Sabina Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Sabina Extra Virgin Olive Oil was an Italian staple nearly 2000 years ago. And still remains a favorite in Lazio.Here’s why. A Brief History of Sabina Olive Oil It may sound a cliché but little has changed in terms of olive farming in Sabina (just north of Rome) since the ancient world. Renowned since antiquity, […]
Gli Strangozzi della Sabina | Pasta Recipe
Strangozzi are a long, rectangular pasta made of water, flour and a bit of salt. They are about 3-4 cm wide and resemble the shape of old-fashioned leather shoelaces. They are typically eaten with ragù (meat sauce), Norcia truffles, porcini mushrooms or mild-medium spicy tomato sauce. Strangozzi, also known as stringozzi, are a handmade pasta […]
Make Buffalo Mozzarella on a Dairy Farm
If you haven’t tasted mozzarella di bufala or burrata yet, then you need to book your trip to Italy now. This decadent mozzarella is made from buffalo milk and is a common tabletop staple in southern Italy. This mozzarella is so famous, that there are small specialty shops dedicated to it all around the country. […]
What Makes Malvasia Vin Santo Wine Perfect
The process Malvasia grapes go through to make Vin Santo dessert wine is absolutely gorgeous! These are some photos from Italy Food Root’s trip to a Tuscan vin santinaia where the Malvasia grapes are laid out by hand to appassire (dry out) on bamboo trays to dry for 1 whole year. The grapes are handled […]
Italian New Year Dinner – Lentils & Pork
What do Italians eat for their New Year Dinner? Lentils & Pig Trotter What’s pig trotter? Pig trotter (zampone) is pig foot stuffed with various minced pork pieces – shoulder (spalla), jaw muscles (massetere), pig cheek area (gola), tender pig rind (cotenna) mixed with herbs, wine and cinnamon. What makes pig trotter so special? Very […]
4 Types of Italian Spumante Wine
We love champagne as much as the next guy, but if you’d like to go Italian this New Year, we’ve got a quick cheat sheet explaining Italian spumante wine. But first… a quick lesson. spumante = sparkling wine Therefore no 1 grape is exclusively associated to the making of “spumante“. There are a variety of […]
What does PDO / DOP certified mean?
If you’ve ever wondered what is DOP certified food, then you’ve stumbled on the right article. Here’s what DOP means. The acronym PDO stands for ‘Protected Designation of Origin’, called in Italian DOP (Denominazione di Origine Protetta). When you see a food labeled PDO or DOP, you know it is has been certified within an […]
What does PGI / IGP certified mean?
If you’re wondering what IGP certified labels on your Italian food mean, here’s a brief explanation. ‘Protected Geography Indication’ (PGI), called Indicazione Geografica Protetta (IGP) is a European quality certification, similar to PDO or DOP, which ensures that only products from a specific geographical area can use that area’s name. What makes PGI/IGP different from […]
Sabina Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Sabina Extra Virgin Olive Oil was an Italian staple nearly 2000 years ago. And still remains a favorite in Lazio.Here’s why. A Brief History of Sabina Olive Oil It may sound a cliché but little has changed in terms of olive farming in Sabina (just north of Rome) since the ancient world. Renowned since antiquity, […]
Gli Strangozzi della Sabina | Pasta Recipe
Strangozzi are a long, rectangular pasta made of water, flour and a bit of salt. They are about 3-4 cm wide and resemble the shape of old-fashioned leather shoelaces. They are typically eaten with ragù (meat sauce), Norcia truffles, porcini mushrooms or mild-medium spicy tomato sauce. Strangozzi, also known as stringozzi, are a handmade pasta […]