Why a Holiday in Italy Is a Must for Every Travel Enthusiast

If you are looking for a good reason for planning a holiday in Italy this amazing place is definitely going to spoil you with unlimited choices! Italy is a wonderful amalgamation of stunning locales, architecture and rich culture which has transformed this place into a year round vacation spot for travelers from all across the globe. The country has such diverse experiences to offer that tourists are now being able to avail cheap holidays to Italy very easily and without much bother at all. What’s more with the country’s tourism industry flourishing like never before renting out beautiful Italian villas for whole seasons has now become a very popular and budget friendly option for vacationers.

Stunning Scenic Locations

Located in the south of Europe, Italy is home to some of the most spectacular alpine ranges, pristine beaches, gorgeous lakes and lush green national parks all of which offer a variety of diverse destinations for planning a holiday in Italy. Tourists can avail some great vacation options through cheap beach holidays amongst which the beaches across Sicily like those of Mondello and Taormina are some of the most beautiful and budget friendly seaside destinations. Continue reading “Why a Holiday in Italy Is a Must for Every Travel Enthusiast”

Chitalian Foods – A Fantastic Fusion of East Meets West

In different countries around the world, people differentiate themselves in many aspects such as culture or way of life and even in the ingredients as well as the way they cook food is influenced by the regions where they live in. And because of the varying preferences that people have in various locations, restaurants, for instance, see to it that the food in their menu adapt to how people in that particular area like their food. For example, the American fastfood chain Kentucky Fried Chicken has introduced Kung Pao Chicken Pasta in Asian countries, which is a fusion between the Italian spaghetti and the Chinese-originated spicy and sweet Chicken with nuts. Another example is McDonald’s that offers spicy chicken burgers as well as burger steak meals as part of its menu lineup, which are not offered in Western countries.

Because of the difference that food is served in a way that would suit the taste and preferences of different people in different regions, a new, way of cooking food has been introduced and this is what is called fusion cuisine, which has originated in Europe and has been around since the 1970’s, particularly in France. Usually, the two cuisines that are most often mixed together to form unique dishes are Asian and European where they combine European ingredients with Asian style of cooking. And due to the popularity of fusion cuisine, it has spread in other countries such as the United States. Continue reading “Chitalian Foods – A Fantastic Fusion of East Meets West”

Outback Steakhouse

One of the most successful concepts of all time is Outback Steakhouse. Who would have guessed that Outback founders Chris Sullivan and Robert Basham and Senior Vice President Tim Gannon’s philosophy of ”No rules, just right” would become so successful? When it opened in 1988, beef was not everyone’s favorite dish. Now there are more than 880 Outbacks. Chris Sullivan says, ”Our restaurants serve the freshest food possible, using our imported Parmesan cheese, grated fresh daily, and our imported virgin olive oil. Our fresh midwestern grain-fed beef is the highest-quality choice beef available, and we serve only fresh, never frozen, chicken and fish. Almost everything is made fresh daily.

We like to describe our menu as ‘full flavored.’ In 1993, the Outback concept was growing so well that they decided to diversify into Italian food and purchased a 50 percent interest in Carraba’s Italian Grill. In 1995, Outback purchased the sole rights to develop the Carraba’s concept, which features a casual dinner in a warm festive atmosphere with a variety of fresh handmade Italian dishes cooked to order in the exhibition kitchen. Continued growth of all concepts came, in large part, from Outback’s mission statement: We believe that if we take care of Our People, then the institution of Outback will take care of itself. Continue reading “Outback Steakhouse”

Marfalde With Fresh Porcini Mushrooms

I’ve noticed lately that porcini mushrooms are appearing more at the supermarket, particularly the dried version.

The fresh version is most plentiful in the spring and fall seasons; where they are imported from Italy.

The dried version is also tasty and keeps far longer than it’s fresh counterpart. Sometimes you may be able to find them in the produce section.

However, I have seen them in other parts of the supermarket. If you can’t find it, ask someone who works at the market, I’m sure they can point you in the right direction.

An added benefit of dried porcini is that it is always there if you need to make a quick but elegant supper. Continue reading “Marfalde With Fresh Porcini Mushrooms”

Wood Fired Pizza Restaurants Near Arab Street

If you are looking for some Italian fun on the streets of Singapore on your next vacation then it is time to hit Arab Street. Here, you may find eating options galore for a delightful indulgence every time you come for a meal. There are many wood fired pizza restaurants lining up Arab Street for which are ideal for your date, lunch, economy dinner, brunch, family gathering, business buffet or casual outings.

