APL 91快播 logo

back to news

News聽 /聽 1st December 2020

What we learned from the Great Italian Food Journey with Aldo Zilli

Great Italian Food Journey event

What we learned from the Great Italian Food Journey with Aldo Zilli

On Tuesday 24 November, National Geographic Traveller joined one of the masters of Italian cuisine, Aldo Zilli, at his home for a live event celebrating Italy and Italian food, in association with the Italian National Tourist Board. Hosted by chef and presenter Joe Hurd, with wine advice from expert Joe Fattorini, it was a fun and lively discussion about all things delicious from Italy and where to experience them. Here are some of the key things we learned:

1 Italian food doesn鈥檛 exist
It鈥檚 not a real thing, according to Aldo. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all about the regions, it鈥檚 all very varied. Even within those regions, if you go 10 miles down the road, the food varies.鈥

2 Pasta made by guitar
One of the dishes Aldo cooked was spaghetti chitarra alla carbonara. The name of the spaghetti comes from the tool the pasta is made from, the chitarra (literally, 鈥榞uitar鈥). 鈥淚t鈥檚 the oldest pasta cutter in the world. One side makes spaghetti, one side fettuccine 鈥 it鈥檚 amazing and it鈥檚 from Abruzzo!鈥 explained Aldo, who鈥檚 a proud Abruzzo boy.

3 Cheek to cheek
Use pork cheek (guanciale) for carbonara. 鈥淵ou put it in the pan and then turn the heat on,鈥 said Aldo. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 want to drop it in and for it to sizzle, you don鈥檛 want to burn it, you cook it and make it crispy.鈥 He recommended using pancetta if you can鈥檛 find guanciale.

4 The best city for food
Aldo Zilli, Joe Hurd and Joe Fattorini all agreed that Bologna was the best city to visit for food in Italy. 鈥淚鈥檝e eaten the most incredible mortadella in Bologna 鈥 it鈥檚 huge,鈥 said Aldo. 鈥淭hey hang it in the windows of these wonderful delis.鈥 Aldo also recommended Parma, having been on a recent visit to eat at restaurants just outside the city.

5 Retro chills
Some Italian wines that were popular in the 90s and early 2000s are coming back into favour, said Joe Fattorini. 鈥淥ne of the great trends at the moment is a red that you can chill. Things like Valpolicella Classico came in and out of fashion, but it鈥檚 great. Put it in the fridge. These slightly lighter reds are great with fish 鈥 Valpolicella goes very well with sea bass.鈥

6 Simple spice and zest
Another dish cooked at the live event was Tuscan Chianina T-bone steak, a popular dish from Florence. Aldo recommended a simple sauce 鈥 on the night, he made one from garlic and chilli, with a rocket salad on the side with some chilli oil and lemon zest. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 like to put lemon on the meat as it cooks it a little more, so I put it on the salad.鈥

6 Five key ingredients
The five ingredients Aldo said he couldn鈥檛 live without are rosemary, 00 flour, extra virgin olive oil, basil and mint. 鈥淚’m getting really into fresh mint,鈥 he said. 鈥淕rill your courgettes with a little bit of olive oil and fresh mint 鈥 mamma mia!鈥

7 The wine you can鈥檛 live without
Joe Fattorini listed the five Italian grape varieties he couldn鈥檛 bear not to be in his wine cellar: Vermentino, Sangiovese, Trebbiano, Nebbioli and finally, 鈥淣erello Mascalese, from the slopes of Mount Etna.鈥

Watch the event:

See more  from National Geographic Traveller (UK)

If your destination or company would be interested in partnering on a future online event, we鈥檇 love to discuss any ideas you might have, or help you come up with the best ways to work with us. Contact [email protected] or call 020 7253 9909.