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Italy dominates Fancy Food Show 2008 |
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(The Javits Center is more than 300,000 sq feet)
Inside
New York City’s enormous glass castle – the Javits Convention Center,
80 countries, 24,000 buyers and 2,400 exhibitors were brought together
by a shared profound passion for specialty foods, during the 2008 Fancy
Food Show. Once again, Italianfields.com took in the sites,
sounds, and smells of this unique culinary celebration, with our columnist's below
firsthand account.
Entering the massive structure, immediately, you are dwarfed by a sea
of industry professionals, chefs, cultural attaches, and curious
onlookers. As you make your way through the throng, vivid booths,
and tantalizing aromas, bold exhibitors bombard you with samples.
(A woman in traditional Peruvian dress lures in onlookers)
It is nearly impossible to pass the Peru section without being cajoled
into a mouthful of quinoa (a traditional Peruvian dish of seeds),
washed down with a glass of purple corn juice. Purple corn juice
isn’t your favorite way to get quinoa seeds out of your teeth? No
problem. Walk a little further, and a dark haired girl is more
than happy to serve you up some alo (aloe) juice, from the very same
houseplant we keep around to treat sunburns. It has a
surprisingly sweet and grapey flavor that almost makes up for the bits
of aloe floating on its surface. In the mood for some
seafood? Then, head down to the Crustacean Station, and help
yourself to some crispy, sizzling soft-shelled crabs.
While there is no shortage of bizarre, novel delights, conventional,
organic, and ethnic favorites dominate the 3 display floors. The
ethnic sections are phenomenal, not only in the gastronomic
representation offered, but also in the unique cultural aspects each
county’s area reflects.
(Italianianfelds Columnist with Silvia Battisti - Miss Italia 2007)
Above all, Italy has a colossal presence with nearly 400 booths.
Strolling through the Italian Pavilion, English is a second language,
and deals are made to the sipping of espresso. There is a
chaotic, yet welcoming, vibe that surrounds a proud excitement for
artisan cheeses, pasta, balsamic vinegar and all the peninsula’s
agricultural treasures. Head a few rows over to France, Spain, or
Greece and you’ll find a similar nationalistic atmosphere, though on a
smaller scale.
The Fancy Food show offers more that just gourmet food and vendors, it
has a fantastic selection of educational opportunities. Whether
you want to learn how to navigate your business, in this $47 billion
industry, or just learn how to make Greek stuffed grape leaves with egg
lemon sauce, there’s probably a class that covers it.
Truly, this year’s event was a success, and the enthusiasm of its
participants is a testament the thousands who ardently toil to make
specialty foods an unparalleled, dynamic
industry.
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A Millennium of Grana Padano |
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(The Abbey of Chiaravalle)
Many chefs carefully craft recipes over the course of months, years,
or dare we even say, a lifetime. Impressive, right?
Certainly, it takes time and effort to give birth to a masterpiece, but
how about nearly a millennium?
Grana Padano cheese is an example
of a product that evolved during a nearly thousand-year
timeframe. And, like many traditional Italian agricultural
products, its being is a consequence of a marriage between necessity,
science, and technique, which is strictly governed, all the way down to
the fodder used to feed the cows that provide the milk.
What
is Grana Padano? It is semi-fat northern Italian, hard cheese
that
is slowly cooked and ripened. Its flavor is delicate, yet
fragrant. It has a grainy (from which "Grana" is derived)
texture,
and is white, or yellowish in color. The production of Grana
Padano occurs primarily in Lombardia, Piemonte, and Veneto, as well as
in a few areas of Emilia-Romagna.
How did Grana Padano come to exist? Its origins can be traced
back to the first half of the 12th Century, with the founding of the Abbey of
Chiaravalle, outside the confines of Milano. The monks
who settled in the region embarked on developing the local
agriculture. Their efforts led to a milk surplus, which they
transformed into cheese to ensure a longer preservation of the commodity.
Over
the years, a special recipe emerged, which made the cheese enormously
popular. In fact, in Renaissance times, European nobles loved its
superb taste, and it was regarded as a luxury gift.
Later, its
production became very scientific and improvements to the production
process further enhanced its quality.
Today, Grana Padano is a Protected Designation of Origin
(D.O.P) Cheese, protected by law, and its production and ripening is
carefully monitored by experts.
Grana Padano certainly has
earned its place at the table, whether grated over pasta dishes, as a
table cheese, or in countless other home-cooked delights.
Buon appetito!
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Ciao. Just about anyone who has heard of Italy, at least knows
the word ciao. But, what does ciao really mean, and where did it
come from? The response may just surprise you.
Ciao
actually is derived from the Italian expression "schiavo suo", which
translates to your slave. In Venezia, it was once a sign of
respect to greet others by saying, "schiavo" (pronounced s-ciao).
However, the Venetians said this to mean "at your service" or "your
servant."
Eventually, this greeting evolved to ciao, as it diffused throughout Italy and abroad.
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