By Monica Nicol / 03.09.2020

Chocolate salami is also known as Turkish salami, King’s salami, English salami and, since the Seventies, Viking salami, a name that was coined in the famous children’s recipe book Manuale di Nonna Papera (Grandma Duck’s Handbook).

In addition to its numerous names, the origin and variants are multiple: it originated in Portugal but is also typical of traditional Italian bakeries which allow each region to choose and personalise the ingredients, for example with almonds, pistachios or hazelnuts.

The chocolate salami recipe is very versatile and can be adapted to every palate and requirement: it can require the use of eggs and butter, or it can be prepared vegan or gluten-free. Dark chocolate can be substituted for white or milk chocolate. You can exchange the liquor for milk or coffee if you prefer a non-alcoholic dessert. In short, it’s up to you to decide and choose the ingredients that appeal to you the most!

Here is my recipe for the chocolate salami.

 Ingredients:

 – 250g dry biscuits
 – 100g butter
 – 100g sugar
 – 100g bitter cocoa
 – 50g dark chocolate
 – Half a cup of liquor
 – Powdered sugar

Method:

To start, melt the butter with the dark chocolate over a bain-marie. Pour the contents into a large bowl and leave to cool; then add the sugar and cocoa, stirring the mixture well.

Soften the mixture with the liquor: I have chosen Marsale liqueur (from Sicily), but it can be substituted with rum or an orange or coffee liqueur. If you are not an alcohol lover, add half a cup of coffee.

Break up the biscuits and add them bit by bit until you have a smooth and compact mixture.

Finally, put the mixture on a piece of baking paper and knead and roll it into the shape of a sausage. Cover the chocolate salami in the baking paper, wrap the result in aluminium foil or in wrapping paper and leave to rest in the fridge for at least 3 hours.

Finally, the salami is ready! Only the final touch remains: sprinkle it with icing sugar and tie it with kitchen string… it will look like a real sausage, ready to cut and serve.

Author

Monica Nicol (Italy)

Studies: Translation

Languages: Italian, English, Spanish, Catalan

Europe is… a bridge between different languages and cultures

Translator

Lucy Gannon (United Kingdom)

Job: Aupair and English Tutor

Languages: English and Spanish

Europe is... a home away from home

Der Beitrag Cooking with Grandma: Chocolate salami erschien zuerst auf MH English.

By Alessandra Ivaldi / 20.07.2020

What is coffee? First and foremost a world-renowned drink, consumed in a unique way by every nation. When it comes to drinking coffee, each nation has their own traditions. Coffee is an essential part of everyday life in Italian culture, and its consumption resembles a ritual. A good coffee helps us wake up in the morning and makes our day significantly better. Bad coffee, however, leads to us being moody and irritated. In Italy, one does not just have coffee at breakfast. That is to say, the Italians drink multiple coffees a day, even though doctors advise against this. 

Another peculiarity that sets the Italians apart from the rest of the world is related to the wide range of coffees they have invented. Upon entering a café in Italy, you will always find several people having a cup of coffee. If you pay attention, you will realise that it is rare for multiple customers to drink the same variety of coffee. It is important to acknowledge the impressive creativity and adaptability of Italian baristas as they fulfill the most bizarre requests. In addition to the enormous variety of coffees on offer, customers are able to request a personalised coffee with a twist to it, like extra ingredients/toppings, or small changes to the original recipe. But let’s take this journey step by step and start with some of the most famous types of Italian coffee. 

First of all, it is important to know that the traditional Italian coffee is the kind known as ‘espresso’ elsewhere. It is highly concentrated and served in a smaller cup. Espresso is traditionally drunk without any sugar. There is an even stronger, more concentrated version of the espresso, commonly known as caffè corto or ristretto. Do not be surprised when you place your order in an Italian café, and the waiter/waitress serves you a small cup containing, potentially, only a few drops. This is how you drink a caffè ristretto! One can best savour the taste of the drink when consuming a coffee this way. However, not everyone likes the caffè ristretto. Even amongst Italians, there are people that find it too strong, and it is almost impossible to find a caffè ristretto in another country.

The most popular type of coffee abroad is called caffè lungo (long coffee) in Italy. It is served in bigger cups and has a finer taste than the espresso, as its mixture includes more water. Its so-called American ‘relative’ is often looked at suspiciously by the Italians, as it is a lot weaker than the above-mentioned coffee types. The American type is served in a large mug and is diluted with water.

Cappuccino is also known worldwide. It is prepared by mixing coffee and milk froth. However, the Italians do not just settle for a plain, standard cappuccino! They can also decide between a dark (containing a greater part of coffee) or a light (less coffee and more froth) when sitting at the bar and ordering a cappuccino from the barista. It is important not to mix up cappuccino and caffè e latte (coffee with milk). What is the difference between a caffè e latte and a cappuccino? The answer is pretty straight-forward: a caffè e latte contains more milk.

