Eataly in Italy.

Arina and I took a road trip to Piemonte one weekend in November. The main reason for going was that I wanted to speak with a winery I visited in September about a possible work experience after graduation in March. I also didn't get a chance to go to Eataly while attending Terra Madre in October. I don't know what I expected from Eataly. It certainly carries some beautiful products but it feels more like a gallery than a grocery store. The vegetables are displayed as though they are being sold from a cart on a cobblestone street. There aren't crates on top of crates like most supermarkets, but a limited selection of carefully placed vegetables as though they are being set up for a still life painting. They burst with life as a woman sprays each with a water spritzer as though they are a rich couple lying on chaise lounge chairs on a beach in St Tropez and being cooled down by a tanned strappingly-good-looking butler. The same woman scurries over to us with plastic gloves before we even dare to touch a vegetable ourselves.

The seafood section carries curious varieites of fish, both fresh and packaged, as a young boy sits at a table looking completely bored as he offers passer-byers some samples.

origin: "medit" 

 The cheese counter is glorious and we pass by a couple times to taste the samples being offered.

The meat counter brightly showcases red cuts of meat from head to trotters to rolls of skin. All of it is from Italy, mostly Piemontese, none of it is Chianina. 

testa = head

feet smell better with rosemary.

i'm not sure what you do with pig skin.

We were overwhelmed by oodles of olive oils and a slew of pasta shapes and sizes. 

Over a margharita pizza (I really like the in-store dining option - who isn't hungry when surrounding by beautiful food?), we raised some questions which lead into a discussion and brought us to a shared confusion. We had thought that Eataly and Slow Food were connected, however, it appeared too fancy and seemed like the people that are able to afford to shop there would not be the same people that Slow Food is trying to protect. Maybe it just felt expensive because it looked expensive. My poor student's empty wallet refused me the ability of looking at prices or even considering a small purchase. The Slow Food Presidia products, which are part of Slow Food's face towards the world, were  kept downstairs with hardly any information about them (or at least from what I saw...) We were confused too about the qualifications to have products be sold in Eataly - how does Eataly choose which brands and what farmers to include and do they have to pay for shelf space - in which case many farmers would not be able to afford an inclusion in Eataly. While slowly devouring the last bite of thin crust pizza - saving the best bite with the most mozzarella and little sprig of basil - I couldn't help but think that it seemed like a big contradiction that only reinforced the idea people have about Slow Food being elitist. We learned in class that consumers can change the market, but if so, what does Eataly in Torino and opening up recently in NYC say about the current market? I couldn't tell if the shoppers were locals, regulars, or tourists, but they certainly were not the people we saw selling their products in Terra Madre. Maybe the prices are fair, and it is worthwhile to pay for high-quality products, maybe it was unusual to have such a shopping experience that was a combination of Whole Foods and Dean & Deluca that's so different from walking to the corner A&O, but regardless of what it is or what it represents, it's certainly good to be curious and discuss these questions. But then again, that's what we do all the time - talk about food, the future, the university, life in Italy and eat good pizza.

 With our heads filled with dizzying questions about our association with Slow Food and everything we have learned this year, we didn't leave empty handed - especially after we drove 3 hours! A 5L glass jug could be filled with 2 euro per litre of red Piemontese wine. This was within our budget, priorities, and was justified by deciding to share it with the neighbours ;) Anyways, the glass jug was beautiful - how could it not be filled with cheap yet drinkable wine?

  I wonder how the NYC Eataly will compare and if the words "food miles," "carbon footprints" or "local" will briefly escape my thoughts....

Chianti

Back to the wine. No trip to Tuscany would be complete without Chianti. The Chianti DOC area is much larger than Brunello di Montalcino allowing for more producers and production therefore the reason it is more well known. Our first stop was to the southern area of Chianti to an old village property, as old as 900 years old, which now belongs to a German insurance company. We had a tour of the Borgo San Felice, which was a bit reminiscent of the luxurious all-inclusive resort in Creta. Full of fall's orange yellow and reds climbing the walls of the buildings, it really was beautiful. 

Because of natural evaporation, it is necessary for the wine maker to know how much wine is in the barrel so that there is never any oxygen. With the glass bottle on top, the wine maker is able to see the level of wine and which barrels need more wine. The wine almost overflowing/contained within the glass bottle indicates that the barrel is completely full of wine. This was a creation of Di Vinci.

After our tour of the hamlet and the wine cellars, we feasted on some warm Tuscan soups, regional salami and cheese - of course - and chunks of crusty white bread drenched in florescent extra virgin olive oil just recently made. 

