When chefs know how to "tell stories"
Italians always tell me about three things that make up their cuisine: love, passion and soul. For them, food is not just something to eat, but also something to look at, listen to, enjoy... and is a part of life. Italian cuisine has greatly influenced the cuisine of other countries such as France, Austria or the Mediterranean countries... and is considered by many to be an art form. The main material of art is food, and the artists are the chefs who tell stories.
While in some places, the chef profession is considered a profession that only exists in the kitchen, in Italy, those who are good at cooking are also classified as artists - they have the talent of a painter, a storyteller or a creative director. Why is that? In some high-end Italian restaurants, some chefs must not only be good at their skills and expertise, but also have a certain aesthetic taste in cuisine. Giovani Parrella and Enrico Dermatino are two of the most talented and aesthetic Italian chefs I have ever met in Saigon. They have the ability to transform any food into a product of art. A shrimp can look like a bridge, or a pasta dish can look like a small garden with lots of colors. They are the ones who instilled in me the love for Italian cuisine and told me countless interesting stories about the culinary world of this country on the Mediterranean coast.
Giovani Parrella and Enrico Dermatino
Chef Giovanni shared with me that Italians are very emotional, passionate about fashion and consider cuisine as art, so the philosophy of cooking is also based on those foundations. Even high-class dishes must be told in stories close to life, convey the language of culture and look artistic.
The pride of "Fine dining"
Although originating from France, Fine dining in Italy is considered not only as a part of culture, but also as a true art form, the proudest part of Italian cuisine. Fine dining can be called the culinary school that reaches the highest level, using the best ingredients to create the most perfect dishes, providing the best service in culinary art. And Italy is blessed by nature, so it is a land that possesses many excellent ingredients suitable for Fine dining.
When it comes to Italy, people often think of the three most famous products: wine, cheese and pasta. Italy is home to many world-famous vineyards thanks to its unique soil and climate, such as Langhe - one of the regions that produces the world's top wines. Pasta also has many different shapes and names such as spaghetti (long, round pasta), tagliatelle (long and flat noodles), rigatoni/penni (shaped like pasta). Cheese is also widely used in cooking, not only in Italy but also in many other countries. Italy's famous mascapone cheese is a familiar ingredient that appears in many main dishes and desserts. In addition, white truffle - one of the most expensive ingredients in the world found in Italy costs up to several hundred million VND for 1 kg. And no matter how much money you have, this mushroom is not easy to buy.
And in Italy, if you have a chance to enjoy a meal at a Fine dining restaurant, it will certainly be a party that brings together many artistic elements, you will admire many paintings on the dining table made from food. Try looking at some Fine dining dishes made by two Italian chefs Giovani and Enrico to understand the beauty of this culinary school. That is Zuppa - a traditional organic vegetable soup from the Tuscany region (located in Central Italy) created by chef Giovanni in Fine dining style with truffle mushrooms and pecorino cheese or mascapone cheese combined with smoked salmon and caviar "redrawn" in a new way... Every dish is so beautiful that you can't bear to eat it!
Summer - the season of Italian cuisine
The weather in Italy is very special, each region has different temperatures and humidity. Therefore, each region in Italy has its own specialties, no region is the same as another. The North is often rich in pork, sausages, rice, vegetables such as potatoes, some specialty cheeses,... accompanied by typical dishes such as stuffed pasta, Italian corn soup (polenta) and risotto. Meanwhile, the South is known for fish and seafood, vegetables such as capers, peppers, garlic, olives, artichokes, eggplant, ricotta cheese... In particular, Southern people love to use tomatoes to eat raw or make sauce for dishes.
For me, summer is a very special time in Italy. The temperatures are high, quite hot and muggy, but most of the freshest ingredients can be found in summer: tomatoes are at their best in the sun, seafood is fresh and plentiful, and kids eat the best gelato. Gelato, peach bellini, steamed lobster with lemon, Pollo alla Romana,... are popular dishes during this season.
Summer is also the harvest time of the world’s best tomatoes – the San Marzano tomatoes from the southern Italian region, which are named after the region. Giovanni believes that a person who has been to Italy or is an Italian by birth will find a taste of home in the taste of San Marzano tomatoes. A typical dish introduced this season is Pappardelle – a traditional Italian dish made entirely by hand, a large flat pasta dish, which is wonderful when eaten with tomato sauce, topped with the flavor of basil foam and truffles. This is a dish that brings a feeling of freshness, very delicious and very Italian.
Another dish that evokes summer parties is Maialino - a dish with the main ingredient being suckling pig marinated with typical Mediterranean spices and roasted in a wood oven with honey.
There are countless other Italian dishes that are ready to excite not only the taste buds but also the other senses of people. I love Italian summer food because of a philosophy: Italians believe that the meaning of family always exists and is connected in meals, and summer is the best time for family gatherings, when adults have many holidays and children do not have to go to school.
I believe that cuisine is a language that can convey the culture of a nation, or unite souls that share the same philosophy.