A similar type of coffee to the cappuccino is the so-called mocaccino. Its mixture is almost identical to the cappuccino, but you add a small amount of chocolate and cream, and, sometimes, also a bit of cocoa powder.

For all the sweet tooths, there is the marocchino, typically found in the Northwestern regions of Italy. Here, every café has its own secret recipe for the preparation of the marocchino. It is usually prepared as follows: one pours the milk froth in a small glass with chocolate cream.  However, there are also variants without this cream. Afterwards, one mixes the coffee with the milk and adds chocolate or cocoa powder. Some versions of this recipe are even more spectacular, as you also add cream and cinnamon! 

The caffè macchiato is a lot more plain. One has to add but a tiny amount of milk to the coffee. The opposite of this is the latte macchiato, where one adds but a little bit of coffee to the milk.

In the Northeastern regions of Italy, the caffè corretto is very popular. This coffee is an espresso with added grappa or another type of schnapps. 

After discovering the traditions of Northern Italy, we will take a look at the South, where a special coffee-related product has been developed, due to a hotter climate. You can taste the so-called caffè in ghiaccio (coffee in ice) when you go on holiday to Southern Italy. All you have to do is go to a café, and order a coffee and a glass of ice. It is important that the ice cubes are taken straight from the freezer. If they are already melting, the coffee will be too watery. As an alternative, you can order a caffè shakerato (shaken coffee). In order to prepare it, one must add coffee, sugar, and ice to a shaker and shake it thoroughly. This coffee can be turned into a delicious dessert by adding schnapps or chocolate.

After having explored a range of important types of coffees found in Italian cafés, we can focus on a last curious aspect of the relationship between the famous drink and the Italian peninsula. It is interesting to note that in the beginning, coffee had a bad reputation in Italy, despite all the stereotypes about the ‘coffee addiction’ of the Italians. 

Coffee only came to Italy in 1600, when trade relations between Venice and the Ottomans were established. The Ottomans had been consuming this mysterious drink for a long time. Because of this, the public eye saw coffee as related to Islamic culture, and the most adamant Catholics avoided it, as they believed it was the devil’s work! The Church portrayed coffee as a diabolical tool able to make someone too alert, talkative, and uninhibited. Ironically, it is the Church that intervened in the end to have coffee approved by the Catholics. This is because Pope Clemens VIII wanted to try the dangerous devil’s brew. Legend has it that he sipped his first coffee and claimed it would have been a sin to leave such a tasty drink to the heathens. Therefore,  Clemens VIII decided to baptise coffee, in order to take it away from the devil. The astonishing dispersion of coffee in Italy started right from that moment.  

Author

Alessandra Ivaldi (Italy)

Speaks: Italian, English, German, French

Europe is... a cultural heritage.

Website: https://iva1794.wixsite.com/home

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Martine Wilmes (Luxembourg)

 

Studies: MA in English Literature

 

Languages: Luxembourgish, German, French, English, a bit of Spanish

 

Europe is... forging cross-cultural relationships.

 

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Der Beitrag Would you like a cup of coffee? erschien zuerst auf MH English.

By Alessandra Ivaldi / 7.06.2020

It is said that Italians eat pasta everyday, but it is much more complicated than that. It is true that we often eat pasta dishes, in fact almost everyday, but it is also true that we never eat the same kind of pasta twice in a row. There are many different types of pasta that can be cooked in countless ways, which means that our diet is much more varied than it looks.

First of all, there is a distinction between long and short types of pasta. Spaghetti are the most famous “representatives” of long pasta. They are straight and 25 cm long. There are different kinds of spaghetti according to their diameter: spaghettini (“little spaghetti”), spaghetti classici (“classic spaghetti”), spaghetti grossi (“big spaghetti”)… And there are even the “squared” spaghetti, also called spaghetti alla chitarra, which have a squared shape instead of a round one. Spaghetti can be matched with many kinds of dressing, from the most simple one with garlic, oil and chilli to the most refined with fish and seafood. Italians would never eat spaghetti with ragu, the famous tomato and meat-based sauce, which on the other hand is perfect for tagliatelle or fettuccine.

The first is a kind of pasta made with egg from central and northern Italy. They belong to the category of long pasta, with a largeness of about 8 mm. They vaguely resemble fettuccine, which are actually flattened and a bit shorter than tagliatelle. There is also a green version of this kind of pasta, characterised by the addition of spinach in the dough.

