Steins and Historic Graffiti: Our Trip to Germany

The majority of March was sniffle-filled. Just when CK and I had almost finished Month 1 of Insanity, a terrible cold appeared like a wild Pokémon. They used coughing and high fevers… it was super effective.

CK seemed to get better, but I seemed to get worse. I had nausea, a fever, and uncontrollable coughing, which then turned into one heck of a sinus infection. And with our trip to Germany coming up, I wasn’t looking forward to having sinus trouble on the plane. (Imagine the feeling of needles or broken glass within the sinuses, a sharp pain that is tear inducing and not fun when changing altitude.)

But we had made it to Germany without delay, and our first stop was in Munich.

Munich is the sort of city that is meant to have an overcast sky. The architecture is wonderfully Gothic, and the people balance the grey with their own vibrant personalities. Colors pop out in the rain. 

The city is, in short, a perfect one to look out from a coffee shop window. 

We stayed at the Cortiina Hotel, plain on the outside and rather hard to find (the sign was small and minimalist looking), but our room was amazing. For one, it had a bathtub, a sure sign I’ll be happy. For another, you are able to look out from the bathtub into the bedroom because the wall is one big window. It does have the option to curtain the bathroom with wooden panels, but I just found it fun to knock on the glass to get CK’s attention, acting like a quirky aquarium exhibit.

I enjoyed the atmosphere of the hotel, but I didn’t think our breakfast buffet should have cost €22,50 per person. That basically meant a plate full of cheese and soft-boiled eggs for me, maybe a pastry or two for CK, and a cup of black coffee and a smoothie for each of us. Freshly squeezed orange juice and cappuccinos were extra.

But because of this, CK and I were more adventurous in looking for other places to eat. Munich is rather a meat, beer, and bread sort of place, however, so we struggled to find local cuisine places that would be safe for us. We did find some pretty neat places to indulge, but that also meant my eating meat and CK eating gluteny delights on occasion.

First up, Indian Mango. Indian restaurants tend to be the safest places for vegetarians and gluten free eating people to eat out at, and neither of us had any issue. The strangest thing we encountered, however, was the lack of heat of the dishes. In the United States, you have the ability to designate how spicy you want your food to be, from the not spicy to the “Are you sure? This is our medium.” to the calling the kitchen to witness a non-Indian person who ordered Spicy with a capital S to see whether or not they regret their decision. At this restaurant, it was wonderfully balanced with spices, but it wasn’t hot at all. CK and I speculated whether or not it had to do with the restaurant adhering to the local tastebuds, but as we only went to one Indian restaurant during our stay, we can’t say for certain.

Regardless, their papadum and naan (according to CK, as I couldn’t eat it) are delicious, and their paneer dishes were filling and flavorful.

Nearby, there was a restaurant that claimed a tall order: “Real Mexican Food.” Mexican food is CK’s favorite cuisine, and so we did a double take and looked at La Taqueria’s menu. Around this time, we’d found a pharmacy that had medicine for my sinus trouble, and after weeks of feeling the worst, I was starting to feel better, which made my desire for food increase. We decided to give it a try, and after talking with the people behind the counter, we ate and shared a couple of plates of Vegetarian No.2 nachos. Still, not particularly spicy, but their homemade salsa, corn chips, and white sauce were phenomenal. They even had a variety of aquas frescas to choose from, but since they typically contain sugar, I abstained.

Finally, and quite possibly the most positive eating out experience we had was at Brenner’s Grill. It was loud with chatter and populated by customers and employees alike, and CK and I were astounded by the staff’s level of professionalism. Our waiter attended to our needs spectacularly, and it was refreshing to watch how the employees interacted with each other, like one big family. The food, of course, was delicious. They made it a point to explain on their menu about keeping ingredients local and humane, and there were enough vegetarian options and gluten free options to keep both of us quite content. I ordered the organic chicken breast with pesto with a side order of rosemary potatoes. Chris ordered the avocado and couscous starter followed by homemade gnocchi. The wine was also fabulous. 

As far as sightseeing goes, we primarily stayed at the city-center. For giggles, we walked through the Beer and Octoberfest Museum, which led to a burning desire of owning my own stein. We also went to Dachau, a town just a few train stops away from Munich with a much darker past. Interestingly enough, when CK had expressed interest in going, I had a feeling I had already been there but wasn’t sure. It turns out, I had in fact visited the Dachau Concentration Camp in 2007, when some members of my high school choir and I traveled around Germany as short-term exchange students. It was as sobering as it had been the first time.

Other notable places to eat/visit in Munich are: 1001 Sense, a small chocolate and confections shop; dean&david, a make your own salad, sandwich, and juice bar; and Coffee Fellows, a classic coffee shop.

On Easter Sunday, we initially planned on taking the train from Munich to Berlin (I romanticize long train rides, never having been on one), a seven-hour trip.. But CK’s intuition and my struggle with finding packable Morri-safe food led us to buying last-minute plane tickets, removing the travel time with only an additional thirty euros or so per person.

