Troubles at a Roman Market

My first few months living in Italy, I experienced culture shock.  To me, that term means trying to understand how life works in a culture I was unfamiliar with and the struggles that resulted from misunderstanding. Back in the States, when I went to the grocery store, I could touch every and any piece of fruit I wanted.  As an amateur but still critical gourmand, I am quite particular about trying to match the correct food to my culinary needs.  For example, various recipes might have called for riper fruit, like if I were making a banana bread or my own fruit roll ups.  Others, I would have preferred firmer, slightly ripe fruit, like if I were to grill peaches.

Just because I'm in another country doesn't mean I should change my demanding preferences (too much). Right?

Artichokes at Roman Markets can be bought whole, or cut when in season.

Let's go back to my first month in Italy, an age of blissful ignorance. I shopped occasionally at the outdoor market, where it is common to see vendors grab the fruit for you. I simply told them what I needed and in what quantity and they bagged it, weighed it, and sent me on my way.

Mostly, though, largely due to my extremely small comfort zone and inability to speak many Italian words at the time, I went to the large grocery store.  There, I did what I normally do when I purchase produce: feel the product, inspect it, trust in the fruits and vegetables I'm about to buy, and put back the ones I know are not worthy of my coin. After a few minutes of touching and evaluating the firmness/crispness of the apple selection one warm September day, which by the way when eaten raw, the crispier an apple, the better in my humble opinion, the produce guy comes over to me and chastised me like I'm his child. I had no idea what he said to me during his blizzard of words and I am confident he could not communicate it well in English. So after I replied, "What?", he decided to use words his dog would understand.

"No. No! NO!" he said as he pretended to touch all the fruit.

Buddy, you should have rubbed my nose in it so I really would have understood.

Here's my tip for tourists: don't test the produce! Some places have hand shaped plastic bags that go around your hand so you can put back a piece if necessary.  Use those instead.  Or use them to put one small apricot in each finger and see how many weird looks you can get from the locals.

I delicately set the apple back in the pile after being scolded. Fine, I pouted to myself, then I won't buy ANY of your stupid apples. Wishing I had  fluency in Italian, I walked away thinking about what I would have responded with.  Most of it was highly inappropriate for all you wonderful readers, but once I cooled down, it got me thinking.

How do you prove to someone that you are experienced enough to touch fruit and not bruise it? Secondly, how would you do it if you couldn't speak their language?  If you have a solution, I'd like to hear it below.

Getting A Little Extra Bacon

It’s an interesting phrase, I realize.  To “Get a little extra bacon” could mean several things, all ranging from the good, like making more money, to the perverse, which doesn't need to be explained.  But for me, when I talk about getting a little extra bacon, it has nothing to do with last night's date, marital favors or investment planning.  It’s all about, literally, getting extra bacon.

This could happen to anyone.  Not just in Italy, but all over the world, employees and shop owners give their customers some of their product for free.  For me, the lucky day came months ago, when I went to my normal outdoor market.  After careful analysis of clientele, meaning I watched which booth was the busiest every time, I noticed that one vendor in particular always had a large line.  They either had excellent prices, or excellent product.  And I wasn't about to miss out on any of those chances. 

Upon getting closer, I found out the vendor was a deli, and a rather well stocked one at that.  They had all the meats.  Prosciutto di San Daniele, also from Parma.  They had salami piccante, salami with fennel, salami from Milan, from Hungary, Salami from Spain and of two different types, one coated in herbs, the other in pepper.  And then there was Lonza, like a cured pork loin, and Lonzino, the best part of the loin with the least amount of fat. Pancetta was offered, both round like a tube of salami or flat like bacon, and then there was the smoked kind. Bresaola was there right next to it, its bright red interior of cured beef makes an amazing salad when it’s sliced thin and combined with olive oil, shavings of parmesan cheese and leaves of arugula.

The vendor offered tons of different cheese, where I often purchased my favorite mozzarella bufala. Then of course there were the olives, pesto sauces, random groceries they offered and fresh breads.  Really I purchased lots from there because their prices were in fact fair, but additionally, the people were really nice and even corrected my terrible Italian if I said something wrong.

After bringing my business to them for about three weeks, I had one trip where I needed a couple different meats for sandwiches as well as some pancetta affumicata, bacon as we know it. After slicing the amount I requested (remember that this isn’t America, prepackaged bacon slices don’t really exist here which is a good thing), the owner had a nub left of what she cut the bacon from. 

First she weighed the amount I asked for and printed the receipt for it, then she looked at the nub of delicious cured and smoked pork, looked at me, smiled, and wrapped up the chunk and through it in the bag.

The “nub” of bacon was the same weight as the amount of bacon I had just purchased.  Did I just get a BOGO? Buy One, Get One Free?

