Category: About This

Articles on this blog or on the author.

Turin Epicurean Capital

Turin Epicurean Capital is coming up in just a few days in Turin, Italy!

As I mentioned, I will take on the role of moderator of two international round tables where writers, bloggers, food bloggers, and food entrepreneurs will discuss the universal meaning of food and how it influenced their lives and careers.

Of course I am very excited for this opportunity, and – admittedly – terrified for the responsibility that it entails. This is far beyond what I imagined myself doing when I started this blog 4 years ago! But it’s also a friendly chat between friends… Or at least that’s what I keep telling myself 🙂

For more information, including the complete guest list and the program, check out www.turinepi.com. If you are in the area, please join us – it will be great to meet in person! If you are not in the area, stay tuned for tweets and updates directly from the conference.

Thank you for your support!

Four Years of Blogging, One of Podcasting

Another interesting year for Disgraces on the Menu – the year that has seen the beginning of the podcast Thoughts on the Table, along with several collaborations. I have always been fascinated with radio shows. When I was in my 20s, I hosted a radio host on a small Italian station. I didn’t expect to have the opportunity to do anything remotely similar in English, until I discovered podcasts. But the real trigger to record one came when my wife got me a microphone as a birthday present, and a buddy of mine, Jason, agreed to produce one with me.

Initially, the podcast’s concept was a direct extension of my blog’s philosophy: investigate what’s behind food and flavor, especially in relation to the difference between what is known as “Italian food” and the true cuisine of Italy. This is what fueled the first 6 episodes.

After the first mini-series on flavor, just as I was starting to become comfortable with the format, my podcast partner, Jason, had to leave the project. This is when I started thinking about involving other food bloggers through remote conferencing. At the same time, my friend Gino DeBlasio (based in the UK) volunteered as my first guest – it was meant to happen!

After a mini-series with Gino on misconceptions about Italian food, I worked with Jessica Burgio on episodes about lesser known Italian dishes and cooking Italian in North America. Then, I was joined by Manuela Zangara, who talked about her first e-book and shared her experience as a full-time food blogger.

The podcast then started taking the format of the interview. I had several special guests: Frank Fariello, Fiona, Christina Conte and Simona Carini. I also had the opportunity to interview my friends – neuroscientist Davide Anchisi and restaurateur Andrea Bini. On my latest trip to Italy, I also had the chance to record a chat with my grandmother on the food in Italy during War World Two, which then became a unique and especially meaningful episode. More recently, I have spoken with Lucia Hannau, the organizer of a food conference which will take place in Turin this September – and of which I am going to be part of – and with Elisa Cerruti, a fellow attendee.
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On the blog, this year I posted 6 recipes: Stewed Brussels Sprouts, Radicchio Risotto with Parmesan Rind, Poppy Seed Potato Bignès, Shrimp, Zucchini and Saffron Linguine, Roasted Green Beans, and Truffles Uncovered, which was also a feature article.

Looking into year five, I hope to continue with more podcast episodes, featuring new and returning guests, as well as have the time to go back to writing more articles and recipes, which is still a great passion of mine. But today, I would just like to stop for a second to thank everyone who has been following my work – thank you for your attention, it’s an honor for me!

“Due Parole” with Yours Truly

When I started conducting interviews, I never would have thought that someone was soon going to be asking me for one! And not just someone – the amazing Lora from Savoring Italy, as part of her “Due Parole” podcast. The chat turned out quite entertaining – if you want to find out what we talked about, head over to Lora’s website and listen to the episode!

By-the-way, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Savoring Italy for the great experience – Lora, it has been wonderful to meet you face to face, and a true honor to be among your guests.

Home-Style Pizza Competition

An unusual post for this blog, today. Three friends of mine have just competed in a pizza cook-off, and I had the honor to be the head judge 🙂

The contestants were responsible for bringing their own ingredients, including their pizza dough (which they made beforehand). To cook the pizzas, they all used the same oven, set at its maximum temperature (550 °F), with the same pizza stone.

