The famous Tuscan dessert panforte, which was bread with grapes and honey, was sold in medieval times… in pharmacies. And all because the spices brought from the East were the first in Tuscany to become interested in pharmacists, who began to sell them as a medicine.
However, in the history of Italian cuisine, panforte is far from the only dish that was considered curative. Healing qualities were attributed to the ginestrat soup. It was prepared for the wounded and sick. And the famous onion soup is still considered a recipe for all ailments. And not without reason, says Ella MARTINO, a food blogger about Italian food .
Onion soup burns calories and lowers blood cholesterol
— Ella, the Italians and the French never cease to dispute the origin of onion soup. To whom does it rightfully belong?
— The Italians, thanks to Catherine de Medici, who became the bride of the French Prince Heinrich de Valois, came to France with a whole retinue of Italian chefs. And soon the court began to serve onion soup, beloved by the French, variants on the theme of which were reflected in the onion diet.
Catherine de' Medici knew that onions were an excellent fat burner, allowing you to lose those extra pounds in a week.
True, she hardly knew that onion soup lowers blood cholesterol levels, but she guessed about its medicinal properties.
To make onion soup (karabaccia with onions) you will need:
- 2 liters of vegetable or meat broth;
- 1 kg onion cut into half rings;
- 100 g crushed almonds in a mortar;
- 25 g sugar;
- olive oil;
- cinnamon, pepper, salt.
Heat the oil in a deep frying pan. Saute the onion over low heat until it turns brown. Pour in the broth, mix everything. Enter almonds and cinnamon. Salt, pepper. Cook until tender 40—45 min
Sacred herb fennel and saffron for good luck
— Herbs give medicinal properties to dishes...
— Yes, without them it is impossible to imagine Italian food.
Basil is used for various stomach disorders. It is found in dishes that include tomatoes.
Peppermint, which has anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effects, is added to vegetable dishes, as well as sweet chocolate-based pastries.
Parsley — a storehouse of vitamin C. It is used to make broths, fish and seafood dishes.
Thyme tones the nervous system. It is added to most vegetable broths, as well as meat and poultry dishes.
Rosemary activates the work of the heart and blood circulation. Used to cook baked meat (especially pork and beef) and fish.
Fennel, which the ancient Saxons considered to be one of the nine sacred herbs, is usually added to fish and used to flavor bread and pastries.
Extagon stimulates the secretion of gastric juice, it goes well with fish or poultry dishes. Its leaves, like saffron, are cooked in batter. To do this, beat the egg white and combine with flour and water. The leaves are dipped into the dough and then served in a batter.
Saffron, indispensable in the treatment of the heart, has been very popular since the Renaissance. Adding it to a dish adds a yellow color, which in those days was considered a symbol of gold. Also, the Italians believed that adding it to a dish would bring good luck, even something as simple as Montalcino tripe.
To prepare a tripe from Montalcino you will need:
- 1 kg veal or lamb tripe,
- 1 carrot,
- 1 bulb,
- 1 small tomato,
- 1 stalk celeriac,
- 100 ml dry white wine,
- 5 g ground saffron,
- ½ lemon,
- parmesan cheese,
- butter,
- salt.
Put the saffron into a glass and pour in 20 g of white wine. Finely chop the peeled onion. Heat the butter in a ceramic saucepan and sauté the onion over low heat. Pour in 50 g of white wine, after diluting it with boiled water in a ratio of 1:2. Then add the tripe, cover the pan with a lid and simmer for 30—40 minutes, periodically adding wine.
When the sauce is reduced, add wine with diluted saffron. Before serving, add fresh butter and grated parmesan to the soup. Serve hot.
Mystery of the Florentine Monks: Spice Liqueur
— But after all, herbs are still added to medicinal infusions.
— In this regard, the Kermes liqueur, which was prepared in the Florentine monastery of San Marca, is noteworthy. It was prepared by monks for medicinal purposes and was a kind of concentrate of medicinal herbs, spices, young oak seeds, etc. The recipe was kept in strict confidence, and the liquor itself was very expensive. Usually it was presented as a gift along with precious stones.
Partially, his recipe was restored and today such a liqueur is sold as "Alkermes". But the liqueur, prepared according to the original recipe kept in strict secret, can be bought in monasteries and abbeys.
For the preparation of liquor «Alkermes» will need:
- 2 liters of alcohol;
- 45 g Ceylon cinnamon sticks;
- 20 g seeds coriander;
- 1 kg of sugar;
- 1 liter of water;
- 1 g cardamom pods;
- 1 clove bud;
- 1 vanilla pod;
- 3 g cardamine.
Alcohol diluted with water in a ratio of 1:1. In another container, put all the ground spices, cinnamon sticks and pour diluted alcohol. Close the jar tightly and leave for 20 days in a dark place. After filtering the contents through gauze and adding cardamom to the liquor, it will give the liquor a red color.
Prepare the syrup: boil water in a saucepan and, having dissolved 1 kg of sugar in 1 liter of water, boil the syrup. Cool and add alcohol. Pour the liqueur into bottles and seal tightly with a lid. Store the finished liquor for six months in a dark, cool, dry place.
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