The so-called reginette or mafaldine are similar to fettuccine. It seems they were created in Campania, in the south of Italy, in honour of princess Mafalda of Savoy. In fact, they are like fettuccine but with ridged borders which vaguely recall the shape of a crown.

Another type of long pasta is represented by linguine. Some say that, after cooking them, they have a slippery consistency. For this reason they must be served with the right dressing that could complement their peculiar consistency. In the place where linguine were created, in Genoa, in the north of Italy, they are eaten with the very popular pesto alla genovese.

Vermicelli are much appreciated by the meat-lovers. They are a kind of long pasta with a diameter a bit larger than the one of spaghetti. Since their thickness makes them perfect to absorb the most dense sauce, they are often paired with venison ragu.

Let’s focus on short pasta now. The so-called penne are really famous. As with spaghetti, there are many kinds of penne: smooth, striped, mezze penne (half the length of normal penne)… They can be cooked according to a wide variety of recipes. One of the most famous is the recipe of penne all’arrabbiata (literally, “angry penne”), typical of Latium, a region in central Italy. Here, penne should be served with a tomato-based sauce, made spicy by adding chilli and tastier by adding parsley or cheese.

Equally famous are fusilli, also called eliche (helices), because of their twisted shape. In the past they were produced in an artisanal way, by twisting the dough around a wire.

There are then two types of pasta which are famous for their similarity to the shape of a shell – conchiglioni (literally, “big shells”) and the smaller pipette. They are perfect with a full-bodied sauce that can be collected inside of their peculiar shell-shape.

Farfalle (butterflies) are much appreciated overall by children. It is needless to say that they look like funny butterflies. They can be matched with any kind of sauce and are often used to prepare insalate di pasta (pasta salad), a typical summer dish. There are many types of this salad, which should be served cold and add to pasta a variety of ingredients: vegetables, legumes, fresh cheese like mozzarella, olives, fish… There is no limit to our fantasy when it comes to pasta-based recipes!

For instance, with certain kinds of pasta we can prepare excellent timbales. Even here we can find the most creative recipes, where pasta is matched with many other ingredients such as meat, fish, vegetables, potatoes, eggs and stringy cheese. The timbale should be cooked in the oven and served thoroughly warm.

Finally, there are two dishes which are typically Italian and extremely rare in the rest of the world: minestrone and brodo, with their respective variants. The first of them should not be mistaken for soup, even though the consistency is similar. It is prepared by letting vegetables, legumes and potatoes boil in hot water. They will then be run through a vegetable mill in order to obtain a completely liquid mixture, which will be used to cook the pasta for minestrone. Ditali (literally “thimbles”) represent an example of this kind of pasta, their shape resembles that of short tubes.

On the other hand, brodo derives from the water used to cook meat or, as an alternative, vegetables, with the possible addition of spices in order to make everything tastier. The smallest type of pasta is used for brodo and sometimes has very fanciful shapes such as in the case of stelline (little stars), anellini (little rings), farfalline (little butterflies), ditalini (which are little ditali)… In the end, both minestrone and brodo can be further flavoured with olive oil and cheese.

Let’s end with a kind of pasta known all over the world: lasagna! Who does not know about these rectangular pasta sheets cooked in the oven with delicious sauces made of ragu and béchamel? But do not think that lasagna is only a meat-based dish. There are many variants of this recipe, even with fish!

Did you like this rapid exploration in traditional Italian cuisine? This was just a taste of the countless recipes that Italy could offer when it comes to pasta!

Author

Alessandra Ivaldi (Italy)

Speaks: Italian, English, German, French

Europe is... a cultural heritage.

Website: https://iva1794.wixsite.com/home

Proofreader

Alexandra Wood (Great Britain)

 

Languages: English, French

 

Job: Freelance Translator (Alexicon Translations)

 

Europe is... a mezze of languages and culture packed into a little continent.

Der Beitrag A World Full of Pasta! erschien zuerst auf MH English.

By Monica Nicol / 27.04.2020

But, what are torrijas? They are slices of bread soaked in milk, wine or syrup, breaded in egg and then fried in oil. The recipe is easy, quick and cheap. You will only need a few simple ingredients so you probably won’t even need to go out to the supermarket. What a perfect recipe for quarantine! There are also different types of torrijas, as, being a traditional home-made sweet, everyone can give their own recipes a personal touch.

In addition to milk, wine or syrup, torrijas can also be chocolate, honey flavoured or caramelised… There are even savoury, vegetarian and vegan versions.

Today, we will see how milk torrijas are prepared.

