Good Food Blog

Talking Italian

Posted at 11:31AM, 27 March 2008 by Gregg Wallace - TV presenter, greengrocer

I do get to do some great stuff! I realise how fortunate I am to get invited to work in many great places. There is though a down side of this, especially for a big gob chatterbox like me. There is always a big gap between me filming something and it being shown on the telly. I do something great, then I'm not allowed to tell anyone!

Well, without giving too much away. I was invited to tell of and film in my favourite food bit of the world. For me that is easy, too easy - Southern Italy.

Open quotationThere is no celebration of Chef, the best food is in the home. Eating well in Basilicata is a birthright. Close quotation

I have just spent a few wonderful days in Basilicata. This is the region in between the heel of Apulia and the pointy toe of Calabria. It is a rustic and fiercely regional area, with great cheese, amazing use of pigs and some of the best veg in the world. That is one of the reasons I love it. Nobody loves veg as much as me, Hindus and Southern Italians.

It is the sheer inventiveness of the cuisine, developed by peasant peoples trying to feed big families with very little. There is no celebration of Chef, the best food is in the home. Eating well out there is a birth right. I have rarely met such generous people, they want to feed you all the time. You have dinner with a family in Basilicata and three days later you are hungry again!

I once heard a clever chap on the Radio 4 Food Programme. What he said has stayed with me for years. "French food at its best shows the genius of the chef. Italian food at its best shows the genius of God".

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Comments

  • Binder photo Italiana
    29 March 2008, 3:02PM

    Italiana

    Open QuoteI love Southern Italy and its food. Although born here in the UK my parents are from Calabria. The peasant dishes that you are describing I still cook today for my family on a daily basis as they are extremely healthy.: pasta e fagioli, pasta al sugo, bolito and traditional sponges soaked with Strega and sandwiched together with creme patiscerie. We also make our own salcicha and parma ham and fresh pasta. I have two children, 8 and 3yrs of age and they love good healthy home cooked food. Fingers crossed they too will carry on with the Southern Italian traditions.

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  • Binder photo Gregg
    30 March 2008, 11:51AM

    Gregg

    Open QuoteCan I come for dinner? Sorry cena!

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  • Binder photo papardella
    1 April 2008, 5:15PM

    papardella

    Open QuoteWhat about northern italian cuisine. Please do not discount the great middleeastern influences in cuisine from Venice, where by the way the passion for vegetables is visible everyday on the market stalls strolling from the train station towards piazza San Marco, or the eathiness of the cuisine from Emilia Romagna or Piemonte. I love Southern cuisine as well, but i felt a little love was due to the rest of the culinary delights of the rest of the Boot. Vittore

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  • Binder photo Gregg
    6 April 2008, 1:18PM

    Gregg

    Open QuoteOf course you are right Papardella. I have visited the north, but I'm always drawn to the south.

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  • Binder photo Italiana
    24 April 2008, 4:40PM

    Italiana

    Open QuoteHahaha....anytime Gregg...as long as you do the washing up! hahaha... So Gregg tell us more about your experiences re the italian cucina!

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  • Binder photo virumaliset
    13 April 2012, 4:24PM

    virumaliset

    Open QuoteI love cooking Italian food and my favorite is the classic meatballs and spaghetti. My secret is to use a deep cooking pan that will fit everything in comfortably, and the one I use is from the <a href="http://jamieolivercookware.net/rachael-ray-cookware/">Rachael Ray Cookware</a> range. It does a great job and I always get compliments for this dish. Superb!

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