 The next stop on the Chianti tour: Rocca di Castagnoli. As opposed to San Felice's 1200,000 bottles produced every year, Castagnoli makes 330,000. It is another medieval village/hamlet.

we tried a really fascinating chardonnay which is completely unusual for the area.

the red stains on the barrel are from the overflowing wine. when refilling the barrels, the overflow indicates that the barrel is completely full of wine and zero oxygen. 

old wine making machine. 

Artisinal Pasta and Tuscan Olive Oil

Our first stop in Tuscany was to one of (perhaps) eight or so artisinal pasta makers in Italy, Giovanni Fabbri. He still makes pasta the same way his family has made it for four generations. He also uses an old variety of wheat that, as research has shown he said, is tolerable by people with cholesterol problems, diabetes and stomach cancer whereas newer varieties of wheat cause problems for people with celiac disease and glutton intolerances. Interesting. 

Showing us how to test the strength of the wheat
by the quality of the glutton.

Pappardelle di San Lorenzo (the protecting saint of pasta)
drying on racks 33 degrees

Later in the day, we visited another four generation family run business - Pruneti farm - where they produce mostly extra virgin olive oil. We tasted four different types of olive oils that they make: Leccino - a light tasting olive oil of one year; Mariolo - which is a little olive that doesn't absorb much water grown in rocky lands; Viuzzo - a trio-blend which has won top 5 olive oils in Italy; and a bright green blend that was made just 4 days ago. Funnily enough, Samara and I had actually talked to the Pruneti producers when we went to Pasta Trend in Bologna. 

olives waiting to be oil. 

fresh extra virgin olive oil. 

tasting session.

lunch.

Olive Overload.

On Friday, our morning lecture was amongst the olive trees. We met with the main researcher at IFAPA Centro, "Alameda del Obispo," professor Juan Manuel Caballero.  He quite possibly knows everything there is to know about olives and olive trees. The research center is focused on improving agricultural systems in Andalusia and the olive cultivation department, with their 272 different varieties of olive trees, tries to save materials and not lose genetic information for the future. They study the fruit's characterisitcs like pulp ratio, stone sizes, oil contents, acid compositions; they evaluate production depending on irrigation systems, climate conditions, and different varieties requiring different years to produce different yields; and they measure canopy volumes and external surfaces (within the cultivation density) to compare with age (years since trees were planted) and production age (maturation time). Really. Everything about olives and olive trees.

Despite our lessons standing in the shade of the silver and green glistening leaves of the olive trees with the Spanish sun penetrating through to slowly warm us from the morning cold, and despite our lengthy lectures on olive oil from the incredibly knowledgable Bosticcio prior to our trip, I still find myself staring at the innumerable different types and brands of olive oil when I am in the store. In any grocery store there is an array of olive oils to choose from: Spanish. Italian. Greek. Organic. Store-brand. Plastic jug. Glass bottle. Clear. Green. Tin-foil wrapped. Olive oil. Virgin. Extra virgin. Price variances. Quality control. How do you know which one to purchase? How have I learned so much and feel like I know nothing? It makes me feel overwhelmed and my mind goes completely blank as I stare at rows and rows of bottles. So, in an effort to put it all together, here is my breakdown of the fruity olive and it's delicious oil.

Buying Olive Oil:

The price variation is caused by years of charge (good) and discharge (bad). A good year has low prices because there is a lot of oil produced.  The law (of olive oil making) does not forbid blending differnet harvest years. Usually though companies will buy the oils to blend, rather than blending the olives themselves and in this sense, olive oil is not a seasonal product and is available year-round. Blended harvests are not a crime, therefore, but also is not a sign of top quality olive oil. Although it is rare to find, look for the origin and the harvest year presented on the label: it is a good sign of a good quality olive oil.

An olive is 48% water, 21% oil. The flesh, or pulp, contains a lot of fat so it is easier to press and extract the fatty oil more so than the oil from non-juicy nuts and seeds which require higher temperatures and chemicals to extract. It is possible to get virgin peanut oil, for example, but it is costly. Avocado, on the other hand, has a lot of pulp so its fatty oil is easily extracted and is very purely aromatic. Industrial blends of olive oils could possibly include a mix of sesame, nut, sunflower, and other olive oils. Look out for generic oils which will not specify what's included in the ingredients. Although not a bad addition, sometimes leaves are added to the oil to increase the aroma.