Ingredients for 6-8 torrijas: 

–   6-8 slices of bread (if you don’t have the specific bread required for torrijas, you can use a loaf of stale bread: preferably with thin crust and compact crumb);

–       1 l of milk;

–       3 tbsp of white or cane sugar;

–       1 cinnamon stick, or ground cinnamon;

–       Olive oil;

–       1 vanilla pod or 1 sachet of vanilla flavouring. Alternatively, a lemon or orange peel;

–       2 or 3 eggs;

–       Ground cinnamon or sugar to garnish.

Method:

Firstly, cut 6-8 slices of bread of about one inch length and place them in a baking tray.

Pour the milk into a pot and aromatise with a cinnamon stick (or ground cinnamon), a vanilla pod (or a sachet of vanilla) and three tablespoons of cane sugar. You could also use the peel of half a lemon or orange instead of vanilla.

Mix well. When the mixture starts to boil, turn off the stove and allow to cool before filtering it into a strainer.

Dip the slices of bread and leave them to soak for about 30-40 minutes in order to absorb the liquid and soften.

Break the eggs into a bowl and bread the slices of bread.

Put the pan with the olive oil on the stove and when it’s heated, fry the slices of bread for a few minutes, turning them occasionally until brown.

Drain in order to remove the excess oil and when done, dust with cane sugar or ground cinnamon.

That’s it! The torrijas are ready: they can be eaten hot or cold, alone or garnished with sliced dried or fresh fruit. Alternatively, they can be enjoyed with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. 

Author

Monica Nicol (Italy)

Studies: Translation

Languages: Italian, English, Spanish, Catalan

Europe is… a bridge between different languages and cultures

Translator

Ramona Di Bella (Italy)

Studies: Translation 

Languages: Italian, English and Spanish

Europe is a place where you can meet something different, take part in otherness and preserve cultural uniqueness. Europe is union and community.

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Languages: English, French, Russian

 

Study: MA in Applied Translation

 

"As conservative politics tries to push the UK further and further away from the continent, it's now as important as ever to make individual efforts to bring it closer."

Der Beitrag Cooking during quarantine: milk torrijas erschien zuerst auf MH English.

By Julia Mayer / 27.03.2020

Just outside the city centre is the landmark of the 1958 Brussels World Fair, the Atomium. A real tourist attraction and a popular place for selfies, which proves to your followers that you really are in Brussels. But what is it about this building? This symbolises the billion-fold magnification of an iron crystal, which in turn is related to the atomic age and is intended to draw attention to the peaceful use of nuclear energy. And it succeeds very well, not least because of its size of 102 metres and the effect that this has. By the way, originally the building was supposed to be about a quarter larger. However, this could not be executed in the end due to flight safety that had to be guaranteed. The Atomium is not only beautiful to look at from the outside, as the balls and connecting tubes have an inner life which is also worth seeing. There are escalators in the tubes and a lift in the middle tube that takes visitors to the top sphere in seconds. From there you can enjoy a coffee and a view of the whole city. How far you can see of the roofs of Brussels naturally always depends on the weather. That’s why it’s advisable to take a look at this attraction on a clear day – although the fog of Belgium of course has its charms too, no doubt about it.

And while we are on the subject of beautiful views, you can also enjoy them at Brussels’ Palace of Justice, the country’s most important court building. It was built in the 19th century and was influenced by various different styles. Thus, on this building, which is located on a hill in the south of the city, you can bear witness to ancient Egyptian, Babylonian and classical-antique styles. These have made the Palace of Justice a monument that shapes the cityscape. A stone’s throw away from the Palais de Justice, there is a Ferris wheel, which at its highest point reaches about half the height of the Atomium and offers an equally magnificent view over the city.

The architectural styles found in the Palace of Justice are also reflected in the various buildings in the city. From the outside, Brussels is therefore an interesting example of the coexistence of different architectural styles and traditions, from the high Middle Ages to the modern age.

Furthermore, not far from the city centre is the Jubelpark with the Arc de Triomphe. The triumphal arch is intended to illustrate the magnificent history of Brussels and serve as an entrance gate for visitors to the park. However, there are many entrances to the park, as it is used very frequently for sports and leisure activities.

Those who wish to further their education of the city after a walk through its nature have the possibility to do so in three museums, which are adjacent to the Arc de Triomphe. There is the Museum of Art History for art and history enthusiasts and the Autoworld Museum for classic car fans. The Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History presents a military history spanning 12 centuries – from medieval armour to the F-16 jet fighter. The 130 aircrafts in the aviation hall are particularly worth seeing.

One art form that has achieved a broad impact thanks to its original ideas and should therefore not go unmentioned is comics. Very little is known to most people that the three most successful comic series originated in Belgium; the detective comics following the life of global adventurer “Tintin” and his little dog, the hugely popular series “The Smurfs”, and finally the western hero “Lucky Luke”. If you are in the Belgian capital, however, it will become apparent after a while that these figures do in fact come from Belgium, as you will find these comic heroes on many buildings. They represent an embellishment of the cityscape as well as an appreciation of this art.