We arrived at Hotel Louisa’s Place, a historical building situated along a long stretch of famous brands like Gucci and Saint Laurent. But due to arriving and a holiday, followed by another bank holiday, Berlin appeared to be deserted and closed. Thankfully, our hotel was considerate in asking us ahead of time if we had dietary preferences or interests we wanted to pursue during our stay, and came up with a list of vegetarian/vegan and gluten free restaurants throughout the city.

It was much easier to find places to eat in Berlin than it had been in Munich. Sadly, the hotel was much like Cortiina, charging €26,50 per person for the breakfast buffet that had even less for us to eat. Luckily, many of the rooms have some sort of kitchenette (what we had was bigger than our own kitchen in Italy...) that can be of use. Aside from getting coffee from across the street, we made our own breakfast without issue. The massages, however, are worth every euro.

Because Berlin seemed closed and bleak on Easter Sunday, we were initially concerned with where we were going to eat for dinner. It turns out the restaurant I had made reservations for later on in the week was not only connected to the hotel itself, but open.

Balthazar is a multiple course, high-end sort of establishment, a quieter version of Brenner’s Grill but with the same focus on detail and perfection. The staff was kind enough to seat us despite not having a reservation, and accommodating to both CK’s and my dietary needs. They treated us to an espresso shot of fantastic tomato soup while we were poured a delicious German wine (I have a newfound appreciation for Germany through their wines now.) As the soup I was interested in having wasn’t safe for me (yellow lentil soup), they made a vegetable soup with a wonderfully fragrant consommé on the spot. When we finished, CK’s and my plates of truffled risotto of porcini with porte wine and parmesan arrived. It was superb.

We didn’t do this, but you can order Balthazar delights to be brought directly to your room. Perhaps next time…

A complete first for the both of us, we went to a purely plant based restaurant called La Mano Verde. It is a gastronomic experience for those who follow a vegetarian/vegan diet, and caters to both gluten free and raw food eaters.

We had a late dinner there, and based our orders on what we wanted to share together. (CK and I like to share. It’s special to us.) Thankfully, I made sure to check, but I had mistaken a main course for us to split to be gluten free when it wasn’t (the lemon pepper cappelletti). So after the creamy lime-almond gazpacho, we simply split the two starters (the ravioli blanc and the zucchini rolls) and switched the main courses (I had the garden lasagne instead).

The food was an experience. It felt like I was eating someone’s artwork more than a meal, but the presentation for all of the dishes were spot-on and perfect. The only problem that I wished I had considered was the richness of each dish. Raw foodies know how to add calories and protein to their diet, and practically every dish had some sort of nut or seed to add body to it. By the time our main dishes came out, I felt stuffed. I also felt the ravioli blanc was overwhelmingly sweet (probably had sugar added, which accounted for the less-than-awesome feeling after), and the lasagne was huge. It was very difficult to eat it gracefully, to be honest, and it wasn’t my favorite. We did, however, order the raw plum and walnut “cheese” cake to go to have for breakfast the next day, and I thought it was pretty good.

The only thing I wished I had mentioned before ordering was that I was gluten free (I know, I know... bad gluten free blogger). I was so embarrassed for forgetting, and I agree that was on me. The staff was very professional, but more standoffish than the warm welcome we’d experienced at Brenner’s Grill and at Balthazar.

CK surprised me with not one, but two places that offered gluten free pizza. After a day of walking, we ended up at this adorable restaurant called Ciela di Berlino. This place felt like the home of a very good friend we were visiting. The energy was warm and inviting, and we were served by quite possibly the friendliest woman in Berlin. She seemed delighted by our excitement trying their gluten free pizzas, and kept checking in with this knowing, mischievous smile that seemed to say, “See? I knew you would like it.” I even got to have beer (but not in my stein)! 

It was a total bro date, which included my first time seeing the East Side Gallery in person, and we loved it.

The second place, Simela, was smaller and just within walking distance of the hotel. The pizza here was also good, but the energy wasn’t as warm and inviting. It does, however, make pizzas to go, but we didn’t know that at the time. Like the other restaurant, any pizza listed could be made with a gluten free crust. They also had gluten free pasta (Schar’s brand), and we split their zucchini and mint pasta dish that had a white sauce (all it needed was a little more salt, but it was an interesting combination).

CK showed me a lot of historical sites, including Brandenburg, Checkpoint Charlie, the Pergamon Museum (I wanted to see the Ishtar Gate and was not disappointed, but a lot of the exhibits were under construction), and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (extremely haunting and thought-provoking). 

As this was my first vacation trip with a partner outside of a country we lived in, it was a very special occasion for me. And I found that, aside from feeling adult and capable, we grew closer because of the experience.

There is nothing quite like your first trip traveled together, and Germany made it all the more special for us.

(Also, feel free to post your gluten-free eating experiences in Germany below. Are there certain places in the country that are easier or harder to eat out at?)

Have Blogged, Will Travel: Tips, Tricks, & Trials of Traveling with Health in Mind

Traveling to places is a magical, if not a daunting, ecstatic, manic, uncertain, irritable, and life changing experience. It is never the same experience twice. Every airport, dock, train station, bus, taxi, or road trip is a journey to Elsewhere, somewhere not Here.

