Italian friselle (or freselle, frisedde, fresedde, frise) is a typical tarallo made essentially of durum wheat, combined in varying quantities with barley.
Many of the most famous italian traditional dishes and recipes take their name from a city: bistecca alla fiorentina, spaghetti all'amatriciana, prosciutto di Parma to just name a few.
This is not a coincidence. Since the beginning of the last millennium, the Cities throughout Italy have grabbed the products from the countryside to develop a rich gastronomic tradition and leave us accounts of a profound italian food history.
For the foreign visitor, a villa among the hills surrounded by the rural idyll of nature and the farmers' simple and genuine lifestyle is perhaps the exemplification of all that italian culinary tradition represents.
A tradition for its consumption, from times past, was to dip freselle directly with sea water and with pure fresh tomato, which was squeezed to let the juices out.
A Civilisation Of The Table
Friselle were a typical travel-bread: that's why sea water was often used, or it was used as bottom for the fish soups, which were usually consumed during the days-long fishing expeditions in the open sea.
This definition embraces the many and different aspects of a culture, which find their expression throughout the food: from agricultural economy to recipes for pickles, from family bonds to the right technique for spitting olive seeds. Food is fascinating, but indeed more fascinating still is who produces it, cooks it, eats it and talks about it.
This site is a tribute to the italian civilisation of the table and not the blunt account of what italians put on their tables.This civilt della tavola is a produce of italian history and it is a history of divisions and violence, other that beauty and creativity.All the elements that you will find in all the pages of this site.
So, back on track: today's clich of the villa surrounded by olive trees, with salami and prosciutti everywhere and the farmer diligently looking after these products (I love this image!) have been accurately tailored on the (magnificent) Tuscan countryside.
Along with their hanging from a wooden beam on the ceiling, friselle were preserved in clay jars, called quartieri or capasoni.
It is like every single recipe or food has a history worth discovering and telling. Being exhaustive is going to be challenging, as this variety is sometimes disconcerting, the more if we start considering italian gastronomy outside Italy.
HOW THEY LOOK LIKE
The Renaissance
Even though cook books (or, rather, writings) can be traced back to ancient times, it can be said that they remained more a sporadic attempt at extolling the virtues of the man and his skills, rather than an observation and description of the preparation methods and indications on utilisation of the different ingredients.
A FARMERS' TRADITION?
Sizes are variable: friselles diameter and their holes diameter can vary from 5-10 centimeters to 20 or more.
But it would be nave to believe that such a literature was produced either produced for the masses or that it represented the eating habits of vast portions of the population.
HOW THEY ARE DONE
And again, it is not a coincidence that the recipes described in these books were very similar to each other: if you think about it, this fact is hardly surprising.If it's true that these books were if not commissioned at least, certainly, endorsed by those who could afford gastronomy as opposed to a simple diet, then you will not fail to notice that the public to which the subject of these works appealed was neither too wide, nor disconnected.
Nobility and the upper classes in general, were in contact with each other, in the various courts in Europe and exchanged people, arts, trends and tastes. Reading recipes from one of those book might seem, to a modern reader, like the exaltation of spices, or like their used was so common that people from near the Renaissance times would have put cinnamon, or cloves or pepper in their drinking water. Nothing could be more misleading and incorrect!
The poverty of farmers' diet is still today echoed in many of the proverbs that have been handed down.
In the past, the size of friselle measured the quantity of bread necessary to the nourishment of a worker and usually provided the major part of the calories in the meal.
As a result, not only the culinary tastes chased one another, uniforming the gastronomies across the board, but this also made the most sought-after eating habits much less local than one could be lead to think: it was not the special savoy cabbage or golden apple that the noble classes were after; they sought what was NOT from the local territories. Anything that could make their fame, reputation and richness shine over others'.
Try and dip it in cold water for a time depending on your taste and on the consistency of the dough. Serve then with fresh tomato, oregano, salt and some olive oil. As a variation, rub a slice of garlic on the frisella before moistening it.
As an example, think about the vegetable (especially olive) oils used in the southern parts of Italy (nowadays produced and consumed all over it) and the use of animal derivatives (like butter, lard and lardo) in the north.