Now we come to culinary specialities, which I already mentioned in my first report “On the move in the heart of the EU”. What you should definitely try in Brussels is fries, better known as French fries. This dish, which is usually eaten in Belgium not as a side dish but as a main course, originally comes from Belgium and is different from other variations of the dish such as German French fries. Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, double-fried and offered with a variety of possible sauces – this is the true Belgian specialty. You can get this in many places in Brussels, but the best known are the Frit Flagey and Maison Antoine, where many famous figures, such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel, have dined. According to this, the queues are also a little longer, but in the meantime, you can start thinking about which of the roughly 30 sauces you would like to have with your chips.

Another special feature here in Belgium is that many bars and pubs situated around these French fries stands have a sign reading “Frites acceptées”. This means that you can take the fries with you to the pub if you want to enjoy them alongside, for example, an excellent Belgian beer. Which brings us to the next culinary specialty this country has to offer; beer. Belgium is at the top of the league in beer consumption per capita. Only Bavaria can keep up in this regard. Belgium is not subject to any purity law and has an almost surpassing variety of beer types and brands. As flexible as the Belgian beer drinker is, the right beer is chosen depending on the situation, mood, weather, or food. A “real” Belgian would concentrate mainly on top-fermented beers from wheat beer to Alt and on Lambic in its variations from Kriek to Gueuze.

But the Belgians also take the lead at the front of the ‘dessert race’. Around the Grand Place, as well as in very many alleys of the city centre, a sweet smell can be found, which denotes that there are many delicacies in this area. You can find here anything from a wide variety of chocolate, pralines, and famous Belgian waffles. These are thicker than those known in Germany and have a patterned design. Here too, there are no limits to the imagination when it comes to toppings – almost all sauces, fruits, and decorations are conceivable ideas.

Hopefully by now you have gained a good insight into Brussels’ specialities. Yes, most of them are a bit fatty, but you don’t have to try all of the possible variations and you don’t need to eat them every day! In addition, you can balance the calories gained from the delicacies with leisurely strolls in the beautiful parks, which will be discussed in more detail in my next article on Brussels.
Additionally, there are also salty dishes that contain less fat, such as tartes, which by the way are also available in many different forms. Yes, you read correctly: in Belgium it is customary to buy not just one piece of a tart but the whole thing!
What these Belgian dishes have in common is that they are all prepared with great love and care, which should be tasted for yourself!

Author

Julia Mayer (Germany)

Studies: Public Management

Languages : German, English, and French

Europe is… a community that unites, founded on peace and common values, unique in this way, essential for our coexistence.

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Fern D (UK)

 

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Study: MA in Applied Translation

 

"As conservative politics tries to push the UK further and further away from the continent, it's now as important as ever to make individual efforts to bring it closer."

Der Beitrag Brussels’ cultural and culinary attractions erschien zuerst auf MH English.

By Monica Nicol / 3.12.2019

Bicerin is a traditional Italian liqueur from Turin. It takes its name from the little glass that it’s served in (the Italian “bicchierino” meaning “small glass” in English).
This drink was created in the 1700s, and was originally prepared with coffee, chocolate powder and milk. Seeing as the first two ingredients were very expensive at the time, producers in the 1800s often left out the coffee, and the cocoa powder was substituted with walnuts, which are widespread in Piedmont.

Thanks to several reworkings of the recipe, nowadays Bicerin has three main versions in which these three ingredients are combined or alternated. The “pur e fior” version is similar to a cappuccino, the “pur e barba” version is a mixture of coffee and hot chocolate, and the “’n pòc ‘d tut” variety (“un po’ di tutto”, “a bit of everything” in English) contains all of the main ingredients.

Ingredients:

1l of full-fat milk
1kg of sugar
250ml alcohol (spirits)
225 g of bitter cocoa
1 spoon of instant coffee (optional)
1 sachet of vanillin (optional)

Method:

In a saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa powder and milk, and keep over a low heat to melt all the ingredients. Stir continually.
When the mixture is hot, add vanillin and instant coffee, still stirring.

Just before it boils, remove it from heat, then add the alcohol. Stir thoroughly.
After that leave the mixture to cool.

Once cooled, pour the mixture into a bottle.

Your homemade Bicerin is done!

You can enjoy it lukewarm, or cold with a dash of whipped cream. Alternatively, you can use it to garnish ice cream, cakes or any other kind of dessert!