Be it any reason, you can always celebrate while enjoying food at any of these places like Cicheti, Pizza Face and Piedra Negra. Pick up anything from the menu and you may find that each one is equally delicious and mouth-watering. Visit Pizza Face where the most popular choices on the menu include dishes, such as Parma Ham with Bufala mozzarella, arugula and diced tomatoes.

Try the Pizza Face Continue reading “Wood Fired Pizza Restaurants Near Arab Street”

Delicate and Sweet Marjoram

People all over the world value marjoram as a culinary herb for its delicately sweet, pleasant flavor. For centuries, cooks in many regions from a wide variety of cultures have used this herb (which is closely related to oregano) to season all sorts of meat, stews, vegetables and breads.

In France, this herb is one of the main ingredients in the famous mix of herbs, Herbes de Provence. In the Arab world, marjoram is the main ingredient in the herbal mix and condiment Za’atar. In ancient Greece, physicians touted this herb for its medicinal purposes as well-they applied it internally and externally to help conditions such as narcotic poisons, convulsions and dropsy. Furthermore, ancient Greeks believed that if marjoram grew on a grave, it meant happiness for the departed person in the afterlife. Continue reading “Delicate and Sweet Marjoram”

Iconic Foods of Europe

Greek Feta

Greek cheeses are an important part of the Greek cuisine.

Feta is the national cheese of Greece consisting of sheep and goat’s milk (with a maximum of 30% goat milk).

Sheep’s milk gives the cheese a more buttery flavor, while goat cheese makes it harder and milder in flavor.

Creamy, crumbly feta is a soft, white, rindless, cheese that is salty and tangy because it is stored in barrels filled with brine (salt and water) for a minimum of 2 months and up to 12 months.

Storing feta in plain water will help keep its crumbly texture. Continue reading “Iconic Foods of Europe”

Pecorino Cheese

The term Pecorino designates each of the six Italian cheeses (Romano, Toscano, Sardo, Filiano, Crotonese, and Siciliano) that are so designated as being produced entirely from sheep’s milk. Note that the names correspond with Italian regions or provinces. Also note that American cheeses that are also called Pecorino derive from Cow’s milk because the American dairy system and American tastes are built about cow milk.

As a member of the European Union, Italy acquired legal protection of the process for making the Pecorino cheeses. Pecorino Romano, for example, a cheese developed as a key component of the diet of Roman soldiers, is still hand salted as it ages, just as it was during the time of the Roman Empire. There are variants of these cheeses, mostly due to village traditions of adding some kind of nut, truffles, or honey to the cheese. Some additives cross boldly into the “What are you thinking?” category, such as the variant called Casu Marzu, in which larvae of a fly (the cheese fly) are embedded into the cheese to cause the cheese to ferment. Casu Marzu literally means “rotten cheese.” Continue reading “Pecorino Cheese”

Why Is Spaghetti Called Spaghetti?

Everybody knows pizza, but what do you really know about Italian cuisine…?

Did you for example ever ask yourself “why is spaghetti called spaghetti”?

We all have bespattered ourselves at least once with spaghetti sauce, havent’t we…?

Not very astonishing given the fact that those long slippery noodles are not so easy to eat.

If you wrap too much of them around your fork they quickly pile up to a dumpling the size of a ball of wool which nobody can stuff into the mouth without coll(e)ateral damage.

If you take too few they are slipping back onto the plate in a split second. Continue reading “Why Is Spaghetti Called Spaghetti?”

Zuppa Inglese (English Soup) – The Story of an Italian Trifle

Zuppa Inglese, loosely translated as English Soup, is an extremely popular Italian dessert found primarily in the Northern-Central regions of the peninsula – Tuscanny, Emilia-Romagna, the Marche and Umbria. Rich in ingredients, it’s similar to the traditional English trifle, but is nearly always home-made!

Sitting in a rustic restaurant in the hills outside the seaside town of Rimini, enjoying the conversation that flows after a hearty meal, our dinner companion – an Irishman – asked with a puzzled air, ‘but why is it called zuppa inglese?’ There seemed to be a consensus around the table – including the restaurant owner – that the dish had been developed in the immediate post-war period while allied forces were still billeted in the region. The theory goes that the dish was developed following instructions from English soldiers who wanted a little taste of home, and that the results tasted so good that the dish remained long after the troops had gone home. Continue reading “Zuppa Inglese (English Soup) – The Story of an Italian Trifle”