Modern day festivals in Rome are a series of outdoor events known as Roman Summer.  The tradition of celebrations dates back to the time when Rome dominated the world.

Early Roman Celebrations

In the early Roman culture, the people loved celebrations.  This was a pagan society which worshiped many gods. The gods were jealous of each other and were always warring with one another.  In order to appease the different gods, the Romans held separate festivals to honor each god.  It was party time.  The parties consisted of many excesses in food, drink and sexual activity.  They loved games and we are familiar with the gladiators who fought each other and wild beasts as well.  Saturnalia was a feast to honor the god, Saturn.  The nobles dressed and acted like slaves and the slaves “became” noblemen. A good time was had by all.

Dark Ages

After the fall of Rome and the rise of the Papacy, the festivals were banned.  Mysteries or religious dramas became the form of entertainment.  This period was originally thought of as the Dark Ages, in contrast to the light of classical Greek and Roman antiquity that came before.  It was a time of economic and cultural deterioration and there was not much to celebrate.

Renaissance

During the Renaissance there was a return to festivals.  The Roman Carnival became famous and people came from all over the world to participate.  The celebration inspired many artists and musicians, including Berlioz and Resipghi.  There was even horse racing down the main street in Rome.

Modern Times

Today, Roman Summer or L’estate Romana, is a festival that lasts from June to September.  It is a series of open air performances.  There are many sites in the city where music, dancing and theater are offered.  At the Baths of Caracalla and the Castle of St. Angelo ballets and operas are performed in the open air.  There are many piazzas or squares where visitors and locals alike enjoy sitting and enjoying a gelato or sipping an espresso while watching the crowds go by.

Celebrations, parties and festivals are a natural way to express our love and enthusiasm for life.  Let the good times roll.

Stephanie
Italian Nonna

Simple Italian Cooking

How has the Italian Kitchen evolved over time?

When I think of an Italian kitchen (la cucina), I think of a comfortable room where everyone tends to gravitate.  La cucina is a place where food, wine and conversation flow.

It wasn’t always like that however.  In medieval times, only the rich had a separate room for a kitchen.  And it was usually on the top floor of the house.

The poorer people only had a fireplace in the corner of a room.  This was used to make soups and to reheat food.  There was a public oven for the people of the town to use for baking, for a fee, of course.

The end of 18th century saw the rise of the middle class. La cucina now held a table as well as a fireplace. The kitchens were small, not nearly as large as the rich people had.  Nevertheless, this was the beginning of socialization in the kitchen.

In the early 20th century, after World War I, more women began to work outside the home.  Kitchens design began to utilize space more efficiently and  different utensils and appliances were introduced to reduce preparation time.  Also, cooking fumes and odors were vented to the outside.

After World War II, the kitchen became more than just a place to prepare meals.  It was now a place to decorate.  Many began to display their beautiful hand painted pasta bowls.  The kitchen was now a place for visiting, doing homework or just talking.

In the Sixties, there was a real explosion of innovation in the kitchen.  There was a marriage of form and function, beauty and efficiency.  Now la cucina, was truly the center of the house.

This was the entertainment hub, a place where both men, women and children felt comfortable to visit with one another.  They would linger after dinner, talking and enjoying an espresso made from  their very own stove top espresso maker.  Maybe they would even have some home made gelato prepared in their gelato maker.

La cucina has truly evolved since medieval times.  I wonder what it will be like 100 years from now!

Stephanie
Italian Nonna

SimpleItalianCooking

The Italian Mother

The Italian mother has made quite a name for herself.

Not only has her kitchen become the number one place for neighborhood kids to visit for a good Italian dish before heading to their own homes, but she manages to cook and clean and dust and still sets the table making sure everyone gets there own individual pasta bowl loaded with spaghetti and meatballs at mealtime.

Marissa Carbone with a nice bowl of fresh pasta!

Don’t believe me?  Just look at the love in the eyes of my cousin in Italy, in the image to the right, who took me under her wing during my stay there.  This lady worked all the time never stopping, yet made the best meals I’ve ever tasted.

Italian Mother = Good Italian Food

There is a strong link found between Italian mothers and good Italian food.   It is almost as if one cannot exist without the other.

It doesn’t matter if she serves the pasta in plain white pasta bowls (as in the picture to the right), or in a high end pasta bowl- the taste always far outweighs the presentation.  With her recipes, she could easily put the Olive Garden out of business.

Italian Mother = Plenty of Food

She cooks enough so everyone and their brother can go back for seconds and thirds knowing there is still more if they want it.   She doesn’t slap your hand telling you that you are eating too much, or make you feel guilty if you grab the last slice of lasagna.

