Glorious Umbrian Cuisine!
Feb 10 '03 (Updated Jun 26 '08)
The Bottom Line Let's face it, the most important aspect of any trip to Italy is the food.
Do not be frightened. I come in hunger. Take me to your kitchen.
Anyone who's ever been to Italy, or talked to someone who has, knows that Italian food is to die for. The wine, the pasta, the olive oils and cheeses.... Those who have yet to visit this land of plenty may not realize just how varied "Italian food" is from one region to the next. A traveler could spend a lifetime getting to know the many regional cuisines of this ancient land. The people of each region quite rightly cherish their own unique glories.
Umbria is no exception; if anything its cuisine is a paragon of local traditions and influence. I've made two wintertime visits to Umbria (one of them just last month), so I may well have missed the midsummer specialties of the region. Yet there are compensations for missing the Italian summer tomatoes. For instance, the black truffles of Umbria are at their peak in the depths of winter. Furthermore, the incomparable jade-green olive oils of this region are pressed from October to December and sold out by the beginning of spring.
In general the Umbrian diet is a healthy one relying heavily on grains, beans, olive oil, several key vegetables and modest amounts of meat. Vegetarianism is certainly not the norm in Umbria or any other part of Italy, but since the cuisine boasts such a large variety of dishes, vegetarian visitors will find dining out manageable if not completely simple. This diversity is a blessing; it forestalls any possible boredom for travelers who dine out for every meal. In all the travel I've done throughout Europe, I've never encountered such diversity within a single region as I have in each of Italy's regions.
So without further ado, let's dive into the cuisine!
Verdure - vegetables
Keep in mind that both of my visits to Umbria have been in the winter, so I haven't experienced the full panoply of seasonal favorites when it comes to vegetables. The winter larder includes two kinds of cabbages: the crinkly, deep green Savoy cabbage and a variety of black cabbage particular to Italy called cavolo nero. It, or its very near relative, is sometimes sold in the States as kale lacinato, or dinosaur kale. Artichokes, fennel and arugula (carciofi, finocchio e rucola) are the other winter mainstays. Of course, tomatoes are still used widely at this time, but only preserved tomatoes.
These are all wonderful vegetables. However, the real driving force behind Umbrian cuisine is the earthy black truffle. I've had more than one Umbrian chef tell me that all of Umbrian cuisine is based on the truffle, which is one reason that what Americans and other foreigners know as "Italian food" in their own countries is not Umbrian food.
The real season for black truffles is late October through February, though I'm told they're really at their best in December and January. They are typically used to garnish grilled meats and pasta dishes. The amount of truffle grated onto various and sundry dishes will likely stagger a foreign visitor the first time they witness this happy event. You would think they were garnishing with chopped parsley for all the cost-consciousness they seem to employ. This seeming nonchalance with such a treasured ingredient speaks of long familiarity with the truffle. Umbria is the source of black truffles. It is not some exotic and mystical imported delicacy, but a native tradition. Enjoy it while you're in Umbria, because you'll never have them so generously served and so fresh as you will here.
Don't bother buying preserved truffles packed in oil after you've had the real thing. In terms of taste, the preserved truffle is a poor relation to the fresh product. The money you will expend in discovering this for yourself will not be trifling.
Wheat in all its forms
I find Umbrian bread rather bland, its texture a bit crumbly and undistinguished. But I freely admit it makes excellent crostini when toasted over the open embers traditionally used in Umbrian cooking. Made without salt, these large round loaves retain a pronounced wheaty flavor. Umbria has another type of bread: the flatbread. These unleavened rounds are cooked on special disks in the fireplaces and sometimes stuffed with spinach or cooked chard. I preferred the flatbread to the leavened type.
It's absolutely necessary here to devote a few paragraphs to the discussion of pasta. Each region has its particular favorites when it comes to the enormous variety of pastas, both stuffed and unstuffed. Residents of each locality are extremely particular about the size, shape, texture, fillings (if applicable) and the sauces that are acceptable for each variety. In Umbria the native pasta is called strangozzi (sometimes spelled "stringozzi"), which has some etymological connection to the word 'strangle'. Strangozzi is a rough noodle, long and somewhat thick. Whether the name refers to what happens when you bite off more than you can chew when a faced with a succulent plate or the legendary garrotes used to dispatch the region's tax collectors the world may never know. Any number of sauces can accompany the noodles. Whether served with a hearty meat sauce; an eggplant, onion and tomato sauce; sautéed porcini mushrooms and pecorino or a pesto of basil and arugula - strangozzi never fails to please.