Author

Monica Nicol (Italy)

Studies: Translation

Languages: Italian, English, Spanish, Catalan

Europe is… a bridge between different languages and cultures

Traduttrice

Arianna Bordi (Italy)

Study: Master's Degree in Publishing and Digital Communication

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Europe is… everywhere at home.

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Europe is... being united in differences

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Languages: Russian and English.

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Europe is...diversity and friendship.

Der Beitrag Cooking with grandma: Bicerin, a chocolate liqueur erschien zuerst auf MH English.

By Monica Nicol / 07.10.2019

Ingredients:

1 kg of ripe tomatoes
300 g diced carrots
300 g of celery
300 g of green beans
300 g di red, yellow or green peppers
300 g of cauliflowers
300 g di baby onions
2 glasses of white vinegar
1 glass of extra virgin olive oil
1 spoon of salt
2 spoons of sugar

You’ll need 6 or 7 glass jars with airtight caps.

Method:

First of all, cut the tomatoes into pieces, put them in a pot on the stove, then run them through a vegetable mill.

Clean the vegetables and cut them into small pieces, as in the picture. Let them dry on a kitchen towel.

Then, put the tomatoes back on the stove. Once they start boiling, add carrots, green beans and celery; stir them with a spoon and let them boil for 15 minutes.
Repeat the steps with cauliflower and baby onions and let the mixture boil for 5 minutes.

To conclude, add peppers, oil, white vinegar, salt and sugar. Stir the mixture and let it boil for 5 more minutes.

Let the mixture rest until it cools down completely. In the meantime, soak the glass jars in hot water in order to sterilize them. After drying them, fill the jars with the mixture and close them with airtight caps.
Place the jars in a big pot, cover them with water and sterilize them in bain-marie (35-40 minutes starting when the water boils).

It’s ready! Once the water has cooled down, all you have to do is dry the jars and store them in the pantry for the upcoming winter.

Last but not least, here’s some advice for consumption: the appetizer should be served at room temperature and, if you like, you can add some tuna, olives, mushrooms in oil or even hard-boiled eggs.

Enjoy your meal!

Author

Monica Nicol (Italy)

Studies: Translation

Languages: Italian, English, Spanish, Catalan

Europe is… a bridge between different languages and cultures

Proofreader

Stephanie Whitehead (United Kingdom)

Studies: French and Politics 

Languages: English, French

Europe is… inspiring and mind-opening.

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Daria Subkhangulova (Russia)

Languages: Russian and English.

Job: illustrator.

Europe is...diversity and friendship.

Der Beitrag Cooking with grandma (Italy): Piedmontese appetizer erschien zuerst auf MH English.

By Monica Nicol / 29.04.2019

The Feria de Abril started out as a simple agricultural and cattle fair, but over the years it became a large folkloric and fun event, and a tourist attraction with a considerable economic impact. However, it still represents an important social gathering place for the Sevillians and an opportunity to rediscover Sevillian traditions. Seven intense feast days in which natives and tourists crowd the streets of Seville, where the clatter of the carriages and their horses resonate and everything is illuminated by the bright colors of fans and the trajes de flamenca, the elegant traditional dresses swaying with the dance moves of the sevillanas, a local variety of flamenco.

A view of the great amusement park from the ferris wheel.

The vibrant and cheerful atmosphere which pervades Seville reaches its climax inside the Real de la Feria, the fence that is assembled every year in the Los Remedios area of the city in order to host the event. It represents a fictional city within the city, built on a yellowish sandy ground which is defined as albero, where more than a thousand casetas are set up. These are colourful tents of all sizes in the shape of little houses with elegant furnishings of wood, decorated with striped curtains and flowers, where families come together and celebrate. In contrast to the other Andalusian festivals, almost all casetas in Seville are private, which means that access is restricted to some guests. However, there are also public casetas which represent political parties, the neighborhoods of the city and the municipality. The casetas are grouped in 24 blocks and distributed throughout 15 streets, each of which is named after a famous sevillian torero and is illuminated by colourful paper lanterns, called farolillos. The big fence of the fair also contains the so-called Calle del Infierno, the “infernal street” dedicated to the youngest visitors, who can find here the wonderful amusement park with carousels and the ever-present ferris wheel, as well as the numerous kiosks selling toys and rest-stops.

Casetas on the sandy ground and Sevillians in traditional costume.

Two events must not be missed during this week of entertainment and dancing to the sound of traditional music: the alumbrado ceremony and the fireworks, which characterize respectively the opening and the end of the Feria de Abril.
The alumbrado ceremony takes place during the noche de pescaito (the night of fried fish), characterized by the traditional seafood dinner and by the lighting of the farolillos and the portada, the impressive arc at the entrance of the fence, which starts at the stroke of midnight. The decoration of the portada changes every year and is always dedicated to an important event in Seville.