Many of the most famous italian traditional dishes and recipes take their name from a city: bistecca alla fiorentina, spaghetti all'amatriciana, prosciutto di Parma to just name a few.
This is not a coincidence. Since the beginning of the last millennium, the Cities throughout Italy have grabbed the products from the countryside to develop a rich gastronomic tradition and leave us accounts of a profound italian food history.
For the foreign visitor, a villa among the hills surrounded by the rural idyll of nature and the farmers' simple and genuine lifestyle is perhaps the exemplification of all that italian culinary tradition represents.
A tradition for its consumption, from times past, was to dip freselle directly with sea water and with pure fresh tomato, which was squeezed to let the juices out.
A Civilisation Of The Table
Friselle were a typical travel-bread: that's why sea water was often used, or it was used as bottom for the fish soups, which were usually consumed during the days-long fishing expeditions in the open sea.
This definition embraces the many and different aspects of a culture, which find their expression throughout the food: from agricultural economy to recipes for pickles, from family bonds to the right technique for spitting olive seeds. Food is fascinating, but indeed more fascinating still is who produces it, cooks it, eats it and talks about it.
This site is a tribute to the italian civilisation of the table and not the blunt account of what italians put on their tables.This civilt della tavola is a produce of italian history and it is a history of divisions and violence, other that beauty and creativity.All the elements that you will find in all the pages of this site.
So, back on track: today's clich of the villa surrounded by olive trees, with salami and prosciutti everywhere and the farmer diligently looking after these products (I love this image!) have been accurately tailored on the (magnificent) Tuscan countryside.
Along with their hanging from a wooden beam on the ceiling, friselle were preserved in clay jars, called quartieri or capasoni.
It is like every single recipe or food has a history worth discovering and telling. Being exhaustive is going to be challenging, as this variety is sometimes disconcerting, the more if we start considering italian gastronomy outside Italy.
HOW THEY LOOK LIKE
The Renaissance
Even though cook books (or, rather, writings) can be traced back to ancient times, it can be said that they remained more a sporadic attempt at extolling the virtues of the man and his skills, rather than an observation and description of the preparation methods and indications on utilisation of the different ingredients.
A FARMERS' TRADITION?
Sizes are variable: friselles diameter and their holes diameter can vary from 5-10 centimeters to 20 or more.
But it would be nave to believe that such a literature was produced either produced for the masses or that it represented the eating habits of vast portions of the population.
HOW THEY ARE DONE
And again, it is not a coincidence that the recipes described in these books were very similar to each other: if you think about it, this fact is hardly surprising.If it's true that these books were if not commissioned at least, certainly, endorsed by those who could afford gastronomy as opposed to a simple diet, then you will not fail to notice that the public to which the subject of these works appealed was neither too wide, nor disconnected.
Nobility and the upper classes in general, were in contact with each other, in the various courts in Europe and exchanged people, arts, trends and tastes. Reading recipes from one of those book might seem, to a modern reader, like the exaltation of spices, or like their used was so common that people from near the Renaissance times would have put cinnamon, or cloves or pepper in their drinking water. Nothing could be more misleading and incorrect!
The poverty of farmers' diet is still today echoed in many of the proverbs that have been handed down.
In the past, the size of friselle measured the quantity of bread necessary to the nourishment of a worker and usually provided the major part of the calories in the meal.
As a result, not only the culinary tastes chased one another, uniforming the gastronomies across the board, but this also made the most sought-after eating habits much less local than one could be lead to think: it was not the special savoy cabbage or golden apple that the noble classes were after; they sought what was NOT from the local territories. Anything that could make their fame, reputation and richness shine over others'.
Try and dip it in cold water for a time depending on your taste and on the consistency of the dough. Serve then with fresh tomato, oregano, salt and some olive oil. As a variation, rub a slice of garlic on the frisella before moistening it.
As an example, think about the vegetable (especially olive) oils used in the southern parts of Italy (nowadays produced and consumed all over it) and the use of animal derivatives (like butter, lard and lardo) in the north.
About the Author:
Italian food is one of the most popular cuisines around the globe and they are usually known for their pasta dishes. However, it is not the only reason why it became popular. There are a other unique cuisines that Italy has to offer as well.
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