Umbria-Tuscany border food: cheese, ham, fish, truffles, etc.

Along the border between umbria and Tuscany, a slow food road twists and turns. Debbie Oaks traveled in this fertile land and met the manufacturers, growers and chefs who best represented the cuisine in this area.

In southern Italy, Tuscany winds its way into its green neighbor umbria. The road goes through the shiny olive grove and reaches the sparkling lake, where there are fish everywhere. It went up and down, over the green hills dotted with sheep, through the medieval villages, and came to the ancient ruins, bathed in the sun like grapes. Eight thousand years ago, the mysterious Etruscans first decorated and cultivated these fertile lands, and since then, gourmets for thousands of years have gained a strong seasonal flavor.

Goats roam freely on organic farms in Casale.

Pienza, located in the center of Tuscany, is a small town rebuilt by Pope pope pius ii during the Renaissance. His visionary urban planning left a time capsule composed of palaces, churches and squares protected by UNESCO, and recently became the Italian cheese capital of Pecorino.

Bode Reyl Casale, located near Pienza, is an organic farm with one of Tuscany's best-preserved secrets: from farm to dining room, dazzling scenery and food compete for attention. Below us is the scenery directly pasted by Botticelli's dripping brush, while in front of us are all kinds of delicious pecorino (goat's milk) cheese and homemade chutney.

"According to the aging time of cheese, even according to the aging room area of cheese, the taste and texture will change," said Ulisse Br, the owner and self-proclaimed shepherd. Ndli explained. "Mature cheese is called stagionato, which is harder, more brittle and nutty. At the same time, semi-stagnation is softer and gentler. But even the mildest Pecorino cheese has a stronger flavor than milk cheese.

Cheese ripened in Casale cheese (dairy products).

For a person with a stable city (such as me), eating carefully raised, planted and made food is a kind of affectionate (and fulfilling) experience. After lunch, bathed in the summer sunshine and the smell of lavender, Ulisse took me to a cheese or dairy store, where the cheese was carefully aged like a full soldier: fat, tall, white and small, some covered with ashes, some covered with walnut leaves, some covered with blue mold cheese, and my own favorite cheese "Drunk Pecorino", which was covered with grape skins left by wine making.

Capokolo and Salame.

Pork, as the embodiment of cooking, has long been the staple food in umbria and Tuscany. It is said that any part of the pig will not be wasted here.

I was with Lucia Noritto, a local tourism designer. She took me to an organic farm in Chianciano, Tuscany. Here, we met the friendly voice of Cinta Senese, a local breed of pig-originally raised by Etruscans-which has been on the verge of extinction for many years because farmers focus on more profitable British pigs. But in 20 12, it was finally recognized as "a niche product with excellent quality". The variety was preserved and designated as a protected name of origin (PDO).

"Sinta Seneca meat tastes like a forest, because they only eat acorns, hazelnuts and chestnuts," lucia told me. "Meat is not too fat, but soft and juicy, because they use muscles instead of just standing in the stable to develop fat. The Spanish have Pata Negra jamon, and we have Cinta Senese ham.

Umbria Capoclo and salami.

Traditionally, meat is pickled into finocchiona, a Tuscan sausage made of wild fennel, black pepper, garlic and red wine. At the same time, the cheeks became precious guanciale, capocollo and rigatino, while the abdomen was spit out and baked for eight hours, becoming the most famous juicy sandwich ingredient in this area.

Driving northeast, we arrived at the third largest lake in Italy. Tracy Meno is located in inland central umbria, where there are clear waters, beaches and fresh fish. On the beach, well-dressed Italians live a sweet life under a sun umbrella, drinking wine between volleyball and swimming. In this water area, perch, pike, carp, salmon and eel thrive. Francesco Falciani, a famous local chef, told me on a steaming plate of fresh fish: "When agricultural products are fresh, the taste will speak its own language. The simplicity of our dishes is the best way to highlight the natural taste of high-quality ingredients.

Steamed eel plate and fresh fish from Lake TraSimeno.

A fishermen's community called "Cooperation" uses sustainable net fishing technology to gain the benefits of the lake. They can also arrange sunrise tours along the coast, find hidden places to swim, fish and enjoy the beautiful scenery. You can also arrange cooking classes to learn the traditional recipes of Lake Meno in Terrasi, such as "peasant broth" stews, such as tegamaccio, freshwater fish, tomato sauce, garlic, celery and local liquor.

In Petino, a small village in the wild Apennine Mountains in umbria, tourists were transported about 200 years ago. The ancient stone buildings and Little Square nestled on the hillside as if they were protecting, and the local people took care of this land in the way of their ancestors; Pharaoh's wheat and lentils are planted, sheep, cattle and goats are raised, and boletus and truffles are collected in beech forests with hundreds of years of history. These forests are rich in ecosystems and wild animals.

