying art in Florence, and the man was working in Africa, but he had taken a week of vacation to spend with her. It was nice to have some people around my age to talk to.

Our first stop was an hour drive away, off into the picturesque countryside of the Emilia-Romagna region. Our van and two others dropped off their passengers at a factory making Parmigiano Reggiano, the famous cheese. We eat its less glorified cousin on top of our pasta all the time: Parmesan cheese. We were met by our enthusiastic tour guide, Alessandro. 

Alessandro was the best tour guide you could ask for. He was more than a tour guide, he was a teacher. He could make a point, and really drive it home with a wacky gesture or expression, and it would stick. It's been a month since I went on the food trip, and I still remember nearly everything he told us about the making of the different food products, the certification process each of them must undergo, and his tips on how to appreciate their taste.

The cheese, freshly curdled

During the first factory tour, we watched as the factory workers, who really are artisan cheesemakers, mixed huge vats filled with fresh milk, skim milk, whey, and an enzyme from a calf's stomach. They heated the mixture and allowed it to curdle, forming a giant ball of cheese in the center. They take out this giant ball and cut it in two, producing two wheels of cheese. It was really fun to watch this process as it was happening. 

Next we visited the storage rooms, where the cheese can be stored for years. Alessandro, with the help of one of his friends from the factory, demonstrated for us how the Italian government checks the quality of the cheese: they tap on it with a hammer to see if it has any air bubbles in it. No air bubbles allows for it to receive a Grade 1 Parmigiano Reggiano certification. Grade 1 can be aged indefinitely- even for decades!  If there are some bubbles, but not too many, it gets a Grade 2 certification, which means it can't be aged forever, but it's still high quality. Finally, if it is a "cheese drum", meaning it sounds hollow on the inside of the wheel, it gets downgraded to the designation of "cheese." It's still delicious though, if not as fancy!

Alessandro and his friend, testing the quality of the cheese Cheese Lane

Of course, after our tour of the factory, we had to tried some cheese of our own, along with some Italian sparkling wine.

Our next stop on the tour was not a factory, but someone's house. We were going to a private home, because it turns out that only private families can make the certified traditional balsamic vinegar which is sometimes called "liquid" gold. The traditional product tastes almost nothing like the balsamic vinegar you find in the grocery store, even if it does come from the same city, Modena, Italy. Alessandro explained to us the differences between factory made balsamic vinegar and the real deal. The commercial product is made form several different ingredients, and, as a result, doesn't need to age for very long. Most of the time, it includes the cooked grape must that makes up the base of the vinegar, but it also includes wine vinegar, which gives it a very sharp, acidic taste. 

On the other hand, true balsamic vinegar only has one ingredient: cooked grape must, aged for at least twelve years until it transforms into a sweet, thick vinegary substance. 

We went to the attic of the house we visited, where all of the exciting action happens. Well, at least at the molecular level. The vinegar doesn't require much work; you mostly just have to monitor it year after year. The vinegar ages in a set of six barrels called a battery. Each barrel is carved from a different wood, which infuses its flavors into the vinegar. At the beginning of the process, you put cooked grape must into each barrel. The barrels vary in size, from a large barrel like one you would find on a pirate ship, to a small barrel equivalent to maybe a small keg of beer. Each summer, a lot of the liquid in the barrels evaporates, concentrating the solution. So, each year, the family must transfer the liquid from the second smallest barrel to the smallest, the third smallest barrel to the second, and so on. At the end, they add new cooked grape must to the largest barrel. They continue this process for twelve years, and at the end they can take out one liter from the smallest barrel.

After that year, they continue to add more grape must to the barrels and to transfer the liquid from one barrel to the next, and they also continue to harvest the battery.

A series of batteries in the house's attic

There are two types of certification for traditional balsamic vinegar: minimum 12 years old and minimum 25 years old. Any vinegar produced  on or after the 12 year mark, but before the 25 year mark, is labeled as minimum 12 years of age, and any vinegar produced on or after the 25 year mark is considered minimum 25 years of age. In reality, the vinegar could be even older. All certified traditional balsamic vinegar comes in a specific type of bottle with an official seal on top. If it doesn't look like the picture below, it's not authentic!