When looking at the colour of the olive oil, it depends on the variety of olives used and the timing on when they were picked - either unripe, ripe or even overripe. The oil turns more yellow over time whereas an oil that is more green reveals it is younger and more recently made. In contrast to the oil colour, the actual olive fruit will be pale when unripe and become darker with time. The colour of an olive oil does not determine if it is extra virgin or not - it is quality that matters. Extra virgin olive oil is 99% fat and it is the 1% difference that makes a generic vs good olive oil. Even amongst the good ones, that 1% determines which ones are more bitter, more fruity or various characteristics. 

The quality of olive oil depends on the ripeness of the fruit. As the olive grows, the sugar decreases over time and simultaneously the amount of oil increases. It is important then, to pick the olive at the optimal time of ripeness which will impact the different flavours. The amount of fiber and protein are relatively constant but will also decrease with time. Because of this, olives that are picked in November are generally ideal for extra virgin olive oils. 

The price of olive oil could depend on how the olives are picked. Olives can be hand picked which decreases the amount of damage to the oil, but this method is time and labour intensive. Another way would be to sit down and wait for the olives to join you.  This involves no labour, but there is potential for fruit damage from the fall, a possibility of bugs infecting the fruit, and fallen fruits could mean they are overripened. Nets are often used to catch fallen olives - either falling naturally or from vibrating machines. Production- and economically-wise, it is more advantageous to grow olives in Spain because in Italy, the trees are mostly on hills and do not have the easy-picking mechanism and processes. Storing the olives is also important as piles of olives on top of each other could cause pressure damage and heat fermentation so usually olives are stored and distributed among small bags. The best olive oil is from olives that are clean, undamaged, bug-less and have had no fermentation.

Generic olive oil, as opposed to extra virgin, is close to vegetable oil. It is chemically processed whereas extra virgin is made through a mechanical process. There are various reason why an olive oil is classified as generic rather than extra virgin. It could indicate the quality of the olives or the amount of time before processing. When it is not good enough to be extra virgin, the olive oil can be refined, adjusted or modified. This process takes places because otherwise, throwing out the olive oil when it could be "fixed" would be wasteful. unsustainable! This type of olive oil can be alcalized (adjusted acidity) or deautorated (taking the bad oudours with air.) Buying olive oil with infused flavours would most likely be refined olive oil because one wouldn't waste/ruin the naturally good flavours and aromas of extra virgin olive oil. 

the main test of olive oils is the acidity. extra virgin olive oil must be less than 0. this test however is not preformed in the mouth, but in a chemical analysis. 

extra virgin: < 0.8% acidity

virgin: 0.8% < X  >2.0%

lampante: >2.0% - send to the refinery

100 kilogram of olives = 15-23 kilograms of oil

One should think of the quality of the olives in olive oil the same as the quality and variety of grapes in wine. Olive oil doesn't require the same aging process - there is no reason to keep it in storage: it can be sold immediately. If one is concerned with filtered vs unfiltered olive oils, the difference is: filtered has the extracted pit/fiber/excess so it changes the way that it looks for the consumer and is better for storage, but also will find its own faults over time. 

Storing Olive Oil:

Olive oil doesn't age well because it is a delicate fruit, like any other, that loses quality over time. It will change flavour and colour so consider the age and the length of time that the olive oil is kept. Light though, is the main enemy which is why there is a difference between clear and dark glass bottles. Buying metal or aluminum tins are even better. Plastic bottles may be cheaper for the pocket but not necessarily the greatest for quality. The best olive oils are sold in small bottles because olive oil is meant to be finished relatively soon with the least amount of exposure to oxygen (which occurs every time it is opened and poured). The ideal storing temperature is 15 degrees Celsius. These details are all important to consider in the buying too because a producer with a good-quality product will be concerned with its packaging in regards to storing. 

Using Olive Oil:

Extra virgin olive oil should be used for cooked or ready to eat items - not to cook with. It is a waste of money because many of the fats, aromas, and the essential compounds are lost during cooking. 

Tasting Olive Oil:

The temperature of the olive oil should be more than room temperature - around 26-28 degrees Celsius. Aroma compounds are volatile so they are copious when warmer. This can be achieved by putting the tasting cup in the palm of the hand, covering the lid, and rubbing the bottom slightly. Olive oil is technically a fruit juice so it should remind the taster of fresh fruit. There is no fermentation, no chemical additives, no high temperatures used so the aromas should be fruity. Olive oils evoke less of a range of aromas than found in the wine wheel, which isn't to say it isn't complex. When tasting different olive oils, an apple is recommended by official tasting sesssions because of its sour and natural acidity: a granny smith apple specifically is preferred because of its typically high content of mallic acid. A tasting session should never have more than 8 oils. 

the olive is a symbol of peace and happiness.