With stricter regulations, mostly at airports, with what you can pack, how much you can pack, and what will pass through customs, many of the well-seasoned travelers have a System of making traveling as stress-free as possible. They have it down to a science, and they know exactly what to do in the security line.

I mention this because, what with leaving in ten days to Rome, I was inspired to share what I do to make traveling less hectic and easier to manage my food and health concerns. Since I’ve never talked about being in transit with additional things to consider, mainly food and medication, I thought it would be fun to do.

I know that you typically have a lot more say and control when you are taking the train/bus or doing a road trip, mostly because you are usually only limited to space, and the train/bus stations don’t have the security that most airports utilize. In this case, I’m going to mostly focus on air travel.

Eating gluten free while traveling isn’t as hard as it used to be. Many airlines actually have a number of meals to choose from, whether it’s gluten free, low sugar, Kosher, Halal, vegetarian, vegan, and more. But these are usually reserved for longer flights, where you are essentially up in the air for over eight hours. When you are purchasing your ticket, make sure to check if what you can/will eat is an option. If not, you’ll have to get creative, but we’ll get to that later.

After purchasing your ticket, make an itinerary that includes the time you are traveling and where. This is also a fun time to take a look at the local restaurants and seeing whether they already have gluten free options on their menu, or if they can make their dishes gluten free. That way, you're not stuck eating snacks as meals.

If, for instance, you are not simply leaving for holiday, but are living abroad for a time, aside from packing clothes, toiletries, and gadgets, there is a matter of medication to consider.

My living in Malta was the first time I’ve had to travel with prescribed medication. Sure, I’d packed some of the typical stuff when I lived in Sweden: aspirin, Vitamin D, and ibuprofen (for cramps). But it isn’t hard to find additional supplements that do not require a prescription, either at the local pharmacy or online. 

Almost four years after my diagnosis I have taken Armour Thyroid. Since I was going to be gone for a year, I needed to find out how I could take a year’s worth of doses with me. I learned that I had to do what is called a vacation override, in which my insurance company approved to have all my medication for the year given to me and paid for at one time. Our pharmacy was really great about it (thank you, Anita!), and all I needed to do was send proof that I was leaving the country to my insurance provider. It’s apparently a lot easier if you’re traveling within the United States to another state: all you have to do is transfer your prescription to the nearest pharmacy.

My rule of thumb is to carry my prescriptions on my person, either in my carry-on or backpack, and pack the supplements in my bulky luggage.

Now that you have your itinerary and medication sorted, let’s focus on keeping you healthy while in transit. Along with taking your medicine at the right time, always have a stock of foodstuff in your carry-on even if you are able to eat something on the plane. I usually find the meals that are on the plane to not be particularly filling, and sometimes there will be foodstuffs in said meal that I still cannot eat (whether it’s soy or sugar or both). Either way, keeping the hangry (yes, it's a thing) feeling away is a big part to making travel stress free (at least for me).

Traveling by train through Rome

Alas, there are some foods that will not get through security. One of my favorite food moments to talk about was the time Mama Dazz and I were leaving for Malta. She had packed yellow Chedder cheese squares, which apparently, according to the TSA agent, looked like bombs. Our food bag (indeed, one carry-on bag was specifically for food) was searched solely for that reason, but we were able to bring Wisconsin’s finest through.

Liquid and gel items are not allowed through security past 3.4 oz (96 g/100 ml), and you can find glass or plastic containers that adhere to traveling standards quite easily. But honestly, I wouldn’t bother with liquids, be they vinegar or oils, for eating purposes. I’d be too worried about the mess.

As you know, I’m big on peanut butter. I practically cried with joy when the health food store in Valletta sold tubs of it without any additives. But instead of just putting it in a 3.4 oz jar, I remove the middleman of having to use utensils and just applying it directly to the food I want to eat it with.

For food, it is really easy to eat one food group over the others while travelling, so what I do is pack as much variety as possible. Here are a few things I recommend:

• Waffles or pancakes, since they are easily handled and can be made into sandwiches
• Crackers
• Sliced cheeses and deli meats
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Sliced apples and other easy-to-carry fruits
• Nuts, seeds, dried fruit, or granola
• Crunchy veggies, such as carrot, celery, bell pepper, and cherry tomatoes
• Hummus, as per regulation (can be spread on crackers/bread/bagels beforehand)
• Individually wrapped chocolates (I can rarely find chocolate I can eat, so I view it as an indulgence when I can.)
• Your favorite tea bags (for when you have hot water but want a sense of comfort)
• Travel utensils, such as bamboo or BPA-free plastic 

Try to either eat the refrigerated foods early on in the travels or keep them in a temperature-regulated lunchbox. If possible, and to lessen your stress going through security, keep everything in clear packaging, whether they be glass jars or plastic bags/containers. Also, focus mostly on protein and fat. You’re not going to feel sated simply eating celery or rice crackers for eight or more hours if that’s all you can eat.

It’s always better to have more food than you expect to eat, because then you have snacks throughout your travels. I have a tendency to underpack food when traveling for long distances, so be aware of how much you’re actually traveling, whether it’s on the plane or waiting for the connecting flight, and it certainly helps during those long delays.