The farolillos and the numerous light bulbs that illuminate the streets inside the fence of the Feria

The lighting indicated the beginning of the holiday week, where among the numerous sevillian traditions also food plays an important role. Inside the casetas the tortilla de patatas (potato frittata) and the delicious local raw ham, followed by many other delicacies, are always present, accompanied by vino fino and manzanilla, two varieties of dry white wine.

A private caseta with furnishings of wood decorated with the traditional green and white striped elements.

However, the unquestioned king of the feast remains the rebujito, refreshing and lightly alcoholic. It is essential in order to face the scorching temperatures of Seville and to restore one’s strength between dances. It is made by mixing vino fino and manzanilla with soda and… as much ice as you want!
As in fairy tales, this feast of colors, flavours, dances, songs and traditions will end at the stroke of midnight on the seventh day, when the lights of the portada and the farolillos will
go out after a beautiful fireworks show, leaving an impression of melancholy in the hearts of the spectators who have no alternative but to wait with anticipation for the next Feria.

Author

Monica Nicol (Italy)

Studies: Translation

Languages: Italian, English, Spanish, Catalan

Europe is… a bridge between different languages and cultures

Translator

Alessandra Ivaldi (Italy)

Speaks: Italian, English, German, French

Europe is... a cultural heritage.

Website: https://iva1794.wixsite.com/home

Proofreader

 

Param Barodia (Great Britain)

 

Languages: English, French, Spanish, and Gujarati.

 

Studies: Hispanic Studies and French

 

Europe is... a project for the betterment of us all.

 

Der Beitrag Feria de Abril, an expression of Sevilla at its finest erschien zuerst auf MH English.

By Alessandra Ivaldi / 1.4.2018

Easter is the most important festival for Christianity, because it celebrates the Resurrection of Christ. According to tradition, it should be preceded by a period of abstinence and fasting lasting forty days, which is called Lent and aims to prepare the faithful for the solemnity of Easter.

The last Sunday before Easter is called Palm Sunday and recalls Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, where he was welcomed by the crowd carrying palm branches in greeting. Therefore, palm branches – or olive branches, since palm is not so common in Italy – are still distributed to the faithful during Palm Sunday mass.

After Palm Sunday, the last week before Easter is called the Holy Week (settimana santa), which should be dedicated to silence and meditation. On Holy Thursday morning – which is the last Thursday before Easter – Chrism Mass is held in Italian cathedrals and the bishops consecrate the holy oils which will be used throughout the year during confirmations and baptisms or to ordain priests or practice the anointing of the sick.

Finally, during the night between Saturday and Easter, the Easter Vigil is held, which is considered even more important than Christmas Vigil, especially in the Southern regions, where this mass, celebrated with songs and rituals, can take up to three hours. However, those who could not participate in the Vigil can attend the Holy Mass on Easter morning. Since Easter still represents a very important feast in Italy, it is rare for people not to participate in at least one of these religious services.

During the days before Easter it is traditional for Italian families to exchange a particular kind of gift: chocolate eggs! Where does this delicious tradition come from? Do you think it is just an invention of the confectionery industry? Then you are wrong! Donating Easter eggs is an ancient tradition, which dates back to the Middle Ages. Naturally, in the past people did not donate chocolate eggs, but real eggs, which were painted for the occasion. In fact, eggs have always been a symbol of rebirth and in Christian culture they are deeply related to Christ’s Resurrection.

However, in addition to the “universal” chocolate eggs, Italian families have a wide variety of delicious dishes, both sweet and salty, which are usually offered on Easter in our different regions.

Let’s start with the colomba di Pasqua, which actually means ‘Easter dove’. It refers to two types of sweet dishes, the first of which, now famous throughout Italy, was invented in the 1930s by the Milanese company Motta, known for its confectionary and in particular for its panettone, produced in the Christmas period. The creation of the colomba was actually due to the intention to exploit the dough and machinery used to produce the Christmas panettone even in Spring. In this way the colomba was invented, a sweet dish whose shape is reminiscent of a bird, indeed a dove, which is a symbol of peace. The original dough includes flour, eggs, butter, sugar, candied orange and almonds. However, today there are different and more elaborate varieties of this recipe for those with a sweet tooth…

Colomba di Pasqua. Photo: N i c o l a | CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

The second kind of colomba is less famous, in spite of being connected to a more ancient regional tradition. In Sicily people used to exchange little sweet doves as Easter gifts, which are also decorated with colored sugar. Sometimes these doves also hold a little basket made of marzipan, in which people put a hard-boiled egg, in line with the more common tradition of donating Easter eggs.

