Archive for October 2023
Remember Popeye perchance? Now the real olive oil
Ostuni, southern Italy. For foodies. Popeye the Sailor Man had a girl called Olive Oil whom he dearly loved. Whenever she was in danger, out came Popeye’s can of spinach to revitalise him and rush with super human strength to save her. In southern Europe there is a deep love for the real olive oil.…
Read MoreTrivial pursuits
A Trivial Pursuit question: Who was the white South African dowager who said she would prefer to be murdered in her bed than have to make it herself in the morning? The rich have housekeepers in the Western world. In Italy, reasonable house help is not on tap. It is do-it-yourself, with high-tech electric devices…
Read MoreA nun’s breast and Hannibal crossing the Alps
In these parts, if you order tette delle monache with your cappucino you’ll get a delicious cream-filled cake more commonly known as “a nun’s breast.” Italians don’t seem to swear very much, not that it’s easy to tell. Focaccia doesn’t mean what it sounds like to an Anglo-Saxon ear. It means a type…
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