We had two challenges: the first was on ingredients and technique; the second on the choice of the toppings.

For the first challenge, everyone made their best Margherita. Here is what each did.

The first contestant, Stefano, brought a slowly-leavened pizza dough which he had raising in his fridge for 2 full days (see below for his recipe). He used canned, peeled whole San Marzano tomatoes (which he seasoned with salt and olive oil), and fresh “bocconcini” mozzarella. The pizza was assembled and cooked for 7 minutes (until the mozzarella started to become bubbly).

The second contestant, Sandro, used his 1-day leavened dough. He blanched and strained fresh Roma tomatoes, which he then seasoned with herbs, salt, and olive oil. He also used fresh “bocconcini” mozzarella, but he adopted the strategy to add it to the pizza only during the last 2 minutes of cooking (out of the 8 minutes total). He then finished the pizza with basil leaves.

The third contestant, Samuele, also made a 1-day leavened dough. He used canned Molisana strained tomatoes, with some added salt. He used “bocconcini” mozzarella, added at the beginning of cooking, like Stefano’s. He finished his pizza with basil, a hint of Parmigiano, and a generous amount of olive oil.

Here is how this challenge went.

All three contestants used a bit too much tomato sauce. Stefano had the best dough of all three. Sandro’s dough was a close second. Stefano’s tomatoes were good but slightly under-seasoned. Sandro’s tomatoes had the most flavor but were a bit watery (possibly because he used fresh tomatoes). Samuele’s tomatoes were the best of all three, although he put a little too much salt on them. Overall, Sandro’s mozzarella tasted best: being it cooked just slightly, it kept its milkiness, tasting more authentic. Overall, Sandro won this challenge.

For the second challenge, the contestants were asked to show off their best toppings.

Stefano went with a proven combination: speck and fontina. He prepared his Margherita base, with fontina mixed in with the mozzarella. Half-way through the cooking, he topped up the pizza with slices of speck.

Sandro also used his Margherita base, to which he added sautéed onions and gorgonzola cheese. After the pizza was cooked, he topped it off with raw prosciutto.

At this point, we were all too full, and Samuele decided to drop out of the competition 🙂

Overall Sandro’s toppings were considered more creative and with a more distinct flavor then Stefano’s; also because Stefano’s fontina was too mild and we couldn’t really taste it. Sandro also won the second competition!

Stefano's Pizza Dough

#Stefano's Pizza Dough

Ingredients

     Quantities per person.

    • 200 g all purpose flour
    • 125 g cold water
    • 5 g salt
    • 1.5 g fresh yeast (or 0.7 g dry yeast)

    Preparation

    1. I mix water and yeast until the yeast is fully melted. I then add half of the flour. I mix well, then add the salt. Finally, I slowly incorporate the rest of the flour, a bit at a time (it needs to be kneaded well, I use Kitchen Aid for at least 15 minutes).
    2. I then store it in the fridge for 2 days in a sealed container. I add a film of olive oil to keep the dough from developing a crust.
    3. The day of the pizza, I take it out of the fridge. I let it rest for another hour, then I divide it in equal portions, one per person. I put each portion in a different container to do the final leavening at room temperature for 4 to 6 hours.
    https://www.disgracesonthemenu.com/2013/10/home-style-pizza-competition.html

    Three Years of Blogging

    After another year, it’s time for my usual retrospective. This year’s production hasn’t been as high as in the first two years. I don’t have a good excuse for the drop, but I can think of a few contributing factors in my personal life (I moved to a new place, and took on a different role in my job). On the bright side, however, the blog has maintained good traffic thanks to some of the articles posted in previous years which now enjoy fairly high Google rankings. This is exciting because it led to some more incoming links.

    During the last year, I published recipes for a risotto (with asparagus), a hearty soup (with rice and parsley), two pasta dishes (with vodka and with saffron), and an elaborate baked pasta (Tagliatelle Timbale with Wine Gravy), which was also a guest recipe on La Bella Vita.

