Delicious Italy

Delicious Everything

We launched our www.deliciousitaly.com in the year 2000 and since then have noticed a lot of 'delicious' both on and offline.

Firstly, there was Delicious India, then the Jamie Oliver fronted Delicious Magazine in the UK and Australia. Donna Karan launched her 'Delicious' scent "combines the scent of apples with a sophisticated blend of exotic flowers and sensual woods" and Ferrero used a series of 'Deliciously Italian' tag lines for a series of print ads.

With all this delicious going on we took the jump and signed up for the social bookmarks manager del.icio.us, as 'deliciousitaly' of course.

A quick review of Google has also thrown up the following: deliciouslivingmag, the Delicious Italian restaurant in New Zealand, deliciousdecisions (recipes for people with cardiac problems by the American Heart Association), delicious.dk (German female djs) and, in a similar vein, 'deliciousgony' webcasts of streaming progressive rock.       

Scrummy.    

Miracle Salads

There are some great lines from knock about toga comedy films over the years, most of them unintentional.

The ones that get us giggling most are 'Infamy, Infamy, why have they always got it in for me!' uttered by Kenneth Williams in Carry on Cleo, and, 'Thrace thrice', we think by Phil Silvers as Marcus Lycus from the Richard Lester film 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'. Both, funnily enough, made within two years of each other.

Wind on almost 40 years to the real Forum in Rome and you can enjoy 'Caesar - more than just a salad!', a new offering by the Miracle Players who take over the cobbles around the Mamertine Prison every summer.

A non-profit organization and under the patronage of the Ufficio Spettacolo of the Rome City Council, the Miracle Players have been been performing their 40 minute improv. style street theatre for a few years now, with clear influences being the Comedy Store Players of the 1980's and Reduced Shakespeare productions to give you an idea of what it's all about.

Gallic King Vercingetorix might not have been splitting his sides here 2000 years ago, but you just might after a hard days summer slog around the capital.

So rest you feet and get there for 7.30pm any Friday evening from June 22 until August 10, 2007.

And best of all, its absolutely free.   

Mediterranean Cooking Prize

On the 29 June 2007 the 'Premio della Cucina Mediterranea' will be awarded to one of the best of Italy's upcoming chefs.

The event is being held at the Lloyds Baia Hotel in Vietri sul Mare and the competitors originate from the regions of Campania, Basilicata, Puglia, Calabria and Sicily. 

The Premio della Cucina Mediterranea is a prestigious prize and in its third edition, and the competition is a real opportunity for the trainee chefs of the country's Hotel Institutes to test their skills and talent against other students and professionals.

The winner will be offered a work experience contract by PromoSalerno at the renowned Academia Barilla.

The guest list includes many notable names involved in the promotion and preservation of Italy's DOP food industry from Chef Gian Paolo Belloni and televison journalist Lamberto Sposini to the Minister for Agriculture Prof. Paolo de Castro.

And in fact one of the aims of the Premio is to promote and remind us all of the quality and uniqueness of Mediterrenan cuisine and to firmly put local food identity and cultural tradition at the heart of a new Mediterranean eco-tourism, hence the presence of the Portuguese Ambassador to Italy.

So what will they be preparing?

From last years edition something like: Frittata di "Scàmmaro" magro, Risotto mediterraneo, Fusilli con vongole veraci e bottarga di muggine, Mazzola capperi ed olive con burrata e pomodori agli agrumi, Maltagliati alla barchettata and Gamberi con asparagi e zabaglione alle nocciole di giffoni IGP

www.premiocucinamediterranea.it

Travel costs

The best way to travel around Italy is by your own car, or perhaps hire car.

The country is perfect for off the beaten track routes to discover and the autostrade are pretty direct if you avoid certain times of the day, and those times of the year when everyone heads off for the 'ponte' or holidays.

But sometimes you'd be wise to take the train.

There are many incredibly low cost routes which save so much stress and road hassle, particularly exiting Rome.

For example, we recently took the Rome to Orbetello train. Cost: euros 7,21 for a 2 hour journey along the coast to one of Italy's most exclusive destinations in Tuscany. A bargain.

A further 1,20 euro for a bus to Porto Santo Stefano and then a leisurely fresh fish lunch. What a result.

Unfortunately, the hotel was 7km futher into the Monte Argentario.

And this is where they get you ... 50 euros for the taxi each way. Cute!

The Giro d'Italia

The Giro d'Italia cycle race is a marvellous promotional spot for Italy and it is not by chance the daily stages are beamed in full and across the world by Raisat.

In fact, this year there was a not too concealed admission that the route was designed to highlight some of Italy's most popular and exclusive tourist destinations - north Sardinia, Sorrento Peninsular, Cinque Terre etc.

There were even two stages featuring the cyclists riding around the motor racing tracks of Mugello and Fiorano Modenese with plenty of Ferrari's lining the route.

Which meant some more traditional regional cycling hotbeds in the country missed out this year, such as the Adriatic Coast in Emilia Romagna.

But, as with the Tour de France, the Giro started out as a publishing stunt for the race sponsors, but you can't take away the agonism of the participants or the love of the event for the spectators.   

We wouldn't miss it for anything and it is the perfect way to view Italy as the capricious Spring gives way to the long hot Summer.

A Pinch of Salt

If we had read the following on April 1st we would have said it was the cheesiest April Fool's Day story of the year.

But as we are reading it on the 8th May ...

Following on from initiatives by McDonald's, Coca-Cola and others, a company in Italy is proposing the barcoding of typical Italian food products.

The barcode will allow the consumer to find out more about the product by taking a photograph of the label with a mobile phone then reading the nutritional information.

So far so good, but to avoid counterfeit information being attached to counterfeit typical products, the barcode will be placed on the food itself and be edible.

But what about the wrapping you ask. Well that will also be edible and therefore offer the double advantage of complete environmentally friendliness.

Not only, their innovative Happy Pig is a salami which automatically becomes 'chips' through a process of dehydration, so reducing the weight of the product but not losing any of its nutritional properties.

 

Hollywood limoncello

Limoncello is just one of Italy's fine liqueurs and probably the most famous and most drunk.

Just as prosecco got a bit of a promotional makeover last year by being sold in plastic cartons with the help of Paris Hilton, so the new Danny Devito's Premium Limoncello Liqueur has hit the market.

It is being sold in a black magnum style bottle with the actors signature in white and a lemon bearing the words limoncello.

Bets are on to see which celebrity will be backing the revival of Traditional Alchermes from Florence.

Suggestions please but in the meantime try this recipe for 5 fruit liqueur from Calabria at home.

   

Girl About Town in Italy

Delicious Italy recently met Leslie McElroy of Girl About Town to offer a few suggestions for her Italy World Talk Radio Show special.

Find out more about Leslie's visit to the Eternal City, Milan, Florence, Venice and Veneto.

Girl About Town is a hip food fanatic’s guide to a good time and chef Leslie McElroy each week serves up a witty discussion on the chicest places to eat, drink, and sleep.

Learn along with Leslie as she talks to experts in the restaurant, bar and boutique hotel industries to find out what is hot and what is not.

If you are a food fanatic and love innovative restaurants and hotels then this is a great place to pick up on all the dishes.

Tune in to hear all about Hip boutique hotels, Swank restaurants, Designer hotels & cool places to stay, New and ultra-hip eateries & clubs, Cocktail trends, What's hot (and cool!) in food & drink, Restaurant reviews for when you travel, The best bars & hang-outs and Eating good food!