Monday, April 16, 2007

Sucked into Research

What a great weekend. Not only did I get to sleep in (always a bonus after the crazy work-week!), but I also managed to get quite a bit of research done into the Italian Duet project. Remember how I worried over not being able to get all those details right? After this weekend, I'm feeling much more confident in that particular area. Why? The power of the Internet!

I've found blogs aplenty from Americans who are living in Italy - most of them are from women who moved to Italy to be with their Italian husbands or who moved to Italy and met an Italian man who became their husband. I've even found blogs from Americans who live in the exact area that I'm setting my novel. Not only does this give me insight into their lives, but it's also a great networking tool! People who blog are usually wonderful about offering their help.

Since my novel is set in the region of Italy where my family comes from - Piedmont - I'm also uncovering lots of the same recipes that I grew up with. Take for instance Bagna Cauda - which literally translates to "hot bath." It's a hot anchovie and olive oil sauce that you dip raw vegetables in. My family used to get together to eat Bagna Cauda and it was so cool to find it in the travel guides as one of the premiere dishes of Northern Italy. Palenta is another dish we used to have - even though I remember I didn't like it - since it was made out of cornmeal. We also eat homemade raviolis every holiday using salami that our family makes, as well.

It's so great to have these traditions and I can't wait to eat these foods in their native home!

So I'm curious. Do you have any special dishes from your heritage that you still eat today?

3 comments:

  1. No. My heritage is such a mixed bag, we don't have any such traditions. My parents eat a lot of southern food although neither of them actually lived there. Oddly enough, my mother's recipe for spaghetti sauce was handed down to her from her father. He got it from an Italian lady who lived in his town.

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  2. Anonymous6:27 PM

    We typically have our traditional Thanksgiving lasagna...but since we're mostly Irish (and definitely not Italian), I don't think I can claim that as 'heritage' :)

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  3. Mostly now only at Christmas, when we eat traditional Polish food. It's a little easier with my English heritage - I make trifle several times a year :)

    Glad you found so many helpful blogs!!

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