It's amazing to think that a family could invest so much time into maybe such a small amount of a product, and as valuable as it is, they can't make a profit from it. The costs of starting a battery far exceed any economic value they might gain from it years down the line. But that really demonstrates the whole point of using these traditional methods of food making. It's not about the money, it's about carrying on tradition and producing a high-quality product to pass on to others, especially future generations. Alessandro was telling us that he has a two-year-old daughter. When she was born, he bought her a wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano to age and balsamic battery. 

After we learned about the batteries, we had a tasting. We tried some store-bought balsamic vinegar, for comparison's sake. Next we tried 6-year-old vinegar, minimum 12-year-old vinegar (which was actually 15), and minimum 25-year-old vinegar (which was actually 45 years old!). You could really taste the difference between each one. The 6-year-old vinegar was very good on its own. It was only aged in one barrel, made from cherry, and only for half the time as the traditional version, but it still was different from anything I had ever tasted. It retained a sweet, fruity taste. The minimum 12 year vinegar was very thick and complex in its flavor. You can really taste the hints of all the different woods, and it was also very sweet, sweeter than I would expect balsamic vinegar to be. Finally, the minimum 25 year vinegar was almost too intense. It was so thick that it dropped from the bottle into our spoons in large gobs. I just had the tiniest drop of it, and I was overwhelmed by all of its flavor. It was a really neat experience, but I knew that I definitely wouldn't be able to use that type of vinegar in everyday dishes. First of all, it's so expensive that I would be afraid of wasting a drop of it. Secondly, it's far too interesting and flavorful on its own to be mixed with other flavors.

Different balsamic vinegar products

Gelato with balsamic! So delicious!

We also tried some other treats which I had never even thought of eating with balsamic vinegar before: ricotta cheese with balsamic vinegar jelly, and vanilla gelato with balsamic vinegar drizzled on top. The latter was absolutely fantastic, and I need to have it again at some point. In fact, I bought a bottle of 6 year balsamic vinegar for myself because it wasn't too expensive compared to the traditional vinegar, and it was still extremely delicious.

Our next stop was a traditional prosciutto factory, where they cure pigs' hind legs. We saw many, many pigs' legs in various states of being dried and cured. It turns out that the only additive they are allowed to put on the meat is sea salt. Of course, after the tour, we tried some of the finished product. Despite the fact that I'm not a big carnivore, I thought it was delectable. 

Delicious prosciutto!

Alessandro with some pig legs

Finally, our last stop was a three-hour "light" lunch at a restaurant in Vignola, a village nearby. Dish after dish came out from the kitchen. It was all so delicious, and by the end of it I was completely stuffed. My favorite dishes were the ragu and the ravioli with balsamic vinegar sauce. Ragu, a true Bologna classic, is the real version of sauce "Bolognese", unlike the kind you find at your local Italian restaurant in the states. It's pasta with ground meat, but it was a lot less saucy and more hearty than its Americanized counterpart. Of course, we also tried more Italian sparkling wine and prosecco. We finished off the meal with a tiny espresso. 

Ragu! I was too busy eating to take a picture of the ravioli...

At the restaurant, not only did I eat an enormous amount of food, but I also had really good luck in having interesting people to talk with. I discovered that one retired couple was from Northridge, and they actually used to live in Oakland during the '80s. In fact, they had lived in the Oakmore district, which is right next to where I live. What a bizarre coincidence! We had a long, interesting discussion about how Montclair has changed since they last lived there. It was really ironic that here I was, in Italy, talking about my hometown. I also met a businesswoman from Australia, a young married couple from Hong Kong, and a couple from South Africa. It was really neat to share this unique experience with such a diverse, international group. I ended up really enjoying every aspect of the tour, and I highly recommend it if you ever happen to be in Bologna, needing something to do.

I know I sound like an advertisment at this point, but you should definitely check out their website: Italian Days

Me with lots of cheese! We had to wear ponchos for safety reasons inside the factory. Aren't they so fashionable? Not.

Me with pigs legs!

Me with Alessandro, at the end of an unforgettable day!

I hoped you enjoyed this long, educational post. I still have a lot to catch up on. Up next I will discuss my trip to London! 