As soon and as often as you can, drink water. They tend to be expensive in the terminals, but you can also buy the bigger bottles to keep with you. If you do not want to buy the bottles again and again, you can get a reusable water bottle that purifies water from the fountain or the sink (preferably the fountain, since it’s geared to human consumption). Another important aspect of hydration is for your skin. Traveling dries my skin out terribly, and so I always have apple cider vinegar in a spritz bottle, a small jar for coconut oil, and lip balm.

Perhaps it’s a common practice, but I also pack extra clothing in my carry-on, mostly soft pants, a scarf, a pair of socks, and a warm hoodie just in case I want to change into something warmer and more comfortable, or a change of clothes to help feel refreshed. I also tend to bring my journal and something to read, perhaps my sketchbook. And I always have my camera.

Finally, I try to remain mindful and calm. Security and running to and from terminals at an awkward sprint can be panic inducing, but I know that I planned for everything that I can control, and for the things I can’t I at least have things to settle my stomach and mind. I am also more willing to ask for help while traveling, and more often than not the people, also traveling or native, are willing to lend a hand in pointing you to the right direction.

But yes, I get to go through this again very soon, and I am beyond ecstatic to return to Rome, where there’s espresso, regional cheeses and wines and, of course, CK.

When in Rome, make a Cheese Plate (Part V of V)

This is it: the final cheese plate. It has taken almost two months, but work is picking up at the office, and it feels great to be busy. I would have finished this earlier, but I’m also grieving the loss of my nine-year-old cat Miette. 

It feels strange to lose someone so dear to you while you’re abroad. On one hand, not being in the same place they were in removes the aspect of being constantly reminded that their presence is no longer there. On the other hand, the idea of not seeing her when I visit for the holidays or when I Skype my parents… it’s a blow to the heart, for sure.

A quick eulogy.

Miette had a tender tummy (like me). She struggled to hold food down, and we ended up putting her on a gluten free diet. Our cats have always been given supplements, special kitty litter, and different meal types (wet and dry) from companies that value quality for our four-legged family members as much as we do.

Finding out that Miette had passed while I was abroad brought about similar grieving patterns you would expect: the five stages of grief and loss. Part of me wishes it were a sick joke. Part of me thinks that it was my fault because I wasn’t there for her (or for my other cat, Lilli, who grieved heavily and searched for her for weeks). Part of me is grateful she was loved and taken care of until the end, but also angry with myself and in general. And a huge part of me struggles to fall asleep until after one a.m., even a month later, because we all know where thoughts can go in the darkness of night when you’re grieving.

She was a wonderful and slightly insane cat. She was picky. She insisted on waking people up at four in the morning to turn on the sink for her to drink water. She chaperoned CK’s and my walks around the neighborhood. She was fiercely loyal and she loved with all of her being. And goodness, that sandpaper tongue… She was the perfect model, who posed for photos and always looked at the lens.

She loved the weirdest foods too. She loved coconut milk and tried to eat avocado (they aren’t good for kitties, so stop them immediately when they do). She and Lilli would sneak onto the counters and eat meat or animal fats had been left out.

She was weird. She was obnoxious. She was sweet. She was family. She was part of this awesome dynamic kitty duo that slept with me under the covers. She made having a tender tummy something to bond over and not feel wrong for. She was there for me through heartbreak, through high school, college, and graduate school. She was there when Meals with Morri was created. It feels so bizarre that a lot of things are continuing on and she won’t be there to see it.

The sadness is lessening each day, but I will always miss her and grateful to have had such an amazing friend in my life.
 

During the last week of August, CK and I completed the South Italy cheese plate. Instead of trying to find food and wine pairings, like I had with the previous ones, I decided to make homemade buckwheat crackers and cracked open a cider and beer. The regions were Abruzzo, Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria, Compania, and Molise. One cheese was used to represent Calabria and Compania, since the cheese is found in both.

I apologize in advance for the descriptions to not be particularly descriptive. It’s been a while, and I’ve forgotten individual tastes and flavors. However, like the patterns of the previous regions, this particular region emphasized on mild flavors and semi-hard cheeses, usually pear shaped (which I will get into in a moment), showing that mild doesn’t have to mean tasteless. Almost all are considered pasta filata cheeses with a spicy aftertaste depending on the cheese’s maturation.

From Abruzzo, we tried Pecorino di Farindola Stagionato. It is a slightly piquant, grassy flavored cheese, with a small peppery aftertaste that is just delightful. 

We next tried Pallone di Gravina, a cheese found in both Apulia and Basilicata. A stretched-curd cheese, it’s hung to mature, resulting in the cheese being either pear-shaped or round.

From Basilicata, although this cheese is found throughout the South, we tasted Caciocavello Silano, a D.O.P. cheese. The spiciness comes from the aging process in the cellars along with Sila’s climate. It is rich cream color throughout, but with sporadic holes.

Caciotto represented Calabria and Compania, although I am curious whether or not there is a longer name to it. I recall this one being the most mild of the cheeses, kind if like a young provolone.