    As for food articles, I largely focused on the difference between Italy and North America. The articles on Table Service and The Italian Bar were centered on the different cultures around foods, and the post on Eggs touched on different food production and distribution. In other posts, I described Italian fine pastries (generically called Pasticcini), and I ventured into the fascinating world of the Italian blue cheese: Gorgonzola.

    But now it’s time to look forward to next year, and I have some incredible news! I am extremely excited to introduce… (drum roll) a series of audio posts! I’ve been dreaming about having a podcast, and it has finally become a reality. Stay tuned for the first episode of “Thoughts on the Table”, to be posted soon on this blog.

    Two Years of Blogging

    Another year has gone by, marking Quatro Fromaggio’s second birthday, and the time for me to look back at 12 more months of blogging!

    With about 30 articles published, I managed to keep my resolution of posting at least once every two weeks, having failed my real resolution to post every week. Out of the 19 new recipes, a few became quite popular, confirming that people go to food blogs when they are looking for genuine recipes.

    I presented an appetizer (Cannellini and Radicchio Crostini), a summer salad (Insalata di Riso), two second courses (Asparagi alla Milanese, Frittatona di Cipolle), one side (Polenta Taragna), two desserts (Caldarroste and Tiramisu), one soup (Summer Minestra), one risotto (Saffron and Leek), several pasta dishes (Pesto, Potatoes and Green Beans Pasta, Bell Pepper Pasta, Pasta alla Norma, Egg Pasta with Green Beans and Mushrooms, Baked Shells Pasta with Ricotta and Spinach, Tagliolini with Mushrooms, Eggs and Smoked Scamorza Pasta), and, finally, the interesting Canederli, the Italian version of Knödel.

    As you may have noticed, Quatro Fromaggio has the “unadvertised feature” of containing all vegetarian (lacto-ovo) recipes, most of which being first courses. This is because my wife and I have a vegetarian household and because these are the recipes that I enjoy cooking the most. In the coming year, I would like to present more sides dishes, appetizers, and a few second courses.

    By posting more new recipes, I had the opportunity to work on my food photography. I still have a long way to go, but I think I managed to make my recipes look at least appetizing, which is actually quite challenging. I invested a bit in the equipment, but I also followed a few important tips, such as the ones from Michael Ray and from Katherine Martinelli.

    Still, recipes are not the main focus of this blog; the main focus is to talk about Italian culture and the difference between contemporary (continental) Italian food and its misrepresentations around the world. As I expected, having covered in year one all the basic Italian themes (and most of my pet peeves), I now have to dig deeper to find new topics and do much more research. This is the real reason why I have so many recipes this year, relatively to the number of articles – I keep posting recipes because the articles take longer to write! However, this also means that I’m learning a lot – instead of just comparing Italian products to their North American counterparts, I now need to understand the reasons of this difference. For the Italian Myths article, for instance, I discovered a lot about Italian-American cuisine, of which I admit I didn’t know much about. Other articles were about: Panini, Ravioli, Limoncello, Amaretti and Amaretto, Tomatoes, and Coffee.

    This year I also ran one interesting experiment, the Pasta Calendar giveaway offered to all who participated in a Quiz on Italian cuisine. Many took the test, and I very much enjoyed looking at the results. Especially because they confirmed that there is still very much need for blogs like mine!

    But the most interesting initiative of the entire year is, without doubt, the introduction of the Cannolo Award, which has gained far more popularity than I expected by reaching several acclaimed food blogs, and by being proudly displayed by most of them. The inspiration came from the many awards that food bloggers give to other food bloggers as recognition for good work and to cross-link. I’ve always dreamed of some kind of “certification” for food that is presented as “Italian”, as for any other regional or ethnic food. Wouldn’t it be awesome to dine at Paolo’s Italian Restaurant, licensed and certified? Well, I thought, at least let’s certify food blogs! I would like to thank my wife Candace for coming up with the name (which then gave birth to the logo) – I think it played a big part in the award’s success.

