From the Director III: on Food

Ciao, Studenti,

Just a few things before I discuss the food. First, we will have dinner on the Friday and Saturday night we arrive. So, neither you nor your parents need to worry about being fed;-). Second, we will do our "tour" of Montepulciano Saturday morning. Later, that afternoon or evening, I will take a group on the bus to Chiusi to show them how to use the bus system and train station. (These students will then share with others how to access the buses and trains.) Third, Heike is still finalizing the apartments, and so I don't have a complete list yet. However, as soon as I do, I will send it out.

Now, onto food.

From Sunday to Thursday, we will eat dinners at a local trattoria (or, Italian restaurant).

Italian food at a local trattoria is not cafeteria food! This will be some of the best Italian food that you will ever have on a regular basis.

Generally, we will sit down between 7:00-7:30 (a little earlier on Sundays) for a multiple course meal.

The meal will include an antipasto, usually a serving of Tuscan bread with oil or balsamic vinegar. In Tuscany, bread serves as a staple and, indeed, often replaces the importance of rice and pasta in other regions of Italy. The antipasto is designed to stimulate the appetite.

The first course or "i primi" is, what I tend to think of, the carbohydrate serving of the meal. For this portion, you are likely to be served a soup, pasta, or rice dish. (Important: do not mistake this for the complete meal, as we might in the United States!) Like the antipasto, this course is meant to further stimulate rather than satiate the appetite. (Historically, rice and pastas are served alone without other items, such as meatballs.)

It is important to note at this point that Italian meals are involved. The Italians believe that dinner is a time for socialization and renourishment. Italian meals can take over an hour and a half to two and a half hours to serve, allowing the diners to enjoy their food and converse about the day.

The second course or "i secondi" is, what I tend to think of, the protein portion. This is the point of meal that you are likely to be served chicken, pork, or beef along with a cooked vegetable. Historically, the vegetable might be served as a separate course, "i contorni."

Finally, the dessert, "dolci," might be a fruit or ice-cream dish.

Several things have influenced Tuscan cooking. First, the land, although rough, is ideal for planting wheat, olives, and grapes (what Howard Shealy used to call the "trinity of the Mediterranean."). It is also good for raising particular breeds of cattle and pigs. (Wild boar is also a favorite.) Second, the economics of Tuscany have impacted the types of dishes developed. Although much of what we might consider classic Tuscan dishes, such as wild boar, arise from a more moneyed Florentine culture, the historic poverty of sharecroppers and farmers gave Tuscan cooking a certain flavor. For example, bread soups, such as pappa al pomodoro (a tomato soup with day old Tuscan bread), are popular, as are foods that keep long, such as dried and cured meats and hard goat cheeses (pecorino) and hard breads from day old Tuscan bread to the sweet paneforte. Third, Tuscany was known for its developments of herbs in the late middle ages. Originally for medicinal purposes and then for eating, these herbs and spices add a particular flavor.

These are just a few things for you to think about as you prepare.

M. Todd Harper, PhD