Finally, it took me quite a while to find a cheese from Molise, but it was a hidden gem in the form of Caciocavello di Agnone. Another pear-shaped cheese, its production in Molise is recognized and included in the list of traditional Italian food products (PAT). Its origins are also considered to be quite old, and perhaps the cheese with the oldest history we had tried.

This concludes my five-part Italian Cheese Plate Project! Despite trying over twenty different cheeses, this doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of the many cheeses Italy has brought to the world. There is still a cheese from Sardegna that my Sardinian friend at the office wants me to try, and if any of you can recommend other cheeses from the regions, please let me know! 

I also have another project I want to look into: French butter. I finished a book on Julia Child's exploits in France (also in Germany and Norway) where she raved over how each region had its own butter, consisting of different flavors, textures, and uses.

Luckily, I don’t think CK will mind.

When in Rome, make a Cheese Plate (Part IV of V)

While I didn’t finish writing up the cheese plates by the time I left for Malta to resume my internship, I did hold on to my notes of the cheeses for the remaining two. For both plates, I struggled with pairings, if only because many sites reference wine and cheese pairings and not necessarily food and cheese. I paired the cheeses with mostarda and jam, but it seemed like these cheeses all paired with the tomato sauce the best. Everything else was a mediocre combination.

The other struggle I had was the time limit. I only had a week to finish three, and so the last two were rather rushed. That, and I wanted to spend as much time with CK without the camera lens between us before continuing on with the long distance (LD) status.

And we did.

The fourth cheese plate combines two regions that aren’t near each other whatsoever; they aren’t even connected to Italy’s mainland. The two I’m referring to make up Insular Italy, Sicily (Sicilia) and Sardinia (Sardegna).

As with many of these regions, I didn’t know much about either. They are Italian, but they are also immensely proud of being Sicilian or Sardinian. As they are not connected to the mainland, they are culturally different in many ways. And one of many things that distinguish these two regions is the food culture.

Since they are not connected and nowhere near each other, their cheeses were profoundly different. Both were saltier than any of the cheeses CK and I had tasted so far. We also picked two cheeses for both regions, of which one was represent with a DOP cheese and the other a cheese that happened to be offered in Eataly.

Now… about the wine. I couldn’t find Sardinian wine, sadly, so I chose a Sicilian wine to pair with both. I was rather disappointed with the pairing, to be honest. It didn’t fit with any of the cheeses, and following the cheese plate we realized that it just wasn’t a wine we preferred. It seemed too sour, and equally too pithy, for our liking. The wine we had was a 2011 Irmana Il Nero d'Avola E Il Frappato, from Sicily. Perhaps it was meant to be a table wine for a certain type of dish, but as I said, we just didn’t enjoy it like we had the others.

For Sicilia, we chose Ragusano (DOP) and Secondo Sale. The Ragusano is a dry cheese, but its buttery flavor was a lot like the butter Mama Dazz ordered from the Amish. It had a sour, pungent aftertaste that wasn’t exactly smoky, but reminded me of cooking over an open fire. The Secondo Sale, or “Second Salting”, was sharp and smoky cheese with glorious bits of whole black peppercorns throughout the cheese. It was so buttery, the natural oils beaded on top of the cheese.

For Sardegna, we chose Fiore Sardo (DOP) and RE Priamo*. The Fiore Sardo had also beaded natural oils onto the surface, and while sour, it wasn’t as pungent as the Ragusano. The RE Priamo, or whatever it is actually called, was the softest cheese on the plate as well as the most mild. It was sweet and buttery, but not tasteless, and had notes of tomato.

As mentioned, I really struggled with the pairings, if only because these cheeses were meant to be topped on some homemade tomato sauce. I was a bit discouraged with how it came together, and I’m still flinching over the presentation of the last one, but the cheeses were quite delightful. The lesson here is that I really want to travel to these different regions to taste their cheeses, although Eataly had definitely opened my eyes to what is out there.

* To this day I am still confused about the name of this cheese. Its name was on display as I’ve typed it here, and it says it originates from Sardegna. If anyone knows anything about this cheese, please comment below!

When in Rome, make a Cheese Plate (Part III of V)

After three cheese plates, CK and I started to see patterns. With the first cheese plate, we saw an array of fresh and soft cheeses. With the second, we saw cross-cultural appreciation of creaminess and hints of blue marble. Now, with the third, we saw hardness, aging, and Italy’s best-kept secret food combination.

Northeast Italy is made up of four regions: Emilia-Romagna; Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Trentino-Alto Adige; and Veneto.

This was an interesting cheese plate to create. It was simple, rustic, highly cheese-focused in comparison to the others. It was also the easiest to make (it took longer to pick out a wine than it did finding the cheeses). I was quite proud of the fact that, one, I was able to find all four region’s cheeses and, two, they all have PDO/DOP status. You may also notice that there were only three pairings on the plate along with the cheeses. This is because every cheese could be and was paired with vinegar or honey. The Grana Padano was also eaten with olives, just to be different.