I did indeed.  And I learned that it pays to be a good, consistent customer.

Rome's Bulk Wine Vendors

Another good reason to come to Italy is for the wine.

Whether or not the ancient inhabitants were first in the world to make it, Italy has been making excellent quality wine for centuries. Its volcanic soil, combined with regional mountainous slopes or rolling hills and surprising abundance of daily sunlight, work wonders for the growing grape vines.

One of the wonderful things I learned while living in Rome is that the cheap wine here is like the average price wine in the United States. Early on, I started purchasing the various bottles of red wine that cost 1 Euro.  Typically, they were wines from the region closest to Rome. And they were just alright. It reminded me of the cheap box-wine back in the States.  Drinkable to the unknowing palate. The experienced wine taster, however, pushes themselves through it.

After realizing that all the 1 Euro options were pretty much unappealing to me, for example, too sharp, too bright, whatever the reason, I moved up to the 2 Euro bottles. The cheapest Italian wine was all too similar to buying those $3 or $4 bottles at the bottom of the shelves. Not good.

2 Euro wine is slightly better than 1 Euro wine, but not good enough for me. It still seemed like the quality was that of a $6 to $8 bottle. Some bordered on decent but most didn't.

On to the 3 Euro bottles. Now that took a leap in quality! Much better.  Much more palatable to the highly discerning tongue. Smoother, more flavor, and thankfully, more options! Many of the 3 Euro bottles taste closer to a $10 bottle purchased in the States.  Most times while I lived in the U.S., I would try to find a bottle between $9-$12 for any red wine whether it be from Spain, Argentina, the U.S., Italy, etc. I'd happily drink better wines but the budget usually wins over my desires.

And that's where Italy has an outstanding solution to my budget friendly/good quality wine desires.

The answer: SFUSO.
In English, you would call that draft wine.

My sfuso vendor at Testaccio's covered market.

After visiting this vendor once a week for the last, say 12 weeks in a row, this man's coworker who I assume is his wife finally said to me in Italian, "I see you all the time.  Why are you here? To study?"

"No, signora.  La mia moglie studia storia del arte. Sono una casalingo."

And then she breaks out in laughter. Why? Because I said, "No, ma'am. My wife studies art history. I am a house wife." And it's even more funny to Italians because ending the word, casalinga, with an -o- suggests that I am a male house wife. And that word doesn't exist in the Italian dictionary. So it's funny to them. Everyone loves a good play on words, right?

The laughter tells me we are now friends, and hopefully she will continue to remember me in the future as a good customer.  Because as you continue to get to know your vendors, randomly, you start getting more product for the usual amount spent. It pays to be friendly.

For 3.20 Euro, I get a 1.5 Liter plastic bottle filled with rather good Montepulciano red wine. Many restaurants you go to in Italy offer this same type of good enough but still inexpensive "house wine", vino rosso della casa.

The best news is that the vendors offer a number of different varietals. A couple reds, a couple whites, some dry, some sweet, some cheaper than others. Sfuso vendors typically are located at the major outdoor Italian Markets. I have occasionally found the set-up in random neighborhood supermarkets as well. You just have to look for them.

And make sure to ask what kinds they have. Samples are quite common.  After all, its not like they have to open a bottle for you!

As for the bottles in the Italian supermarkets, I'd say the average wine consumer will be quite pleased with any bottle 4 Euro and higher.  Almost every one I have tried reminds me of the quality of a $12-$15 bottle.

Trento, Italy Christmas Market

There’s nothing quite like going to an authentic European Christmas market to get you in the holiday spirit.

Welcome to the Mercatino di Natale - Trento!

This weekend, my expert and I were in Trento, Italia, a lovely 8-hour bus ride from Rome, north to the Alps.  This city has a lot of history, particularly that of the Catholic religion.  Many meetings were held here in the 1500s.  Originally, the plans were to reconcile the relationship between Catholics and Protestants but in a nutshell, the Protestants respectfully declined this offer.  And so the Catholic leaders made their meetings about fixing the internal problems of the Catholic Church at the time.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time to see the historical sites in Trento.  Instead, we made this quick trip about the Christmas market and it turned out to be well worth it!

As this mountainous area of Italy used to be part of Austrian territory, many customs and influences have remained over the centuries… including culinary creations!

Like Vin Brulee!  This enormous pot full of purple, foamy liquid is actually warm red wine with spices synonymous with the holidays, such as clove, cinnamon, nutmeg... you get the picture.

They even had raclette!  What's raclette?  Well it's a melty cheese that's heated in a few ways, one of which is above, and the melted part is scraped off to be eaten.  It is a dish with Swiss and French origins according to wikipedia.

