The perennially popular Italian folk tune “Bella Ciao” has roots in 19th-century farm laborer protests in northern Italy, but this simple yet stirring…
Amy Gulick
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Amy, a California native who called Tuscany home for 20+ years, writes about Italian feast day traditions, food folklore, and food-related trends and issues in Italian society. She has also translated several Italian cookbooks and works as an English and Writing professor.
Articles by Amy Gulick
Arguably no gastronomic product is more strongly connected to Milan than panettone, Italy’s beloved Christmastime fruitcake made with candied fruit pe…
While Italy’s cast of Christmas characters includes some very familiar figures — Babbo Natale (Santa), naturally, and La Befana, the frumpy Chris…
On August 10, Italians celebrate San Lorenzo (Saint Lawrence), patron saint of cooks, brewers and vintners, butchers, bakers, confectioners, restaurat…
Recipes by Amy Gulick
A refreshing and pretty twist on the classic spritz. Use peppermint, spearmint, or other variety of fresh mint to make the liqueur. For very…
Versatile mackerel or sgombri in Italian are a great fish for grilling, baking or frying. Like all oily fish, sgombri should be consumed as…
Purists will scoff, but you really can make lasagna out of just about anything. The vegetarian version here gets all its wonderful flavor from fresh…
Meaning something like ‘small bundle’, involtino is the diminutive of the Italian word involto, which in turn is rooted in the Latin involvo and…
If you’ve got a backyard sage plant, soon enough you’ll be up your elbows in fresh leaves. This resilient aromatic perennial—long used in cooking,…
These gnocchetti or ‘little gnocchi’ are another great way to use up old bread, made much in keeping with the spirit and practice of the Italian…
Photo By Emiko Davies
The cucina povera has given us some remarkable Italian dishes. From stale bread-based specialties like pappa al pomodoro and…
The clam known as vongola verace in Italy (Venerupis decussate) is from the large Veneridae family and is without a doubt the most prized clam…
Popular in Sicily, where it's known as c'anciova e muddica, this pasta dish combines savory and sweet flavors with the crunch of …
This dessert is a sweet twist on the classic orange-and-Campari flavor combination so popular in drinks like the Negroni, the Americano, and a spritz…
For a small town, Vicchio del Mugello in northeast Tuscany holds a goodly share of historical fascination. Among its notable sons are Giotto and…
Ponce is one of those fun Italian words lifted from the English language — from the word punch, in this case — just like bistecca, taken…
Zabaione is an Italian dessert made from egg yolk, sugar, and sweet or fortified wine such as Marsala, Moscato, or Porto. Countless variations exist…
Much is known about Giuseppe Mazzini’s fondness for coffee, chocolate, and sweets. Perhaps apocryphal, a rather beguiling quote about chocolate is…
Calamari, one of various types of squid popular in Italian cuisine, takes its name from the Italian word for inkwell, calamaio, given the creature’s…
Canederli are a dumpling-like dish popular in South Tyrol, otherwise known in Italy as Alto-Adige, where German-speaking Italians know them as Knödel…
In Italy, the four most common porcino varieties grow under chestnut, beech, oak, and pine trees in not-too-densely forested areas, thriving on a…
Ricotta has been around for a long time. The Romans and Etruscans made a form of curd cheese obtained from boiled milk, likely ricotta’s antecedent;…
A sformato or sformatino is a custard-like dish that takes its name from the Italian word sformare, meaning to ‘unmold’ or ‘turn out.’ They can be…
Unknown to—or at least uneaten by—ancient Greeks and Romans, eggplant was introduced to this part of the Mediterranean world by the Arabs during…
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