This was also the first cheese plate that the wine went beautifully with all four cheeses and the pairings. The wine was a 2011 Allegrini Palazzo della Torre, from the Veneto region. It is a lovely wine, with a balance in sweetness and fullness that isn’t overpowering and absolutely luscious in between bites of cheese dipped in honey or balsamic vinegar.

From Emilia-Romagna came the fantastic and infamous Parmigiano-Reggiano. It’s a popular cheese here (as in, it completely fills an entire shelf unit in Eataly’s cheese department), and has similar notes to Parmesan or Grana Padano (strong flavors, a great pasta/topping cheese). A sharp cheese with a sweet end-note, it brings a smoky, almost spicy finish to any dish you can think of. CK and I thought the combination of this cheese with the honey was a match made in heaven. This was the secret I was telling you about. Pairing honey with this cheese was something of a cheese nirvana moment for me, sort of like the apple and peanut butter in the dairy world. And we all know how much I love that combination.

Montasio represented Friuli-Venezia Giulia. It’s a very mild cheese with a tantalizingly rounded aroma that reminded us of a mild swiss. This cheese is very similar to Trentino’s Asiago, only less pungent just slightly harder. It went beautifully with both pairings. Alas, I believe I was turned around in taking the photos, as I photographed the Montasio twice… Anyway, Asiago is quite the surprise. It has a similar aroma to Gruyere, only more mild in pungency and spicier.

Finally, Veneto’s Grana Padano, another popular cheese. Like Parmigiano-Reggiano, it had its own shelving unit stock-full of huge wedges. It isn’t a strong as the other cheese, but it does have a sharp quality that is more savory than it was sweet. When paired with honey, the cheese seemed to take on the sweetness as its own flavor, becoming a sort of honey fudge to me. It was delicious and rather rich, but we both felt that the vinegar paired significantly better with it.

I noticed that there was a spectrum to the pairings’ compatibility. We tried the cheeses with both the vinegar and the honey separately, sipping on the wine in between. Two of the cheeses excelled with both pairings equally (Montasio and Asiago), while the other two remained loyal team-vinegar (Grana Padano) or team-honey (Parmigiano-Reggiano) through and through.

So although it wasn’t necessarily the prettiest cheese plate, it was a satisfying one nonetheless.

When in Rome, make a Cheese Plate (Part II of V)

With two cheese plates down, I’ve reflected on national pride. National pride looks different to different people. Sometimes it’s a flag, an ethnic identity, an ideological belief. Sometimes, it’s a standard of living, a way of living, and a job well done.

With Italy, I’ve come to see much of the country’s national pride in the food.

I’m amazed by the cheeses here. Each region, sometimes down to a specific village or town, has a cheese to be proud of. Each region has a heritage, and a responsibility to uphold such a proud lineage of gastronomic proportions. The cheeses, and the wines, tell a story of where they come from, often with something special to remember them by. I will always savor how Mozzarella di Bufala Compana tastes, by itself and with quality balsamic vinegar. I will always appreciate Scamorza affumicata’s smokiness, or how the Northwest Cheese Plate brought with it a new-found appreciation for blue cheeses.

Before I go into describing this cheese plate, I must say that how Europe treats and views food is a breath of fresh air that I hope the United States will completely embody one day. I think we have lost our national pride in foods that goes beyond wines. Sure, we joke about the Midwest deep fat frying everything, or how California is one big vineyard, or New York’s bagels, or Chicago’s deep-dish pizza, or Appalachia being moonshine central, or, in my home state Virginia, the honey-baked ham. We have a history of food beyond the stereotypes, and I think the country has lost that pride with the replacement of factory processing and quantity over quality. We hide where food comes from, mostly because various corporations don’t want us to know. And while I agree in keeping a sanitary production of everything food related, I believe we’ve removed the humanity in what we eat. Almost everything I’ve eaten in Malta, although it is more so in Rome, tells the consumer exactly where it comes from on the label, sometimes down to the individual farm and the address. That’s a 'think global, act local’ mentality that I wish every place in the world included in its national pride, and something I think will be incorporated into my country’s pride in the near future.

Northwest Italy is made up of the following administrative regions: Aosta Valley (Valle d’Aosta); Lombardy (Lombardia); Piedmont (Piemonte); and Liguria. Every region either touches France or Switzerland, so there is likely some cross-national cuisine action going on or an Alpine culture that combines the neighboring regions’ cuisines into something spectacular (for example, the national languages in Valle d’Aosta are Italian and French). But each region is singular and individual, with different species of grapes that become fantastic wines, local languages, and cuisine specialties (Liguria is famed for being the original place of pesto, an important and very popular sauce throughout Italy as a whole).

It was hard to find the cheeses I was hoping to highlight, but with Eataly boldly labeling the regions of where their cheeses came from, I made do with what was there. Liguria was the hardest region to find a cheese, although from my research it seemed like blue goat cheese was something that came from there and so I found Erborinato di Capra as a substitute. We did find a wine that came from the Ligurian region (a DOC to boot), however, so I hope that will make up for it.