    As usual, thanks all for reading! Please contact me if you have any request or suggestion, or please post a comment. Feedback is always welcome.

    Pasta Calendar Quiz – The Results!

    Thanks to all who played the Pasta Calendar Quiz. If you’re like me and like numbers, you may enjoy this quick update. Spoiler warning! This post will give the correct answers.

    Surprisingly only 43% of the people who played answered correctly to all questions. Another 25% did quite well, though, with just 1 error, 21% made 2 mistakes, 9% made 3, and 2% made 4. Nobody got them all wrong.

    The question that people had the most problems with was: What is the “companatico?” This might have been a little tricky also for the Italians because ‘companatico’ is an archaic word rarely used these days. ‘Companatico’ comes from Late Latin “companaticum” which means “together with bread.” For instance, cheese is companatico. 68% answered correctly, whereas 30% answered: “A side dish that accompanies the main course,” probably mixing up with ‘contorno.’ One person said: “A typical Christmas cake,” probably confusing it with Panettone.

    The other question that was a bit challenging was: If you ask for a “latte” in an Italian bar, what do you get? – a clear trap for the non-Italians :). ‘Latte’ means milk, so, in Italy, if you ask for a ‘latte,’ you get a glass of cold milk (you would need to ask for ‘latte caldo’ to get your milk warmed up.) 79% answered correctly, 17% instead chose: “Steamed milk with a shot of espresso,” which is what you would get outside of Italy, probably short for ‘caffé latte’ – milk with coffe. A small 4% answered: “A strange look from the bartender, pubs don’t sell coffee!”, probably tricked by the word ‘bar,’ which in Italy is associated with a licensed coffee bar, whereas in North America it more often refers to a ‘Martini bar’ or ‘pub.’

    83% answered correctly to the question: In Italy, what does the word “panini” refer to?, which is “Two or more sandwiches of any kind,” hinting to the fact that ‘panini’ is plural of panino, and panino is just the Italian word for sandwich. 17% answered: “A grilled sandwich filled with plenty of Italian cold cuts and cheeses,” which is incorrect on two counts: ‘panini’ (plural) would be more than one sandwich, and authentic Italian sandwiches generally are not filled with plenty of different cold cuts and cheeses. Nobody answered: “A toasted sandwich with ham, cheese, and pickles,” which would be what the Italians call a ‘toast.’

    People did really well with the chemistry-inspired question on when to double the amount of salt when boiling pasta. What matters is the concentration of salt in the water, so salt is proportional to the amount of water (usually, ½ tablespoon per liter). 83% answered correctly, 11% thought that the amount of salt should be proportional to the amount of pasta, and 6% were completely confused and answered that the amount of salt should be doubled when cooking the pasta “al dente.” Al dente means not overcooked, which has little to do with the amount of salt in the water.

    The question on: What is the “aperitivo?” was also very easy for most. 85% gave the correct answer: “A drink to be had before the meal, usually accompanied by a snack,” whereas the rest was equally split between: “The Italian equivalent of the ‘starter’ course,” which would be the antipasto, and: “A drink to be had after the coffee,” which would be the ‘digestivo.’

    Pasta Calendar 2012

    Pasta shapes are aesthetically pleasing. They are warm, they’re playful, even comforting. And they have interesting names if you think about it. In the Pasta Names Explained article, I went through the most common pasta cuts and gave an explanation of the origin of their names in the form of a literal translation.

    As 2011 wraps up, I created a downloadable Pasta Calendar, featuring 12 high-resolution pictures of some of the most interesting types of pasta – one for each month of the year. The calendar is free for everyone, but to download your copy you will have to answer a simple quiz :). It’s really just for fun – I hope you’ll enjoy the game and that you’ll like the calendar.

    Open the updated page to take the quiz!

    Search Queries

    One of the most interesting aspects of keeping a blog is to look up the statistics on how people come across it. Aside from being referred by other websites, many visitors stumble upon the blog by using search engines. When they do, the exact sentence that they typed in into the search bar is collected in the statistics (although anonymized).

