Difficulty: Beginner
Italy
Ilaria is from Lido di Venezia, a small island near Venice. She tells us about the specialties they offer at the bar where she works, a bar that makes its own desserts. How about having a "Spritz" at the bar?
Difficulty: Beginner
Italy Venetian
Alberto has a wine shop at the Lido di Venezia and he tells us about his world renowned business, which exclusively sells local and Italian wines.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy Neapolitan
Antonio is a teacher and we find him at Somma Vesuviana, on the slopes of Vesuvius, near Naples. For some time he has tending a small garden, where he grows vegetables, which he sees as miracles of the earth, with seeds developing into fruits.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Franco Calafatti shows us his marvelous shop filled with spices. He brings us into his world, his special relationship with the spices, from traveling the world in search of the plants, to the harvesting, to the sorting, to the crushing.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Even though the tomato is an immigrant in Italy, it has become synonymous with Italian cooking. The soil produced by Vesuvius and the mild climate of the area around Naples and Salerno have allowed the San Marzano tomato to become King.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Patrizia works as an agronomist collaborating with farmers who grow heirloom vegetables of the Campania tradition. She describes a couple of different kinds of tomatoes and what they're typically used for.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Watermelon is another product of this special terrain on the slopes of Vesuvius. In the north, this is called cocomero, but in the south, it's anguria. There are some sensational wines from Vesuvius, too.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
This land is not only good for cultivating grapes for wine, but also the special piennolo tomatoes, that keep for several months.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Gragnano is a town near Naples known for its pasta production. There are many different shapes and types, but they all are a bit rough to the touch, because they go through a bronze cutter, rather than a Teflon one. That's why the pasta holds the sauce better. Of course, everyone living in Gragnano is an expert about pasta.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Coral has been made into jewelry in Torre del Greco since the fifteenth century. In that same century, a variety of grapes arrived from Catalunya, which over time has produced a wine with a unique personality.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
The Romans were the ones to introduce the culture of wine to the area around Mount Vesuvius as can be seen by what was left behind in places like Ercolano. And it is in Ercolano where a unique cooperative has been set up to cultivate a very special variety of tomatoes.
Difficulty: Beginner
Italy Lucano
Milena is at the supermarket and she shows us some products that are commonly eaten by Italians, such as wine, cheese, milk, eggs and bread. Have fun practicing with Milena!
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Marino shows us how to make "maccaronara" or "spaghetti alla chitarra" (guitar spaghetti), from scratch. This special kind of pasta is from Avellino, near Naples.
Difficulty: Newbie
Italy
Marika names some of the delicious fruits available in Italy. In general the fruits themselves are feminine, while the plants on which they grow take the masculine form.
Difficulty: Newbie
Italy
Marika takes us through the vegetables used in Italian cooking. Buon appetito!
Difficulty: Newbie
Italy
Marika shows us the various pots and pans, plates and silverware used every day in Italian kitchens, dining rooms and restaurants.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Melanzane alla Parmigiana, or La parmigiana di melanzane (Eggplant Parmesan) is a classic recipe from the Campania region. Marika shows us how to make it, one step at a time.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Marika prepares the eggplant slices by baking them in the oven—a much lighter way of preparing the eggplant layers than the traditional frying method.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
It's time to check the eggplant in the oven. And what about the slices that were a bit too sottili (thin)? Will they have burned? Note that English mostly uses eggplant as a collective noun (in the singular) but Italian, unless referring specifically to a single eggplant, uses the plural le melanzane when referring to eggplant in general, and to the slices themselves.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
We've finally reached the last part of this recipe. Now you can make this dish yourself. Don't forget to pre-heat the oven to two hundred and twenty or two hundred and forty degrees (428-464°F). If you happen to have any leftover afterwards, you can safely freeze it. Buon appetito!
Difficulty: Beginner
Italy
Here's a summer recipe that uses simple but good ingredients.
Difficulty: Beginner
Italy
Marika finishes explaining how to make a delicious pasta salad, so you'll be ready to give it a try in your own kitchen. Buon appetito!
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Franco Calafatti knows a great deal about spices but he also loves to experiment. The star of this segment is cinnamon.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
This fascinating segment is all about salt: Our spice journey takes us to Sicily, where much of Italy's salt is harvested. Franco talks about how salt is life, salt is gold.
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