The Cooking and Cuisine of Umbria

[Pontormo]

It's so much better than the unhulled wheat berries and emmer wheat is grown here in the midwest, I believe.

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I believe that natural or health food stores sell spelt as wheat berries; spelt can be traced back to prehistoric times in Europe.

Farro, on the other hand, is emmer wheat and can be traced back to the Ancient Near East.

The two are commonly confused and since spelt is more commonly available in the U.S., it's usually substituted. In Italy, the organic farro I find in the supermarket cooks up in less than half an hour. Wheat berries in the U.S. take longer to cook, less time if pre-soaked.

[ghostrider]

Sigh.... more wonderful Umbrian photos......

I'm familiar with that world's largest Christmas tree by reputation & photograph, though not in person.

Gubbio is where St Francis struck a deal with the wolf. Fascinating story about the skeleton of an extremely large wolf being found under the portico of a Franciscan church during renovations.

Gubbio (outskirts) is also where geologist Walter Alvarez found that thin layer of iridium in exposed rock strata that led to his theory of the giant meteor impact that ended the era of the dinosaurs. Talk about your deep time.

All of which make me think that I should find a way to construct a wolf and dinosaur-themed meal. In the meantime, thanks, Kevin, for the mentuccia suggestion. I'll have to look into that too. Let's see if everything really is available somewhere in NYC.

[NYC Mike]

OMG Judith what amazing pictures. There really needs to be a green with envy little smiley face for me to mash on right now!

[hathor]

It's so much better than the unhulled wheat berries and emmer wheat is grown here in the midwest, I believe.

←

I believe that natural or health food stores sell spelt as wheat berries; spelt can be traced back to prehistoric times in Europe.

Farro, on the other hand, is emmer wheat and can be traced back to the Ancient Near East.

The two are commonly confused and since spelt is more commonly available in the U.S., it's usually substituted. In Italy, the organic farro I find in the supermarket cooks up in less than half an hour. Wheat berries in the U.S. take longer to cook, less time if pre-soaked.

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You know, I've read stuff that went both ways in regard to is farro, spelt. I'll buy a bag of farro, bring it back to the US and buy spelt and see what we've got. When I was reading about farro, more than one of the sources said it came from Asia AND from the Mediterranean. The same grain developed in 2 places at once?

[hathor]

Wolf and dinosaur themed meal. Now that's a challenge!

I went to Umbria in Bocca as well, seems gobbi are cardi are cardoons. I made the cardi alla parmigana. First you boil them, then you fry them, then you cover them in bechamel and cheese and roast them. My left foot would be tender and tasty if I did all that to it! They were actually really good, but a little 'over processed'. I might try them simply fried next time.

Served along with some roasted bunny with green olives, one of my favorite combinations.

[Pontormo]

Gorgeous meal, Judith! After your blog week, I keep thinking you have to be there to do this region justice. I look forward to more cardoon experiments. I'd bet they'd be good breaded and fried or in braises.

...bring it back to the US and buy spelt and see what we've got.  When I was reading about farro, more than one of the sources said it came from Asia AND from the Mediterranean. The same grain developed in 2 places at once?   

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I have a bit of a thing for farro since it's important in a lot of Tuscan dishes, too and it sounds as if we both like it in salads a lot. Someone in Florence explained the confusion, but I also found sites that should help clarify. I agree sources are inconsistent, but that is the nature of the internet. Italians who have the same problems with translation we do, like us end up relying on the inaccuracies they assume are authoritative.

I've already brought farro back to States (felt as if I were sneaking it past customs) and compared it to the wheat berries that my neighborhood natural foods store no longer carries. I have purchased the Italian product here at several specialty stores, including Dean & Deluca. It is different, though your entry is right to point out cooking time is determined by whether or not the grain is hulled (perlato) and not by type of wheat. Those of us in the US old enough to have cooked our way through Silver Palate may recall a minestrone soup in which wheat berries were an ingredient; it wasn't until much later that I learned what they replaced.

Wikipedia is NOT always reliable, of course, but I am including its entries due to photos. Even though the processed grains look very similar raw and cooked in soups, the plants look quite different.

One , two (entry provides link to spelt and its picture, three and finally, where you'll notice some pasta contains both farro/emmer and spelt.

In her blog this week, Eden is talking about obsessing over arcane matters and a fellow-researcher running from the room in the middle of a collaboration. This is not unrelated, so I'll stop here and let you click on links if you'd like.