    This atypical post contains the verbatim transcripts of some of the most interesting search queries that I have seen over the 15 months of running Quatro Fromaggio and Other Disgraces on the Menu. Some of these queries led the visitors to relevant articles which hopefully answered them. Some other queries instead brought up pages that did not satisfy the visitor at all. For some of those, this post also tries to provide some answers. In a way, this post was written by the visitors themselves!

    To get started, something that surprised me. Some people were able to get here by performing extremely generic searches. Here are some examples:
    Q: what to eat in Italy
    Q: type of italian food
    Q: typical italian breakfast
    Q: various cheese names and their origin
    Q: frequently mispronounced Italian
    Q: most often misspelled italian words
    A: Answering these questions is really hard, but if you read this blog you’ll hopefully get an idea 🙂

    Speaking of spelling, many visits came from people who were unsure how to write Italian words. For instance:
    Q: correct spelling of margarita pizza
    Q: correct spelling of osso bucca
    Q: correct spelling of proscuitto
    Q: foccaccia misspelling
    Q: fromaggio or formaggio
    A: Pizza Margherita, Osso Buco, Prosciutto, Focaccia, Formaggio (see Top Misspelled).

    Other people were instead completely confused on the meaning of some Italian words:
    Q: what is formaggio cheese
    Q: how many cheeses i n qu atro formaggi pizza
    Q: how many cheese’s in a formaggi cheese
    Q: what is formaggio cheese in english
    Q: is parmesan cheese the same as formaggio cheese
    Q: what cheese can i use in place of formaggio
    A: ‘Formaggio‘ is Italian for cheese. “Parmesan” is the English translation of Parmigiano, a type of formaggio.

    Q: in cuisine what does colazione mean
    Q: colazione for breakfast
    A: ‘Colazione‘ is Italian for breakfast.

    Some people got here while looking for tips and tricks on Italian food and wine. These are some examples:
    Q: why should cored wine bottles be stored on their side?
    A: To keep the cork wet, as a dry cork will shrink and let some air into the bottle.

    Q: “passito de pantelleria “once opened”
    A: Fortified wines such as Passito di Pantelleria usually keep really well, they can be stored in a cool place or in the fridge for quite some time. See the Wine and Italy article for more information.

    Q: porcini risotto “dirty water”
    Q: do i have to wash porcini mushrooms before rehydrating them
    A: The leftover water where the mushrooms have been re-hydrated may or may not be clean (it depends on whether the mushrooms had been cleaned before being dried). Personally, I don’t find that using that water adds that much flavor to my risotto, so I discard it. However, I don’t squeeze or rinse the re-hydrated mushrooms.

    Q: perforated pan on top of a pizza stone
    Q: perforated pizza disc versus regular pizza disc
    A: As far as I know, the perforated pan works better than a regular pizza pan, but it’s used directly in the oven – not on top of a pizza stone. The pizza stone (alone) works best, but it’s harder to use.

    Q: can prosciutto ham be kept unrefrigerated
    A: No. The whole uncut prosciutto can be stored at low temperatures; once opened it needs to go in the fridge.

    Q: where to fill demi johns with amarone della valpolicella
    A: I don’t know, but let me know as soon as you find out!

    Sometimes the results of searches must have been really disappointing! For example for queries like:
    Q: dolcetto d’asti wine kit
    A: Seriously? You can’t have a wine kit for a DOC wine, sorry! Unless of course you live in Piedmont 🙂

    Q: what white wine goes with limoncello
    A: Limoncello is a liqueur. Why would you pair a wine and a liqueur?

    Other times instead, people were really onto something. For instance:
    Q: why italians call a croissant, brioche?
    A: Because they don’t know French pastries 🙂

    Q: is gelati plural for gelato
    A: Yes!

    Q: is formaggio another word for cheese
    A: You got it!

    People also wondered about weird stuff, or they wanted to know they’re not alone:
    Q: what is the italian gelati flavour that tastes like cough medicine
    A: Amarena? (Sour cherry)

    Q: most popular mouthwash in italy
    A: I don’t know… but it’s probably mint flavored.

