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A Taste of Italy
Recently I traveled to Italy with a group to study
the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle. Here are a few observations recorded
during the two weeks we spent in and around Florence learning firsthand what it
is like to eat and live as Italians.
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Daily
physical activity is the foundation of the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid and
our group joined throngs of Florentines on the streets walking daily to work
and school. We also saw well dressed business men and women riding bicycles
or scooters while holding briefcases. Children walk or take a city bus to
school. Few people drive cars because gas is very expensive and public
transportation readily available.
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Food and
eating are very important to Italians. Most shops and businesses close from
1 to 4 p.m. so everyone can sit down for a leisurely lunch. Families and
friends make time to eat together every day.
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At a
school canteen we saw school lunches being prepared for several elementary
schools. All the foods were organic and fresh—never frozen. Lunches are
priced on a sliding scale, depending on family income. All children eat the
hot lunch which is served to them while they sit at tables with their
teachers.
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Italians
are justifiably proud of the quality of traditional foods like olive oil,
balsamic vinegar, wine, prosciutto, and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese produced
locally and the cuisine based on them. Production of these foods and many
others are regulated to ensure quality remains high.
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Freshness
is another aspect of quality that is basic to Italian cuisine. The frozen
foods section in grocery stores was generally just one small case and there
was little shelf space devoted to canned foods. Fruits and vegetables are
eaten in season. The high value placed on freshness and very limited kitchen
space means daily or almost daily food shopping is necessary.
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Grain
foods like bread, rice and pasta are the basic staples of the Mediterranean
diet. Pasta in Italy comes in a much greater variety of shapes, sizes and
colors than found here. Pasta flavored and colored black with squid ink was
one of the more intriguing.
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Pasta is
cooked for a shorter time in Italy. It is truly ‘al dente,’ or to the tooth.
Rather than being a soft, easy to eat food, pasta in Italy required working
the jaw muscles and lots of chewing. Cooked to this degree of doneness,
pasta is much more satisfying than when cooked longer and more mushy.
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A pasta
course is served at lunch and dinner, and may be eaten for breakfast too.
However, portions are more moderate than a typical serving of spaghetti in
the U.S. The pasta is typically followed by a second course of poultry or
fish with a vegetable. At the elementary school we visited, the children
were served spaghetti with tomato sauce for a first course, then baked
chicken and roast potatoes with apple wedges for dessert.
We can learn
much from different cultures and areas of the world. In future issues of
Celebrate! we’ll look at the lessons we can learn from our Mediterranean
neighbors.
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