* * *

BTW: Nigella Lawson includes an Umbrian-inspired meal in Feast and Nick Malgieri includes an Umbrian apple tart in his book on Italian desserts.

[Adam Balic]

It's so much better than the unhulled wheat berries and emmer wheat is grown here in the midwest, I believe.

←

I believe that natural or health food stores sell spelt as wheat berries; spelt can be traced back to prehistoric times in Europe.

Farro, on the other hand, is emmer wheat and can be traced back to the Ancient Near East.

The two are commonly confused and since spelt is more commonly available in the U.S., it's usually substituted. In Italy, the organic farro I find in the supermarket cooks up in less than half an hour. Wheat berries in the U.S. take longer to cook, less time if pre-soaked.

←

You know, I've read stuff that went both ways in regard to is farro, spelt. I'll buy a bag of farro, bring it back to the US and buy spelt and see what we've got. When I was reading about farro, more than one of the sources said it came from Asia AND from the Mediterranean. The same grain developed in 2 places at once?

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"Asia" and the "Mediterranean" can be the same place. I think that much of the confusion with what "farro", stems from the fact that it isn't a specific term, but refers to hulled wheat (einkorn, emmer and spelt) in general, in some cases you will see the three grains distinguished as farro 'piccolo', 'medio' and 'grande'. The pearl type that I get vacuum packed from Umbria is farro medio (Triticum turgidum subsp. dicoccum).

There is a similar confusion in the South of France where Einkorn (Triticum monococcm) is known as épeautre and spelt is le grand Épeautre. As the former is relatively rare, it is common for the two to be confused, although they are not very similar.

[Pontormo]

That makes a lot of sense, Adam. Thanks.

Reminds me of first grade when my teacher protested that she read the list of ingredients on the graham crackers and it said "flour" not "wheat," so she was sure it was okay for me to eat them despite my (then) allergy.

I tried plugging in the words "piccolo" through "grande" in a google search and found that the Italian entry in Wikipedia is all about spelt.

I also found a tour through Tuscany for culinary tourists that is called a Spelt tour; cf. this side by side translation of "farro" as "spelt."

This site explains that spelt is more common in Northern Europe and that "farro medio" or emmer wheat is more prevalent in Italy. It was also, apparently, something shared by bride and groom in Ancient Roman weddings...the origin of frosted cakes? Click on "English" and a little cartoon character will teach you about Emmer wheat. However, in the Italian text I've linked, if you "clicca qui per la tabella...." (text in brown), you'll see list of names in English, Latin, etc.

This company also has an English text. And someone who shows up to complain here on eGullet from time to time also writes about the confusion on his blog in an entry on bread/wheat.

Illuminating.

Edited October 11, 2006 by Pontormo (log)

[Adam Balic]

An added complication is that I bet that these were grown as mixed crops previously.

By the look of the Tuscan tour site, the English version has been put through a translation thaqt simily turns 'farro' into spelt. No matter the species.....

[hathor]

Adam, that does make sense.

I went to my Garzanti (seems Pontormo and I have the same dictionary!) and they list farro as (triticum spelta), spelt:piccolo (Triticum monococcum) einkorn

So, that should completely confuse the issue, don't you think??

Specialita d'Italia, part of the Culinaria series, talks about farro falling out of favor with the arrival of wheat. Wonder what kind of wheat they meant. Grano tenero?

The picture of a field of farro looks like a fat, green wheat stalks.

Just as a by the way, the lady in the market who had cardoons last week, her sign read "cardi". This week, the same cardoon lady, had a sign that said 'gobi'. One 'b'.

[Adam Balic]

"Gobbo" is dilect for "hunchback", so the varity of cardoon called "Gobbo di Nizza" means "Hunchback from Nice". Not sure if all cardoons are "gobbi" or just some types though.

[hathor]

Why on earth would a cardoon be referred to as a hunchback?? Its a rhetorical question....

[FoodMan]

The little one turned 2 this week (2 months that is ) and my wife asked me to make a cake for this monumental occasion. See, we try to find any reason to "celebrate" in my household and that is as good as any. So, I said I had just the treat, and made Della Croce's Ciaramicola cake aka Sweetheart cake.

The picture looked so festive with the meringue like topping and the sprinkles and all. Here is my version

hmmm...that glaze is not as meringue-like as the picture in the book make it seem to be, but it is still pretty good. Also I think the recipe needed more than just 3 Tbsp of Alchermes in it (I used some homemade Alchermes BTW). I also could not properly judge the donness of the cake since the batter is not really a batter, but more like a stiff bread. So, it was a bit underdone in the center.

