Читать книгу Italian Recipes For Dummies - Amy Riolo - Страница 33

Both Italy’s indigenous inhabitants and foreign rulers made the best of what mother nature offered them in terms of climate. It’s hard for many people to imagine that a country the same size as a single American state could have so much variance in terms of weather, terrain, and climate, but the Italian landscape is very diverse. The Alps in the North and the Apennine Mountain range that cuts through the nation, combined with the effects of the Ionian, Tyrrhenian, Mediterranean, Adriatic, and Mediterranean Seas, combine to make the soil and climate unique in places that are often only a short distance apart from one another.

No matter whether you speak to a winemaker, a farmer, an olive grower, or a fisherman in Italy, you will hear of how the weather plays a role in their livelihood. Even the same varieties of grapes, for example, grown within a particular region, are often different (in terms of flavor, size, and time of maturation) from estate to estate because of the climate in the specific areas where they are grown. Italy is also home to many microclimates, such as the one in the mountains of Calabria in Aspromonte, which is the only place where Bergamot citrus can be grown.

Because of these climatic variances, prior to modernization and industrialization, it was difficult for the masses to enjoy foods from all areas of Italy. Those who lived in the North couldn’t afford to have the lush citrus such as clementines, oranges, and lemons from the south on a daily basis. Instead, they became treats that were enjoyed at Christmastime as gifts. The rice used for risotto in the North was not shipped to the South, and was not a part of the local cuisine. Only in modern times is risotto eaten at homes and in restaurants in Southern Italy. Each Italian region had local dialects used in the kitchen (which are still used, but not exclusively), a terrain, and (in the coastal areas) water that determined ingredient availability, and a climate that allowed for specific crops to be grown. For these reasons, regional Italian cuisine developed.