Please Don't Take Away My Salt...

 copyright 2010, art of living, PrimaMedia, Inc.
Guest Blogger: Emily Brauchle

Since the recession, Americans have been forced to give up small luxuries in order to sustain themselves and their budgets. Small luxuries may be cutting down on the grocery list, limiting vacation time, or conserving energy to shrink the electricity bill. There are plenty of comforts Americans have slowly begun to live without, but the fine treat of salt is something Americans could not go without. Tuscans, however, are a different story.

In Tuscany, Roman soldiers were paid in salt for its high value and cost. Salt was extremely expensive in that era due to the high tax placed on it. Salt, or sale in Italian, is where the English language gets the word salary and the expression ‘worth your salt’. With the tax on salt, Tuscans learned to live without the delicacy and adjusted their recipes and cuisine, most significantly their bread making.

At present, Tuscan bread is still, as it has been forever, perceived as simple and satisfying. Now it is also known to be salt-free, as the change in tradition carried over from century to century unto the present day. Nowadays, Italians claim that they prefer their salt-free carbs, and wouldn’t have it any other way, as it acts as a host to its accompanying food and it’s spices.

Bread is served, not as a main dish or entrée, but as a side accompanying. The unadorned bread accentuates the flavor of the food it is served next to, and does not counterbalance any flavor or taste of the important part of the dish. Tuscans have mastered the balance between too little and too much, making absolutely sure the consumer is never smothered, but always satisfied.

Sept 9-12-Hudson Valley WIne Festival, Rhinebeck, NY, Maria Liberati & The Basic Art of Italian Cooking will be onstage doing cooking demos from the newly released  award winning book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking:  Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd Edition

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Go to http://www.marialiberati.com/  where food meets art, travel & life!

Tartufi (Truffles) Food of the Gods

Copyright 2009, Maria Liberati
Editor: Katrina Rios


If you are in the city of Umbria in Italy (where The Basic Art of Italian Cooking School Programs are held http://www.marialiberati.com/blog2/?page_id=542) try some of their delicious black truffles. Umbria is famous for black truffles, which are a specialty of Italian cuisine. They are the most expensive mushrooms in the world and they can be made many different ways. Some of the best truffles come from Norcia, which is a medieval mountain town. They grow in the surrounding countryside, beneath oak and walnut trees. A good time to visit the town is during February when they hold The Black Truffle (Tartufo) Festival. During the festival you have the opportunity to sample both black and white truffles and learn different ways that they can be made. This festival also attracts local and national food producers that look at the truffles as prized possessions. They know that they can use these truffles in sauces, pasta dishes, or in risotto.
The fascination with truffles goes back to ancient history. The ancients believed that the truffles were the food of the gods. They believed that the truffles had aphrodisiac properties that the mythological god Jupiter used very often. In ancient Roman recipes writers would advise mere mortals to cook the truffles under ash and eat them with honey. When the middle ages came along, the truffles came to become mistrusted because people thought that they were poisonous. The truffle only became highly popular in the last two centuries because of its constant use in the high courts of nobility.
Today the truffles are used in so many different recipes and places they are considered the king of cuisine. Because of their popularity they can be used in a variety of dishes to make the dish even more enjoyable. They are a great way to experiment and to surprise friends and family with your newly found cooking skills.

Join Me at Gourmet Women & Wine on March 28th at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, for more info email: events@marialiberati.com

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