This isn't raclette, but it's possibly the largest wheel of cheese I've ever seen! And yes, the samples tasted delicious.

And like yesterday's posted video, many vendors offered polenta made the authentic way.  No instant stuff here!  This vendor offered it with that bubbly dark brown stuff in the farthest vat from this view?  That is indeed tender deer meat in its gravy.  Really wish I would have tried it!

So many hand-made goods, and not enough money in my checking account!

 This absolutely turned into a day of wishing we could buy so much.

 Jams, jellies and preserves!  Yes please.

 I'm pretty sure these aren't commercially made!

Being around so many people while looking through all the hand-made crafts, foods and more, we both felt the buzz of excitement through the crowd.

Christmas markets are wonderful things to attend while in EUROPE, not just Rome.  The influences from city histories are felt through each one we go to this holiday season and those differences are what I look forward to sharing with you all!

*Yaaaaawwwn*

A recent trip to Trento, a mountain city in northern Italy, brought my expert and me to a BIG Christmas Market!

Because we arrived back in Rome after an 8-hour bus ride just THIS morning (Monday Dec. 12) at 5:30am, this VASGO is very tired!  I have decided today to make my life easier than usual.  Here's a taste of what we just experienced.  You will definitely be seeing more of this market later!

Sogni d'oro and buona notte!  Sweet dreams (dreams of gold is the literal translation) and good night!  I need to catch up on sleep now!

Volpetti: Gourmet Shopping in Rome

I've never seen a plate of whole truffles before, until I went to Volpetti. Long known to be a dream store for the gourmet shopper in south Rome, in the neighborhood known as Testaccio, my expert and I decided it was high time we saw what all the foodie reviews were talking about.

Upon arriving outside the store, we saw this:

The most significant part of the above picture is not actually the huge wheel of cheese.  In fact, if you look below it, you'll find nothing but a vent.  But that's not just any vent.  That's the VENT OF GOODNESS.

And though it's not an officially registered landmark here in Rome, I am officially announcing it as VASGO-worthy because if it were a children's book, its title would be "Oh the Smells You Could Smell".

If you visit in the middle of a Saturday, make sure to bring your game-face because you might have to scare people out of the way.  The crowds are thick!  Probably because they smelled the vent outside.

You can choose from the finest selection of breads, desserts....

 ... Meats...

 ... More meats...

 ... Even prosciutto!  Wait.  That's meat too.

Let's not forget the outstanding cheese selection.

Most scary is the 500 Euro per kilogram cost for those black truffles!

You can also get traditional Italian holiday sweets, I assume depending on the time of year you go.  I went in November so Christmas sweets were abundant.  Below are called Torrone - think sweet vanilla nougat with hazelnuts in it.  Other varieties have different nuts such as almonds or walnuts. Some are even chocolate covered.  This is one of my favorite candies right now.  You MUST have a sweet tooth though to enjoy torrone.

Volpetti is a wonderful shop!  If you are on a budget, stop by just to look like I did.  The shop is wonderful to walk through.

It's well-known that you can spend outrageous amounts to get wonderful, high quality products including some of their homemade sandwiches or dishes.  But if you can afford it, enjoy enjoy enjoy!  And know that I am forever jealous of your monetary position.

Volpetti's website can be found here.
Their address in Rome is: Via Marmorata, 47 (the address number)
Located in Testaccio.  Very close to Piramide, also known as the Pyramid of Cestius, which you can see at my post Ghost Garden.

Swedish Christmas Market

Happy December 1st!  Know what that means?

• 19 days until Hanukkah
• 24 days until Christmas
• 25 days until Kwanzaa
• 25 days until Boxing Day

Currently I live in an area of our world where Christmas is celebrated in grandiose fashion.  After all, Rome houses the Pope's country! Plus, Christmas lights are mostly set up.  Christmas markets are already going for the season.  Store fronts have had their Christmas displays in windows for two weeks now.

WARNING:  You will see a lot of Christmas-oriented posts on just VASGO the next 30 or so days.

You have been warned.

Hope you like the holidays too.  But fear not, this won't be like going in a department store and having to hear the same old Christmas songs over and over again making you sick to your stomach.  My goal is to share with you the beauty and events inspired by the holidays this time of year.  Most people I know have not had the luxury of spending an entire December in another country.  I use that information and try to close the gap. Bring you closer to the rest of the world.

So, today, we venture to Sweden!

Well, really we are just going to a church being used by the Swedish Embassy in Rome because that's where they are hosting this year's Swedish Christmas Market.

When my expert and I heard about this event, I said, "We have to go!"

I've never been to a Swedish Christmas Market before.  Come to think of it, I've never been to Sweden or experienced their culture except through travel shows on network television.  So it was a "must-go" VASGO opportunity.