Strangozzi is not the only pasta served in Umbria, of course. Tagliatelle, pence, gnocchi and pappardelle make regular appearances at table, as do the very simple quadrucci - small, flat squares of pasta that accompany chickpeas in the simple yet elegant ceci e quadrucci soup. That does not mean that all types of pasta are available in every region. You will not readily find filled pastas in Umbria, just as you will not find strangozzi in Emilia-Romagna.
This is all to say that when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Try whatever pasta is on the menu wherever you find yourself: it's sure to be delicious. Whatever you do, don't ask for spaghetti if you don't see it on the menu. You may even cause offense if you do so, so fiercely are Italians attached to their own local pastas. In Bologna (in the region of Emilia-Romagna, north of Umbria) for example, where filled pastas are popular, you may sample tortellini in brodo (in broth, that is). Now these divine little morsels must be of just such a particular size and shape. It is an abomination to a Bolognese to create tortellini which are slightly too large. The pasta is no longer tortellini at all; it has now morphed into something fit only for a barbarian. Furthermore, it can be filled only with a mixture of prosciutto di Parma, Mortadella, Reggiano Parmesan and egg. Lastly, it is only to be served in its particular broth. If the dish doesn't follow these strict parameters, the food is no longer tortellini; it's as simple as that.
Right. 'Nuff said on pasta.
Wheat also makes an important appearance in Umbrian cuisine under another guise, called farro. Farro is a variety of emmer wheat, having very large grains that look like over-sized barley. The Umbrians prepare hearty zuppa di farro, a bone-warming winter soup in which the plump grains take on a wonderful chewy texture and absorb the flavors of the broth and other ingredients quite well.
Umbrian lentils
Within Italy, Umbria is also known for the special variety of lentils grown in Castelluccio and a few other towns. These tiny lentils come in a mixed palette of muted hues. Somehow these lentils manage to retain a firmness when thoroughly cooked that is completely different from other lentils. While others seem to almost disintegrate upon cooking, Umbrian lentils have a substantial meaty texture. They are frequently served in simple but hearty soups and sometimes used to stuff vegetables.
*See the end of this review for a great recipe using these culinary treasures.*
Olive oil
I'll be upfront about this and admit I'm a snob when it comes to extra-virgin olive oil, as I am also about chocolate and many other foods. In my considered opinion, the cloudy, deep green oils of Umbria are simply beyond compare. The intense fruity flavor and unfiltered sediments of these oils beckon seductively. Pour a dollop on your plate, add a pinch of salt and dive in with the bread. Pour it over your soup, your meat, your beans and pasta; the Umbrians do. I always have extra-virgin olive oil on hand in the kitchen, but my bottle of Umbrian extra-virgin has acquired a grail-like halo. When I lived in the States I used it only as a garnish, sparingly and never for cooking. On this most recent trip we returned with five bottles of extra-virgin olive oil from four different producers. They're down in the cellar with our Sagrantino de Montefalco wines. So I'm using it a bit more freely these days.
I highly recommend you indulge in however many bottles you think you can carry home with you and get through in a year. To the best of my knowledge there is no limit to the number of bottles of olive oil Americans can bring back for personal use duty-free. If you can, try to find oils from olives harvested and pressed in October, when the fruits reach their peak. Extra virgin olive oil should never be kept longer than a year as its qualities diminish rapidly over time. See my review of Umbria for a few suggestions on where to buy olive oil when visiting this region.
Formaggio - Cheese
The most popular local cheese here is pecorino, made from sheep's milk. Appearing in many forms, you will find young and aged, sweet and spicy, mild and strong pecorino. Of course, other cheeses such as mozzarella, ricotta and Parmesan as well as the less known stracchino all have their uses in the cucina. Oddly though, the Umbrian diet doesn't seem to rely quite as heavily on cheese as do other Italian regional cuisines.
Game, Salumi & other meats
The butchers from the town of Norcia in southeast Umbria are famous throughout Italy. Their skill at preparing salumi (various dried sausages that would pass for salami outside of Italy) is legendary and unfortunately a dying art. In other regions one can see butcher shops and delis advertising themselves as Norcinerias.
If you should visit this high mountain town, the variety of dried sausages and other pork products may well astound you. There is prosciutto di Norcia, prosciutto di cinghiale (cured leg of wild boar), Coglioni di Mulo ("mule's balls" - no, not literally), coppa, pancetta and the list just goes on from there. You will see them proudly displayed in the windows of the butcher shops all over town. Pork and a few other culinary delicacies drive the entire economy of this town.