    Q: which type of pasta goes best with aglio
    A: Aglio is Italian for garlic. I hope you mean ‘aglio, olio e peperoncino’, in which case I’d say ‘spaghetti’.

    Q: soft meringue is disgusting
    A: I agree 🙂

    Some people wanted to know more about the Italian multi-course meal:
    Q: italian courses in a meal
    A: See the Italian Courses article.

    Q: what is companatico and why am i charged for it
    A: ‘Companatico’ is the collective name given to anything that goes with bread. That is the entire meal 🙂 No wonder why you were charged!

    Or they had specific questions about the Italian breakfast:
    Q: italians eat cold cuts for breakfast
    A: Some do, but most don’t. It’s more common in the northern regions, near the border with Austria.

    Q: qhat to eat dor breakfast in italian bars
    A: The most popular breakfast in bars is cappuccino and croissant. See the Breakfast or Colazione article.

    Q: what do italians eat for brunch
    A: Brunch is not an Italian tradition. When Italians feel like a late breakfast, they just call it early lunch.

    Q: reasons italians don’t have milk in their coffee
    A: A lot of Italians do, actually. Not the majority though.

    Q: what do italians enjoy with their coffee
    A: It depends – something sweet, some chocolate, a glass of mineral water.

    Lots of searches were also about autogrill, aperitivo and antipasto.
    Q: autogrill panini italy
    Q: camogli autogrill
    Q: how to order at autogrill italy
    A: See the Autogrill article. It’s particularly interesting that people don’t know how to order at an autogrill. It’s probably not the most obvious process 🙂

    Q: appertivo – free buffet offered at bars during the happy hour
    Q: best aperitivo in milan
    Q: non alcoholic aperitivo
    A: See the Aperitivo article.

    Q: antipasto pickled in oil
    Q: antipasto with tuna and pickled vegetables
    Q: types of green olives for antipasto
    A: See the Antipasto article.

    Many people were interested in learning more about Italian wine:
    Q: term for wine in italy with atleast 1% more alcohol than the legal minimum
    Q: uva fragola wine illegal italy
    Q: what does the term “novello” indicate on a wine label?
    A: The term for a wine whose alcohol level is greater by at least 1% than the minimum established for its designation is ‘Superiore’. The wine “Fragolino” (made with ‘uva fragola’, Concord grape) is illegal in Italy. The term ‘Novello’ indicates that the wine has been bottled within the end of the year of when (at least 30% of) its grapes have been harvested. See the Wine and Italy article for more information.

    Or Italian cheese:
    Q: mozzarella cheese in north america compared to italy
    A: Italian mozzarella is better than North American mozzarella, and mozzarella from Naples is better than mozzarella from Milan.

    Q: what cheese is aged less than 6 months
    A: All fast and medium ripening cheeses (e.g.: Mascarpone, Taleggio, Gorgonzola). See the Formaggio Cheese article for more information.

    Q: what is the name for cottage cheese in italy
    Q: what kind of cheese is sottilette
    A: The Kraft product “Jocca” is cottage cheese. ‘Sottilette’ is (processed) cheese slices.

    Q: what cheese do you use in quatro formaggi
    A: There isn’t a rule, any four kinds of cheese will do. On pizza, they are usually chosen between gorgonzola, scamorza, ricotta, fontina, grana padano; plus of course mozzarella (which may or may not be counted).

    Q: formaggio taleggio in north america buy
    A: Specialty Italian stores usually have it.

    Q: what kind of cheese mixes well with gorgonzola
    A: It’s an interesting question. Gorgonzola is normally eaten by itself (delicious on bread!). It is however mixed with other cheese when making cheese sauces, or on gorgonzola pizza (where mozzarella is also added). Another interesting mix is the Torta al Gorgonzola e Mascarpone.