Because the cheeses turned out to be primarily pungent, soft, and two of them blue, the pairing suggestions tended to focus on fruits, nuts, and either fruity reds or semi-sweet to dry white wines. The Scamorza affumicata, on the other hand, didn’t feel like a ‘wine’ cheese; rather, it was something to be eaten on its own or being part of a dish where the food, not the wine, was the focus. The wine we purchased was a Durin Pigato DOC Riviera Ligure di Ponente Pigato 2013. It is a dry white, soft and round on the tongue, full-bodied and a distinguished as well as pleasant bitter background. Even though I tend to drink reds, I would recommend this wine to drink by itself or as an accompaniment to any dish with pesto or goat cheese.

Valle d’Aosta is known for Fontina, a cheese with PDO status. In the States, Fontina tends to be milder than what I purchased. The original stuff is quite pungent and intense, and the nectarine we paired it with seemed to lessen its bitterness. The wine paired nicely with it, rounding the sweetness of the nectarine and balancing the intensity of the cheese’s aftertaste. I wasn’t a fan of the cheese by itself, preferring to have the pungency be an accent to a dish instead of being prominent.

While Scamorza is typically known as a cheese produced in the south of Italy, Lombardia is also known for making the cheese. Like mozzarella, it is a pasta filata (or stretched curd) cheese, so it is easy to replace mozzarella with it in recipes. Scamorza affumicata is the smoked version, and one of our go-to cheeses when it’s offered. Although we typically get the pre-packaged kind, Eataly has a mozzarella station neighboring the cheese monger. They were offering fresh scamorza affumicata, so how on earth could we refuse? We tried a small slice before putting on the cheese plate, marveling in how different it tasted from what we usually ate. It had a sourer note, not as salty, but adding sea salt to it balanced the flavors quite nicely (CK also thinks it would have gone well on a bed of spicy Italian arugula, and I agree wholeheartedly).

As I said, Scamorza doesn’t seem to be the cheese plate sort of cheese, in that the cheese can be eaten on its own or as part of a dish, and the dish itself being paired with an appropriate wine. In this case, it was a “take it, or leave it” sort of deal with the white wine.

We picked Blu di Langa to represent Piemonte, and I was excited to try this cheese. Initially, I was hoping to find Castelmagno (a cheese with PDO status), but it was extremely hard to find. But when I saw the cheese through the display window, I thought it would be interesting to have two blue cheeses* to taste the differences. I was also looking for Gorgonzola specifically from that region (or Lombardy), but to no avail. But this cheese was a pleasant surprise, since I’m a bit cautious with blue cheeses in general. If you can imagine Brie that has blue veins, mostly mild and creamy with a little intensity per bite… oh yes, I was in heaven with this cheese. We paired this with golden apple slices, and it was a beautiful combination. I could imagine this cheese being used in a cheesecake, or on a bagel paired with a fig spread.

The wine went deliciously with the cheese, complementing the flavorful blue veins with something sweet and the creamy texture with a fruity sharpness that came with the combination. This was my favorite food, cheese, and wine pairing.

Finally, Eborinato di Capra to represent Liguria, and both CK’s and my favorite cheese on the board. It was milder than the Fontina, buttery and soft. And the blue veins were not bitter; rather, they were slightly sharp and gave you this pleasant surprise of flavor that was just enough without being overwhelming. We tried pairing it with the grapes (meh...), but in all honesty, this was a great “I stand alone” cheese with the possibility of some crunch with a good cracker. It was like that with the wine as well. It didn’t need to be paired with anything. It was heaven in its own right. 

This was a more challenging cheese plate to put together, since many of the cheeses (two of four) had to be picked on the fly, but like the first it was a delight to research the regions and their contributions to their country’s cuisine.


*A note on blue cheese and the gluten free diet:

From Tricia Thompson’s (MS, RD) (2011) “Blue Cheese” article: “In 2009 The Canadian Celiac Association tested 3 blue cheeses and 2 penicillium roqueforti cultures grown on a variety of gluten-containing media, including wheat-based dextrose, barley malt extract, and wheat/rye flour mixture. Results indicate that the gluten content is below the limit of quantification in these products using both the Sandwich R5 ELISA and the Competitive R5 ELISA (29).” For more information on this study, click here.

Now, while tests have been done and have shown that gluten content in blue cheese production is either low enough on both ELISA scales or quite possibly non-existent, I do urge people who are extremely sensitive to such miniscule amounts of gluten to do research and proceed with caution when eating blue cheeses in general. As far as I am aware, the Blu di Langa and the Eborinato di Capra are gluten free cheeses, and were safe for me (in that, I didn’t have a reaction, which tends to come on within a few hours of ingesting non-Morri friendly foods). But please be safe and follow your intuition with foods that are on the fence on such things.

When in Rome, make a Cheese Plate (Part I of V)

When looking at a culture, I’ve always said the best way to really immerse yourself into it is by tasting the food. I found it interesting that, with the number of times that I’ve traveled to Rome this year, I haven’t posted anything about it, especially the food. And that’s a shame, because my perspective of food changed because of living in the Mediterranean, eating homemade and wholesome foods, always fresh and usually local. I learned to savor ingredients in Rome, and so I thought to honor that by writing about cheese.

