Amarena cherries are a product of the marvelous Emilia-Romagna region of Italy where other noteworthy products include tradizionale balsamic vinegar, Ferrari, Culatello di Zibello Ham
 (the king of salumi), Parma ham, Parmigiano Reggiano, Salamini italiani alla cacciatora, Brisighella Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, etc.  Amarena cherries are harvested in the wild and known for having both a sweet and […]

Canned pears or pere sciroppate used to be a mainstay in most rural villages in Calabria (one of the southern most provinces in Italy) as were canned and preserved peaches and other fruits.  These days, you’re more likely to find supermarket canned fruit in the cupboards of most southern Italian kitchens, especially during the winter months when there is a lack of […]

  The Prickly Pears, or Fichi d’India,  of Calabria  I’ve traveled to Calabria on many occasions (both as a child and adult) and the landscape continually amazes me.  The startling changes in elevation, for example, travelling on the numerous, via Nazionale,  switchbacks from Bagnara Calabra on the coast to Pellegrina in the hills is mind blowing.   And One’s line of vision is intersected […]

You have to love any establishment that sells over 200,000 pounds of Italian cheese in a given week, in turn we’ve fallen deeply in love with the Pittsburgh based, Pennsylvania Macaroni Company.  The Italian food store was started in 1902 by Sicilian immigrants from Trabia and they now carry well over 5,000 Italian specialty items, including an online business that will slice […]

  (photo: Femminello lemons grown in Calabria) The summer months always call attention to the misunderstood lemon.  Most folks use lemon in the summer months to squeeze on fish, make lemonade, and in their favorite cocktail.  And the Eureka and Lisbon varieties grown in the US (mostly in California and Arizona) are great for the aforementioned tasks.  Prior to the beginning of […]

Did you know that as of about 10 years ago Italy was the 4th largest exporter of strawberries?  Areas like Campania, Basilicata, Veneto, Piedmont, Emilia Romagna, and Lazio all grow strawberries but the most famous area is just outside of Roma in Lago di Nemi. Lago di Nemi is a crater lake located in the Alban hills and folks say that […]

(photo: we sampled the Villa Cappelli orange conserve with Greek yogurt and local blueberries) The Greeks, like the Italians, treat ingredients with great respect and they do very little in the way of manipulation when preparing dishes.  Take, for example, the way Greeks consume yogurt with a simple fruit conserve or compote.  Often the yogurt is served in a bowl with some […]

Any time a fruit, such as the Adriatic fig, boasts a history dating back to 9200 BC it deserves both your attention and inclusion in your diet.  Moreover, if that same fruit is grown all over our planet, including Iran, Pakistan, the Mediterranean, India, the United States, Mexico, Chile, South Africa, etc. it demonstrates our collective, and universal, preference for […]