Here's what we saw.

Notice the sign says it's a Mercatino.  It does not say Mercato, market. Most times if the Italian word ends with -ino, it means it is little or small.  So we are going to a small Swedish Christmas market.  Glad to see they are setting our expectations before we walk in.  The last thing I want at a Christmas market is disappointment!

And small it was.  There were close to a total of 12 tables in total.  Many had crafts like above and below.

This person offered trinkets.

This person offered whammies.

I like the unhappy girl on that item.

There were a few tables that offered food!  Anyone care for some GLÖGG?

Glögg is actually the term for mulled wine in the Nordic countries.  It is generally served with raisins, blanched almonds and ginger snaps. (source)

Home baked Swedish goods.

Is that a Swedish candies stand down there?  IT IS!!!

These were authentic Swedish candies very similar to flavored Candy Canes, minus the curved part. And these were very thick.  Can't see what the top one is but the flavors are as follows: Whiskey, Wild Strawberry, Apple, Cappuccino, Violet, Licorice

For my first Christmas market of the season, not bad.  But not good.  I have higher expectations for larger ones.  However, I experienced something culturally new to me by going to this and that made it completely worth the bus fare to get out there.  It's called Salt Licorice and it is unlike any candy I have ever tried!  Stay tuned tomorrow to see how it tastes!

The Traditional Roman Saturday Feast

Whether it was by book or by local friend, I somehow came across the fact that many Romans use Saturday afternoons and evenings, once the kids get out of school of course (Saturday morning sessions are typical here), as a time to meet with family or friends and spend the entire afternoon socializing over a wonderful feast of dishes.

So while the kids are out at school, mom and dad or grandmother and grandfather can be found at the nearest market buying the best looking vegetables, fruits, fish, meats and pastas all to be consumed that afternoon.

In the spirit of this tradition my expert and I joined our friends, Graham and Francesca, to live that Saturday as the Romans do.  So right around noon we met up in a neighborhood by the Vatican City called Prati and went to the largest market in Rome, Trionfale Mercato.  See my post titled The Market Scene if you want to learn more about that.

We agreed to go there with no plans of what to cook later that day.  We would take a look at all the stalls and see what looks good to eat and go from there!  So we made our way around the maze of stalls and found some great items.  What should we eat?

How about some fresh Skate wing?  Pretty sure the top right manta ray look-alike is a Skate Fish.

There is no doubt in my mind this Porchetta would delight our taste buds.  Look for a post in the near future dedicated to my newest favorite food in Italy.

We could always make things easier and just eat all of these delicious pastries and cookies for lunch.

Or, we could cook fresh horse meat.  For anyone that didn't know, horse meat is not a popular item to eat in the U.S.

Although eating our horsey friends would have been a more than adventurous experience, we ended up buying some wonderful looking steaks (from cows).

... along with makings for an arugula salad tossed with a delightful mixture of fresh olive oil combined with fresh lemon zest and juice, parmesan cheese, and pepper. Add some dried porcini mushrooms for a porcini risotto. And let's not forget our aperitivo of whole green olives and sfuso primitivo vino (sfuso is draught wine.  This kind happens to be Primitivo wine and you buy it from a vendor who has a number of large metal containers (each probably holds 50 gallons of liquid of various varietals) and then he fills up a sanitized bottle.  Often, it's cheaper than buying a single bottle, you get twice to 3 times as much wine, and it's still very good table wine.

The first course.

 Once the first course was completed, we moved back in the kitchen to cook the steaks and make a porcini mushroom, red wine and herb reduction to top everything off.

If only your computer had smell-o-vision right now.

The second course.  We let the steaks rest for about 5-10 minutes, ensuring the juices would remain in the tender meat rather than all over our plates.

Oh yeah.  Perfect medium rare. At first I thought it looked more rare than I expected but the touch was a warm center.  Rare is close to that color, but cool in the center.

The herby, mushroomy, winey reduction added all sorts of wonderful flavors to the steak.  In my book, we scored extra points on this second course because we were able to buy a cheaper cut of meat knowing the reduction would add levels of deliciousness.

Fun fact about VASGO? You will rarely see him eating a good cut of steak such as strip steak or filet, or both!!! (a porterhouse), with toppings because he believes those cuts are best flavored by themselves, with only sea salt and fresh ground pepper to season it.

Fun fact #2 about VASGO?  You will never see him decline a steak topped with lump crab meat, or gorgonzola, or reductions, or anything else that goes with steak if that is all he is offered.

Buon appetito my friends!  Unplanned meals with your friends can make the best memories as you all buy and cook the food together.  I highly recommend trying it out!