"I never had real cheese until I came to Rome." (CK)

I’ve mentioned before how CK is a cheese fiend, and it’s contagious. I have come to really enjoy cheese as a food in ways I didn’t before. I typically used cheese to top dishes, but I was never the sort of person to look at cheese as the main focus on a plate. When we arrived to Rome, I was trying to think of something fun CK and I could do together that was food related in August. I don’t know when I came up with the idea, but when we settled into his apartment, the game was on to create a cheese plate that described Italy in such a way that showed just how diverse and broad the food culture of country actually was.

Italy has more than Mozzarella, Parmesan, or Pecorino Romano to be proud of. The country makes hundreds of cheeses, and quite a few have PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) status, which promote and protect names of quality agriculture products and foodstuffs (an example of this is Champagne being found in only one part of France, and so not all bubbly white wines are called Champagne). I wanted to understand Italy through the cheeses it made, breaking it down to each cheese plate representing the larger regions (Northwest, Northeast, Central, Southern, and Insular) of the country, and each of those regions broken down into the twenty individual regions. Each cheese would have a food pairing, and each plate would have a regional wine.

To start this project, I did a bit of research. I made an excel spreadsheet of the smaller regions and came up with PDO cheeses for each one. I accepted the fact that some of these cheeses would be hard to find, and choosing one cheese over another should the neighboring regions overlap (which a few do). So to the Italians and cheese lovers alike reading this, I apologize in advance.

"To eat is an agricultural act.
 The first consumer’s agricultural gesture is to choose what to eat." (Eataly's Philosophy)

Lunch was freshly juiced "Pomodoro" and one deliciously prepared Mozzarella di Bufula salad.

CK and I spent the day running errands and found ourselves at Eataly for the afternoon. I still stand by my statement that this store is the love-child of Ikea and Whole Foods, because it leaves me in awe every time I walk through the door. There are multiple floors that break the store into categories of foodstuff: restaurants, kitchenware, coffee and desserts, pastas, meats, cheeses, fresh fruits and vegetables, alcohol (it has wine on tap and an in-house brewery), and so much more. We picked up a few non-food things, but what we were there for was a nice lunch and to make the first cheese plate of the five-part cheese project.

I decided that, since we’re in Rome, I’d begin with the central region of Italy, which is broken down into the following administrative regions: Lazio, with Mozzarella di Bufala Compana; Marche, with Casciotta d’Urbino; Umbria, with Caciotta al Tartufo; and Toscana (aka, Tuscany), with Stracchino. 

The wine we picked was an Umani Ronchi Serrano Rosso Conero DOC* 2013, from Marche. It is a fruity yet robust wine, with a medium-body but sweet finish. It is quite pleasant, and we both thought it paired wonderfully with the Mozzarella di Bufala Compana and the Caciotta al Tartufo. The Casciotta d’Urbino and the Stracchino would have paired better with a dry white or a rose.   

The Mozzarella di Bufala Compana was sliced and paired with a heirloom tomato on top of spicy arugula, and the tang finish of the cheese really brought out the brightness of its paired foods (a great recipe for such a combination can be found here). The wine was glorious to sip on in between bites, a great balance of flavor and textures. 

The Casciotta d’Urbino was paired with dried fig, and I was surprised by how buttery it was. It is a mild cheese, slightly firm and, in my opinion, a fantastic dessert cheese suitable for fruits and honey. As stated, the wine wasn’t the best pairing, as it soured the sweetness somewhat of the cheese and fig. CK is not a big fan of dried fruits, but he was a trooper in trying it out, and ended up enjoying it immensely.

CK and I bought Caciotta al Tartufo when we arrived on Tuesday and loved it. I’ve had truffles in cheese only once before and wasn’t a fan, but this one definitely changed my mind. Although I paired it with olives on the plate, the suggested pairings for this cheese were either egg or pasta dishes. I can confirm the former, as I made a zucchini, onion, mushroom, and olive frittata topped with this cheese. This also paired well with the wine, balancing the pungent earthiness of the truffles as well as the briny aftertaste of the olives.

Finally, the Stracchino was matched with a ripening pear. This cheese isn't specific to Toscana, but there are a few dishes from the area that call for the cheese, and so I chose it because of that. It reminded me of cream cheese and mascarpone combined, and it was the softest and the most mild cheese on the plate. Decadent and filling, I enjoyed its velvet richness with the vibrant fresh crunch of the fruit. It also didn’t pair very well with the wine, resulting in a bitter finish.

CK and I had a hard time choosing our “favorite” cheeses, but I have become a huge Mozzarella di Bufala fan since my first bite and he isn’t much of a fruit eater, so we leaned towards the 'savory' cheeses and their pairings. But one thing is for certain, we’ve been eating cheese all wrong up until now… and we’re changing that.

And, delightful readers, should there be a certain cheese in the remaining regions coming up that you believe we need to spotlight, let us know the name, region, and suggested food pairing, and we’ll work to make that happen!

* DOC, or Denominazione di Origine Controllata ("Controlled designation of origin") is a quality assurance label for Italian food products, particularly wines and certain cheeses (Denominazione di Origine Protetta).