Staying in the Southern regions of Italy, another ‘must’ during Easter holidays is the Neapolitan pastiera, a cake made with ricotta cheese, candied fruit, eggs, wheat cooked in milk and flavored with cinnamon, orange peel and vanilla.

Neapolitan pastiera. Photo: fagioniglio | CC BY-NC 2.0

According to a legend, the pastiera was created by the mermaid Parthenope, a character belonging to Greek mythology but who was ‘imported’ in ancient times into the Greek colonies in South Italy. Every spring she emerged from the water to greet the humans on the earth and to delight them with her marvellous songs. Her voice was so melodious that people ran towards the sea to celebrate the arrival of the mermaid. Once, seven among the most beautiful girls from the coastal villages were given the task to thank the mermaid by giving her flour, ricotta cheese, wheat, sugar and the spices which today are used to prepare the pastiera. Parthenope brought the precious gifts to the gods, who mixed them with their divine powers, thus creating something more pleasing than the mermaid’s voice.

Now let’s move to the North. The region Liguria offers another typical Easter dish, called torta pasqualina (literally “little Easter cake”). It is prepared by rolling out sheets of dough, alternating with a filling made with chard, onion, eggs, grated cheese and herbs. Moreover, whole eggs can be added and they will become hard-boiled during the baking of the cake; a further tribute to the Easter tradition of donating eggs as symbols of hope and rebirth.

Torta pasqualina. Photo: GabeD | CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Author

Alessandra Ivaldi (Italy)

Studies: Foreign Languages for International Communication

Speaks: Italian, English, German, French

Europe is… a cultural heritage.

Proofreader

Sarah Robinson (United Kingdom)

Studies: French and German Language and Literature

Languages: French, German, English

Europe is… complex and invaluable.

Der Beitrag Chocolate eggs and doves – Easter in Italy erschien zuerst auf MH English.

By Laura Barberis

Italians are very fond of their traditional cooking, and so they usually can’t stand the hybrids of Italian cuisine that can be found while visiting other countries. Since I’m not from Rome, I’m afraid that I, too, will receive threats from Romans, mostly because my recipe has some variations. Therefore, I want to make it clear that this is my grandma’s recipe and that I completely trust her on this.

Before we start, a little advice: you should use long types of pasta for the recipe, like spaghetti or linguine, mostly because in Italy we have many types of pasta and not every type goes well with every sauce.

The ingredients. They might appear less than expected, but that’s because it was just grandma and I for dinner. © Laura Barberis

Now, the recipe.

Ingredients (for 4 persons):
– 350g of spaghetti
– 3 eggs *
– 150g of diced bacon (the original recipe requires “guanciale”, but since it is more difficult to find you can use bacon instead)
– 30g of shredded parmesan (here, too, there’s a variation: you should use “pecorino romano”, but parmesan will do)
– 1 or 2 tbsp of olive oil
– 1 garlic clove
– Salt and pepper

*If you need to change the doses, my grandma suggests you use as many eggs as the diners less one (so if there’s 6 of you use 5 eggs, if there’s 3 use 2 eggs and so on)

Preparation:

First of all, fill a large pot just over half full with water, add a handful of cooking salt.

While the water is heating up, pour the oil in a pan with the garlic clove and brown it (without burning it), so that the oil will have some more flavour; then, add the diced bacon and brown until the fat becomes transparent, then turn it off and let it rest.

© Laura Barberis

Put the eggs in a large bowl and beat them for a couple of minutes, then add parmesan, salt and pepper and mix together until it looks creamy.

© Laura Barberis

When the water is boiling, add spaghetti without breaking them in half (breaking spaghetti means breaking an italian’s heart) and stir with a wooden fork in order to push them into the water and make them soft and easier to stir.

© Laura Barberis

The cooking time is usually written on the box, but spaghetti normally take ten minutes or so to be ready but, in any case, this is what it should look like when ready:

© Laura Barberis

Drain the pasta and put it into the bowl with the eggs and parmesan mix, then add the bacon (removing the garlic clove first) and stir: the heat from the pasta will cause the egg to cook enough to be creamy without being raw!

Finished! © Laura Barberis

Serve immediately, and don’t forget to put a bowl with shredded parmesan on your dinner table too, because some people, as Italians often do, might want to add it to the “carbonara”.

Enjoy your meal and “buon appetito!”

Author

Laura Barberis (Italy)

Studies: Theories and Techniques of Interlinguistic Mediation

Languages: Italian, English, Spanish and French

Proofreader

Ashika Bhatt (England)

Work: Au Pair in Germany

Speaks: English, French, German

Europe is…culture

Der Beitrag Cooking with grandma (Italy): pasta alla carbonara erschien zuerst auf MH English.