Add chopped truffles to the pasta.

It was a typical endless blue sky in September morning, and I met Mac of Italian wild food company. When we went into the forest to look for precious truffles, his Lagotto Romagnolo truffle dogs-Picchio, Vespa and Macchia-jumped and barked excitedly. What followed was not only the light flavor experience of newly dug truffles (once banned by the Catholic Church for its sexy aphrodisiac quality), but also the deep therapeutic bath in the oldest forest in Europe. Dark green forest air and strong oxygen filled my lungs, and the scenery of the mountains continued.

"My wife Francesca Kiacs Yani's family has owned these lands since 1486," Mike told me. "Since then, they have been hunting truffles. Soon, Piggio cried, and Mathea made a hullabaloo about, because Vespa found a truffle! In the distance, a New Zealand shepherd, Dan Lithgow, looked up from the flock and waved to him with a smile. After that, it returned to Francesca's home, where Francesca and Laura supported fresh spaghetti and homemade cheese, because we all sat down to enjoy a fresh "everyday gourmet" lunch with umbria wine. You have to go through all this to believe it.

The ingredient that blends all these delicacies is extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), which is famous for its low acidity, richness and various flavors and tastes. For Amanda Forman Simonelli, she stood with me in the olive grove, and the mottled sunshine danced on her blonde hair in Oklahoma. Umbria is an example of love at first sight.

Amanda Forman Simonelli of Olifando ·EVOO

"I like the scenery here," she said. "This is one of the areas with the highest forest coverage in Italy, with rolling hills and mountains everywhere. Fresh air and neatly trimmed cylindrical olive trees adorn the landscape. Sunset feels like a living picture.

Amanda and her husband Kyle co-founded the company Olivando ·EVOO. She explained that umbria's mountainous landscape and rocky clay have historically made it difficult to develop large-scale agriculture. But it is this ruthless terrain, coupled with the extreme changes of weather conditions in umbria from summer to autumn, that explains the aroma, intensity and complexity of olive oil.

"In the fruiting period, the olive tree entered the stress mode. Plants will accumulate phenols to protect the oil of fruits from degradation. Other Italian evoos are usually described as "exquisite, with the aroma of almonds or ripe tomatoes", but umbria evoo is characterized by bitter and spicy taste. Can you call it the best? I really want to hear this conversation at the dinner table in the mixed area! " She added with a smile.

The historical roots of grape cultivation in umbria-Tuscany border can be traced back to Etruscans and Romans. On the west is Nobil from the Grand Tuscany region of Chano, and on the east is the most famous red wine in umbria, Monfalco Saglam Tino. In the middle is Tracy Simeno's wine road. There are delicious wines. If you don't know, you won't know. The vineyards on these hills are located in the main grape growing areas, and the lakes create a mild winter and hot summer microclimate, which is exactly what plants like.

Surrounded by grapes that are greedy and ripe in the sun, I found myself chatting with Paolo Bolla, a descendant of the famous Bolla family near Pieve. His long wine-making tradition in Verona includes the first bottle of Amarone in 1953. Paul fell in love with the "light and scenery" in umbria, which is why he and his family moved to the organic vineyard Fonseca on 200 1.

"We started from one hectare, planted by former owner Giovanni Parbuono in 1973, and expanded on this basis," he explained. "Organic food is very important to us. We are doing our best to protect and respect our small world. It's challenging, but it's also inspiring.

Mature vineyards in umbria

"The grapes I use have been adapted to this area for hundreds of years. They express themselves better here than other grapes. The soil here is mountainous with sand and clay. There are shell fossils on the soil, which are the remains of the ocean a long time ago. This gives wine good minerals, while exposure to the sun gives them strength and depth.

Meanwhile, under the vines, Nicola Chiucchiurlotto is taking care of his vines near an quaint village called Gioiella (meaning "little treasure"). His vineyard, Madrevite, has lived here for three generations, and he also talked about the deep connection with this land.

"My pure wine reveals the intrinsic quality of grapes so that you can taste the complexity of local conditions," he said, adding that environmental sustainability and eliminating the use of chemical herbicides and pesticides are some of the main principles of Madrevite. Nicola's grape varieties include Gamay del Trasimeno (known as Gehenna in France), Trebbiano Spoletino, Grechetto, Sangiovese and Syrah. "My wine respects the traditions of this land and this place," he added with a smile. "My wine is sincere. They talked about their love and dedication to their daily work.

In Italy, "slow" is the way people eat, "delicious" is a state of mind. During my journey, the "slow road" I took brought me real food, which was grown by real people on small artisan farms (usually owned by families). This kind of food is prepared and eaten at the time planned by nature and is full of enthusiasm. Umbria-Tuscany border is an edible landscape, and it is also a feast of vision and soul. In this area, when nature speaks, farmers will listen. This is something that hungry gourmets all over the world can celebrate.