A Lot to Catch Up On, Part I: Italy

It certainly has been far too long since I last posted to this blog. I have been incredibly busy with the seven classes I am taking here in Lyon. Nevertheless, I wanted to make the time to write about the incredible week-long vacation I had for All Saint's Day. I had a chance to see Italy and the UK, meet up with old friends,  pay homage to some of my favorite writers, and eat some unforgettable food. 

I wish I had more time to write about every single day, but instead I will summarize and give some of the highlights.

Friday, October 26: The first day of my break. I jetted off to Bologna, Italy to visit my oldest friend, Carmella Passero, who is currently studying abroad there. 

Saturday, October 27: Carmella and I took a day trip to Venice, which was only a two-hour train ride away from Bologna!  The city is spectacular. There was only one drawback: Venice was flooding. It's not such an uncommon occurrence there, with the city sinking on one hand and the sea-level rising on the other. The city sets up wooden platforms in some of the most crowded areas, but unfortunately in other areas we had to wade into a couple feet of water, wearing boots that were not waterproof. 

Piazza San Marco, flooded

We trudged through the city, finally making it to Piazza San Marco, which had turned into a pond. Still, we managed to see the Basilica San Marco, which had really cool elaborate mosaics on the inside. I don't know much about architecture, but I was very impressed by the interesting mix of styles in the church.

Next, we managed to find the delicious restaurant that Carmella's dad recommended to us. It was really a hole in the wall down an alley that we never would have found without his help. In Italy, they automatically put a service charge on your bill if you sit down at a restaurant, but we avoided this charge because at the place where we went you can stand at the bar and eat your food. And, boy, was it delicious! I had the Pasta Del Giorno, which was ravioli filled with ham, peas, and cheese. Carmella had their fish risotto.

After lunch, we headed to Ca'Rezzonico, an old Baroque style palazzo turned into a museum. Frankly, I enjoyed the architecture and the decoration of the building more than the art housed there. It was fun to imagine what it must have been like to live in that sort of palace, either as a family member or as a servant.

We spent most of the day traversing the city, going into to tourist shops, and gazing down at the canals. By the afternoon, all the water had receded from the streets, which made walking them much more pleasant. Although it was a gray, overcast day, we could still soak in the beauty of the city. We took the vaporetto back to the train station (which was exorbitantly expensive), and had a chance to see the Grand Canal, the Rialto Bridge, and of course, gondolas. I definitely need to go back to see the city again, when there is better weather. Still, there were so many tourists there even on a gloomy day, that I can imagine the city must be overrun by them in the summer. It's really too bad because this cultural treasure had nothing but tourists in it, and I was one of them. 

Me, on the vaporetto going up the Grand Canal

Sunday October 27 and Monday October 28: I explored the city of Bologna. Unfortunately, all of the museums are closed on these two days of the week. I mostly just wandered around the streets, passing through different neighborhoods. I saw Bologna's two main churches: Basilica San Petronius and Santo Stefano. I really liked Santo Stefano in particular because it is an interesting compilation of churches from different eras all built in one place. I felt like I was traveling through time visiting the different parts of the church. 

I also wandered through the campus of UniBo, otherwise known as the University of Bologna. It was really neat to visit, since it is considered the oldest "university"in the world. Other places have the claim of being the oldest institution of higher-learning, but Bologna can truly claim to be the oldest university because it is where the word "universitatis" was born. It was founded in 1088! That really makes UCLA look like a baby.

Bologna was very fun to visit, although it was nerve-wracking to be on my own at times, since I don't speak any Italian. They don't receive many tourists, so not too many people speak English there. Still, I appreciated being amongst locals for once, instead of just being one of an overwhelming flock of American tourists.

The city of Bologna from a balcony

I realized that just by listening to Carmella speak Italian to her apartment mates and friends that I could already understand about 25% of what she was saying. French and Italian are a lot more similar than I would have suspected. I really loved the rhythm of the Italian language, and how it sounds. I really fell in love with Italy on my trip, and I'm hoping to take Italian next quarter.

The next installment will be about my epic day-long food tour on Tuesday October 29, which warrants a whole post on its own. More pictures will be added to this post soon!