Of course, American visitors should remember that US customs will have nasty things to say and do to you should you be caught trying to smuggle these meats back into the country. If you want to risk it anyway, at least ask the butcher to vacuum seal the meats for you. You might stand a chance with the luggage-sniffing beagles that way. As European residents we bought with abandon this time around. American visitors can, at the very least, buy enough cold cuts for a few sandwiches.
Lamb, veal and beef make regular if not very frequent appearances as main dishes in their own right. More often, modest amounts of meat are cooked into soups, stews and pasta sauces. When a large cut of meat is served on its own it is usually grilled over live coals and garnished with a drizzle of olive oil and some grated or shaved black truffle.
If you dine in many Umbrian restaurants or have the fortune to be invited to someone's house for a meal, you will observe that food is grilled at "high fireplaces," with special tools that have been developed around this tradition. The base of a typical high fireplace is at about waist level, and the fireplace is quite deep. Live coals are raked forward, and a wide low grill with its own feet is set a few inches over them. Sometimes a tiny electric fan, no bigger than the palm of your hand, is used right inside the fireplace to fan the coals and cook the food quickly.
Like other large cuts of meat, game is not the most typical dinner dish in Umbria. But squab (palombe) and boar (cinghiale) make for special and delicious dishes. They are often used in sauces for pasta, following the Umbrian tendency to get the most possible mileage out of all meats. If you should come across game on the menu, I recommend you try it, whatever its form.
Fish play a relatively minor role in Umbrian cuisine since it lacks a coastline. This is a significant contrast from many other regional traditions that rely very heavily on the ocean's bounty. Fresh water fish such as eel and trout from the rivers or from Lake Trasimeno in eastern Umbria are available at times. A primordial looking freshwater shrimp may put off the squeamish if served up whole as sometimes happens.
Wine
The bottom line with Umbrian wines is: stick to the reds. There are a very few wonderful Umbrian wines, but many restaurants will automatically serve you the better known and -loved Tuscan varieties. Umbria's best wines are Sagrantino di Montefalco and San Giovese. The Sagrantino is a full-bodied and lively type. In my opinion Arnaldo Caprai produces the best of these. San Gioveses are quite a bit softer and more subdued - a good choice with fish and other mild dishes. Most of the whites are unremarkable at best. If you're lucky you may also get to sample Sagrantino passito wine, a traditional but increasingly less known red dessert wine made in this region.
Dolci - Desserts
Sweets are not a traditional finale to Umbrian meals, but under the influence of foreign customs, they have been incorporated to the local cucina. Small cookies and biscuits, by turns shockingly sweet or hardly sweet at all, now follow up hearty meals. Names like cantucci, brutti ma buoni ("ugly but good") and fave di morte ("beans of death") will not mean much to you until you have tried them. Please do. They are all wonderful, especially the ethereally light brutti ma buoni, which melt in your mouth like a cloud of happiness.
Perugina chocolate is named for Perugia, the capital city of Umbria and it is a much loved local product. Perugina's many delicacies come wrapped in its trademark silver and blue wrappers. I don't want to get too high up on my warhorse, but to be honest I find it difficult to enthuse about most chocolate after a year's residence in Belgium, which as any chocoholic worth their beans knows has the best chocolate in the world. Perugina's most recognizable product is the bacci, a chocolate and hazelnut confection that has a rather nipple-like appearance. Make of it what you will, they are tasty.
A few words about dining out in Italy
As in many European countries there are definite times when it's possible to eat in a restaurant. In all but the largest cities of Italy one shouldn't expect to be able to catch a late lunch at 3pm. Or for that matter, an early dinner at 5pm. For the most part, restaurants are open at meal times and not between. If you're desperate between mealtimes you can almost always find a gelateria or pizzeria that will sell you a slice to carry out. I found that most restaurants opened for dinner around 8:00.
But don't show up for dinner at 8:00 ravenously hungry. The restaurant is just getting started then. They'll give you a menu and half an hour to look it over before they bring you a little bread and your first drink. We generally made reservations for 8:30 and were often the first customers to arrive. We saw one couple show up for dinner at 10:30 and no one seemed to think anything of it.