    Or gelato:
    Q: ice cream in italy
    Q: semi fredi gelato
    Q: what is the meaning of gelato
    A: ‘Gelato’ literally means frozen. It may resemble ice-cream, but it’s a completely different product. A ‘semi-freddo’ is the equivalent of an ice cream cake. See the article on Gelato vs. Ice Cream for more information.

    Or even the soft drink “Chinotto”:
    Q: what does chinotto taste like
    Q: aftertaste chinotto
    A: Chinotto is a citrus used to make a popular Italian soft drink. Its bitter aftertaste makes it an acquired flavor.

    Italian dressing is also often puzzling to people:
    Q: what kind of vinegar is in italian dressing?
    Q: what oil is most commonly used in italian dressing
    Q: different types of italian dressings
    Q: how do italians dress their salads
    Q: what kind of oil and vinegar goes on a table
    A: See the Italian Dressing article.

    People were also interested in the proper way to cook pasta, and some were particularly confused on this regard! For instance:
    Q: why it is suggegted to cook the food in salty water
    Q: how salty should water for pasta be?
    Q: how much salt stays with pasta
    A: Salted water gives flavor to the pasta and makes it less likely to stick to itself. Typically, ½ Tbsp of salt is needed for every 4 cups of water. Not much salt will be actually absorbed by the pasta. See the Cooking Pasta 101 article for more information.

    Q: “dried egg noodles” gram per person
    Q: how much fresh pasta for a first course
    Q: how much pasta is a serving in italy?
    Q: 80g raw pasta how much cooked
    Q: how much is 60g of pasta
    A: See the Cooking Pasta 101 article.

    Q: which italian pasta doesnt overcook?
    Q: what does it mean when it says cook pasta raw
    A: Every pasta eventually overcooks. Quality durum semolina pasta takes longer to cook and therefore it also takes longer to overcook. Cooking pasta ‘raw’ doesn’t mean anything, cooking pasta ‘al dente’ (to the tooth) means that the cooked pasta should be firm enough to require it to be chewed. See the Pasta 101 article for more information.

    People were also quite interested in gnocchi:
    Q: what sauce should gnocchi be served with?
    Q: fist size gnocchi
    Q: gnocchetti alla romana
    Q: ricer alternative gnocchi
    A: Gnocchi are served pretty much with any kind of pasta sauces. Perhaps we can consider ‘canederli‘ as fist-size gnocchi. ‘Gnocchi alla Romana’ are made with semolina flour (and no potatoes). In making gnocchi, a potato masher or a food mill can be used as an alternative to the potato ricer.

    But they were mostly curious about “Pizzoccheri della Valtellina” – the article which has the highest number of hits to date:
    Q: pizzoccheri meaning
    Q: pizzoccheri what sort of cheese should i use
    Q: what is an equivalent to valtellina casera cheese
    A: the name Pizzoccheri has nothing to do with pizza. According to their official website, it derives from ‘pinzocheri’, which jokingly means “bigot people”. ‘Valtellina Casera’ cheese can be replaced with other mild semi-cooked cheeses (such as young Fontina, Montasio, Raclette or Gouda).

    Finally, other people were instead more into science and wanted to find out how certain ingredients compare between Italy and North America.

    For instance, they look for facts about olive oil:
    Q: facts about italy’s olive oil
    Q: fats and oils triangle
    A: See the Olive Oil Facts article.

    Or about rice:
    Q: indica and japonica rice examples
    Q: relative absorption of water different type of rice
    A: See the Rice Demystified article.

    Or milk:
    Q: difference between italian and american milk
    Q: is milk in italy fortified with vitamin d
    Q: pasteurized milk shelf life canada italy
    Q: does milk in italy taste different
    A: Italian milk has a shorter shelf life, and it’s not fortified with Vitamin D. The difference in flavor is mostly due to the cows’ different diet.

    Q: is italian milk homoginized
    A: Yes, it’s homogenized.

    Q: does italy have pasteurized milk
    A: Yes, though unpasteurized milk can also be found. See the There’s Milk and Milk article for more information.