The taste and texture were very good, and it was perfect with a strong coffee made in the Moka. I really enjoyed the dry almost powdery-cookie texture of the cake and the hint of Alchermes in it, but like I said I think it needed more of that spicy booze next time.

Tonight we fry Umbrian herb GARLIC chicken....

Hathor, great writeup and that bunny looks very very tasty as well.

[Chufi]

congratulations Elie.. The cake looks very festive!

I made a sort of Umbrian dinner today. But first a question.. Is this fresh porcini??

My market sells it as such.. but I have to say I was really underwhelmed by the flavor.. it was quite bland, I expected something much more earthy and woodsy.. and if this isn't porcini, then what is it?

salad (baby spinach, parmezan) was still good though.

lentils with sausages. My sausages did not have the fennel flavoring so I added some chopped fennel and some crushed fennelseeds to the lentils.

Oh and then my husband wanted to pile everything on to his plate and I said no, you can't, your food mustn't touch

Edited October 12, 2006 by Chufi (log)

[Chihiran]

Chufi, that's so funny. I always use those mushrooms in Japanese cooking, but they're sold as "ERINGI" at the store.

They are quite bland, but they make great tempura. But your salad looks so delicious, I need to try that.

[Kevin72]

I made a sort of Umbrian dinner today. But first a question.. Is this fresh porcini??

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No; that's what's sold in the U.S. as a trumpet or trumpet royale mushroom. Porcinis have the thick, swollen stem like that but also a larger cap that's brown, orange, or yellowish in color. If you paid alot for them I'd consider disputing the issue with the vendor since here, at least, they cost about 1/5th as much as a porcini. I like the texture of them; they're great off the grill, but they're no porcini by a long shot. When you eat a fresh porcini you know.

[mrbigjas]

congratulations Elie.. The cake looks very festive!

I made a sort of Umbrian dinner today. But first a question.. Is this fresh porcini??

My market sells it as such.. but I have to say I was really underwhelmed by the flavor.. it was quite bland, I expected something much more earthy and woodsy.. and if this isn't porcini, then what is it?

that's a royal trumpet, or king oyster mushroom. they are pretty bland, but i love them. if you slice them and cook them in a really hot pan in clarified butter, they kinda squeak as they cook and have a meaty texture that's just great.

here's a link from hormel's food glossary

they do look like porcini, kind of, but they're something else entirely.

[NYC Mike]

Awesome cake Elie and congratz on the big 2 mth aniversary!!

Chufi, what kind of sausage are they? Great looking dish!

-Mike

[Pontormo]

That looks like a particularly HUGE King Oyster mushroom. You ought to go back to the merchant with visual evidence and get real porcini or your money back.

I've had fantastic smaller King Oysters, given to me by a vender at the farmers market in appreciation for volunteer work and they were amazing!!!!! I found out later that they are called the "Poor Man's Porcini" by some. In that case there was a profound odor when I cooked and the stems were delectable with just butter, salt and a little fresh lemon juice.

Excited the see them at the supermarket (Whole Foods) for an affordable price, I bought them for a special meal I cooked for a friend visiting from California. Blah!! Virtually tasteless like yours.

In all other respects, your meal looks wonderful. The sausages seem especially seasonal. It's great to have you back here.

[Chufi]

Thanks guys.. I think I will talk to the people at the market.. mind you, this is the stall that had a sign that read 'red shark' (in english!) above their bunches of baby red chard And that wasn't meant to be funny..

They mean well, but could use some vegetable education...

Edited October 12, 2006 by Chufi (log)

[Kevin72]

Heh, three replies and three different names. Maybe we're all getting ripped off . . . ?

[Chufi]

And here I am with another question. I'm doing a pizza dough experiment this weekend and want to make pizza on Sunday.

What would Umbrian pizza have for a topping (don't say 'porcini'or 'truffle' )

[Kevin72]

Sausage, or some sort of cured pork product, in a tribute to Umbrian cooking.

There's this Homer-Simpson-gurgle-inducing pic in della Croce's Umbria book of a double-crusted pizza/foccaccia/sciaciatta(sp?) type thing that has sausage and greens as the filling.

[Kevin72]

Elie: Good looking cake, except for the, urk, coconut? My one thing I can't stand. What's alchernes?

ETA: Happy 2 months, FM Jr!

Edited October 12, 2006 by Kevin72 (log)

[FoodMan]

Coconut? There is no coconut in or on the cake Kevin.

As for Alkermes or Alchermes click here. This is the recipe I used.