Reservations are often essential on Friday or Saturday nights, and even when they aren't Italian restaurateurs will be pleased by the respect and commitment you show by making one. Once you've secured a table for dinner, it's yours for the whole evening. No one will try to turn over your table so they can seat someone else there. Meals are leisurely and ample. Don't rush through your meal. The more slowly you eat, the more you'll be able to eat, and in this country that's a good thing.
Tipping is practiced in Italy, though a service charge of 15% or higher figured into your tab (servizio) will make further tips unnecessary. Foreign diners may be confused by the coperto charge, which can range from a trivial to a hefty amount. This charge is intended to cover the cost of linen laundering, "complimentary" bread, fresh flowers on the table and other fixed costs associated with a customer sitting down to eat. The coperto has nothing to do with the waitstaff; it is retained by the house. Tips for your server should be left in cash.
Vegetarian Fare
Vegetarian visitors will find it much easier to enjoy a diverse, satisfying and nutritious diet in Umbria and Italy in general than in many other countries of Europe. Umbria is blessed with excellent soil for agriculture, so there are plenty of fruits and vegetables to enjoy year-round. Nonetheless the typical Umbrian main course will include at least a little meat. Vegetarians will need to be cautious about ordering what they think will be a meatless dish. Italian menus are not usually highly descriptive, so be sure to ask whether a dish contains meat if there is any room for doubt. I frequently received dishes that contained meat after ordering something I thought would be vegetarian. Light lunch options such as carry out pizza slices and stuffed breads from a fornaio will be useful strategies for non-meat eaters. Vegans will probably have a much more difficult time of it, since even the pasta is likely to be made with eggs. But with a decent grasp of the language they might be able to find enough to eat other than salads, bread and olives. The overwhelming preference for olive oil to butter in Umbria will help make this feasible.
Hungry yet?
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As a parting gift, I'm going to add my recipe for Umbrian Lentils to this review. Sharing my favorite recipes is something that used to be quite difficult for me, especially when I actually developed the recipe personally, as I did this one. But I'm trying to get better about it. I'll think of it as a gentle prod for jackai. He'll know what I mean...
You'll have to trust me when I say that there's an enormous difference between Umbrian lentils and the common variety of lentil found in the US or even the fancy, high-priced French green lentils. Look for Umbrian lentils in good Italian delis or importers. They are available in the US, at least in some of the larger metropolitan areas.
Umbrian Style Lentils
Half of one large onion, finely diced
1 cup very finely diced fennel bulb
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (a fruity green oil is preferable)
2 large cloves of garlic, peeled and slightly crushed
1 slice smoked bacon, cut into 4 equal pieces
1 1/2 cups Umbrian lentils
5 large fresh sage leaves, torn in half
2 pinches of fresh rosemary leaves
2 dried bay leaves
2 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil for the dressing
Pick over the lentils and discard any small stones. Rinse them very quickly in cool water and drain well.
In a 2 quart saucepan, over medium heat, sauté the diced onion and fennel together in the olive oil until softened but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add the bacon and cook for 2 more minutes. Then add the lentils and stir quickly to coat the lentils with oil. Add the remaining ingredients except for the oil for dressing. Bring the lentils to a quick simmer, then cover the pot and turn the burner down to the lowest possible setting. Cook the lentils very slowly for 2 hours, checking occasionally and stirring very gently. If the liquid evaporates too quickly, refresh with a few tablespoons of boiling water.
When the lentils are done, remove the bacon, the garlic cloves and the bay leaves and discard them. There should still be a little liquid left among the lentils, but not so much as if it were a soup. Taste the lentils and adjust the seasonings. Serve them in a shallow bowl and drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil. Serves four as a first course. Reheats well in the microwave, but does not freeze well.
These lentils can also be used to stuff vegetables such as bell peppers or Savoy cabbage. They can also easily be made into a soup by adding more chicken stock after the lentils are thoroughly cooked.
Did you enjoy this commentary on Umbrian cuisine? If so, you might want to read about:
• cuisine of Veneto - Asiago, sorpressa, radicchio, Prosecco and more
• Bavarian cuisine - beyond brez'n & bratwurst
• Andalucian cuisine - tapas, bacalao, Serrano ham and red wine!
For further information about Italy, these reviews may be of use:
• Eating In Italy - the most reliable English-language guide I know of for dining in northern Italy
• Glorious Umbria - Italy's Green Heart and my favorite destination
• Florence - One of Italy's Gem's
• Venice - the Good, the Bad & the Gorgeous
• Bassano del Grappa - a charming but often overlooked river town at the foot of the Dolomiti
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