When asked to think of Italian food, many of us will conjure images of pizza and pasta. But there’s more to this cuisine, as Skye McAlpine has discovered and hopes to share with others through her blogging and recipes.
The distinguishing features of Venetian food
Venice is a city of history and character, and this is reflected in its more diverse, exciting food offerings. While Italian food generally opts for simple flavours and fresh ingredients for more straightforward dishes, Venetian food uses more complex flavour mixes with exotic spices to keep things interesting.
Venice was historically in prime position for the spice route and spices have become an important part of its culture and cuisine, from cinnamon and cardamom to bay leaves and pink peppercorns. Cuisine of Veneto diverges from Northern Italian cuisine and tends to fall within three geographical subtypes, whether from the mountains, coastal areas or the plains.
Her experience of the diversity between the UK and Italy has allowed McAlpine to gain a new, blended perspective on food, dining and culture. She includes a recipe for kiefer, a breakfast favourite of almond paste croissants, in her cookbook. Other must-try dishes from Venice include the likes of the antipasto Sarde in saor, a mix of sweet and sour sardines with pine nuts, raisins and onions. There’s also Caparossoi a Scott deo, featuring clams cooked with pepper and lemon, and pincia, a type of bread pudding of different varieties that tends to include flavoursome spices – https://www.walksofitaly.com/blog/food-and-wine/food-in-venice-veneto-verona-italy-travel-tips.
The author behind the flavours
Born in London and raised in Venice, McAlpine taught herself to cook and began blogging at From My Dining Table before releasing her own cookbook, A Table In Venice, to showcase another side to Italian food. When in the city, check out the award-winning Italian Restaurant in Dublin, Toscana http://www.toscanarestaurant.ie/, where you’ll find home-grown, fresh, organic ingredients and exciting dishes on offer.
Since her love of cookbooks from a younger age, she turned her hand to writing about food during her PhD in Latin love poetry and found it to be a great way to connect to others. In addition to writing, she also photographs the food herself in her own Venetian kitchen. McAlpine spends her time with her young son, Aeneas, and her husband Anthony, between London and Venice.