If anything she herself feels guilty there is no more to offer.

She’s Still Your Mother After all These Years

The Italian mother is priceless in the eyes of her family and friends.   And rightly so.

My mother and I. She not only married into an Italian family but became one herself.

Unfortunately, we don’t always have the opportunity to express our thoughts of gratitude towards these women in our lives.   Maybe we rely on dates like Mother’s Day or Christmas or Birthdays.  But what about all the days in between?

Mother’s regardless of nationality love to be loved.  A simple, “I love you”, or a kiss on the cheek or a hug that goes beyond a pat on the back.  These are the things that a mother hopes her children will do even when they venture out on their own and from under her tender care.

Don’t Wait for Mother’s Day Alone to Express Your Love.

Give her a call.  Write her a note.  Buy her a gift.  Send her flowers.

Tell her you haven’t forgotten her as your “mother”.

Liz

www.simpleitaliancooking.com
Easy Italian Recipes

As is common with most Christians, the lamb is used for Resurrection Sunday, the day Christ was resurrected.  Throughout the Old and New Testaments, the lamb was used to be a sacrifice of our sins.   The lamb had to be without blemish.   The anticipated Messiah was to be the ultimate and final sacrifice for our sins, and bridge the gap that divides man from God, a state of the human condition which began with the first original sin.

Non-messianic Jews do not recognize Jesus Christ as the Messiah, however Christians and Messianic Jews do.

When Christ died on the cross, he bore the sins of the world fulfilling the promise that God gave to the Jewish people saying he would send His son, as the ultimate sacrifice – like a lamb he would pay the price for our sins so we wouldn’t have to.  The price being separation from God.

This is why there is incredible symbolic respect and honor given to the meal on Easter Sunday – Resurrection Sunday – by using lamb as the main meat.

How to Prepare Lamb

There are many ways to prepare lamb, and the Italians have no shortage of ideas.  From basic lamb rubbed with olive oil to pieces of Romano cheese, garlic and parsley stuffed into the meat and then cooked, there are more ways than one to have lamb.

Lamb is also frequently seasoned with rosemary, and sometimes with mint.

The Italians are mostly a Catholic population and for that reason there are numerous traditions practiced starting even with Lent where you give up something you like for a short season.

From special Easter Pizzas to Italian Easter Bread, there are many ways to keep the celebration alive.  And of course with the love of food the Italian possess, there is no lack of ideas from creative pastas to soups and pizzas.

I’ll be posting a few Easter recipes along with my own Easter bread recipe given by my husband’s mother.   It is a simple recipe, but takes quite a while due to the slow baking and timing.   I made it my first time last year and am planning on making it again this year and next.

Buona Pasqua (Happy Easter),

Liz
www.simpleitaliancooking.com

Tiramisu may be an Italian dessert, but don’t think this is what they eat every time after dinner.   In fact, in my time over in Italy I never had any tiramisu or ice-cream/gelato as a dessert.  Instead we were given… drum roll please… apples!   As we all sat around the table, the apples were passed out and with a sharp knife we peeled the skin off the apples and then ate the apple as we cut it into slices.

I did not carry on the tradition when I returned to the States, until a few years ago when my husband and I started trying to eat healthier.   I guess it just happened accidentally when we decided to have some fruit after dinner.   And then I realized why the Italians eat fruit after a big meal.   It tastes good, tastes sweet, and doesn’t lay heavy.   Bingo – I think we have a winner!

il Pranzo

Dinner is Lunch and Lunch is Dinner?

Italians typically eat their main meal at what we consider lunchtime (between noon and 2:00).  They call it “il pranzo”.  The women work all morning preparing the big meal.   They usually have two courses, the first being pasta or rice, and the second a kind of meat or fish.   An example of a typical Italian pasta dish would be my eggplant and zucchini pasta recipe.  It incorporates fresh vegetables from the garden along with the long pasta, preferably linguine or fettuccine.  Let me tell you they don’t skimp on their courses.  You get a very full plate each time.  It took me a few days until I got used to the quantities served, and I’ll never forget the smile on their faces when I asked for seconds the first time.  I remember them talking about it to each other in Italian too! The picture to the right are of my cousins at lunchtime (1:30).

For their last meal of the day,  they have  a lighter meal – like what we would consider lunch.  It might even be just a large salad.  They do not eat their last meal early in the evening like we do, but rather later between 8PM and 10PM.

I don’t recommend switching your lunches with your dinners, however I have to say incorporating some fresh fruit as desert is something worth trying if you don’t already.  Take a lesson from the Italians in Italy, you just might be amazed at how much you enjoy it.

Liz

www.simpleitaliancooking.com