Focaccia Bread=HEAVEN!

Focaccia is a locally baked bread product in Northern Italy, specifically Cinque Terre. Focaccia is a flat oven baked Italian bread topped with herbs or other ingredients. It is related to pizza, but not the same. The recipe originated with the Etruscans and Ancient Greeks. In ancient Rome, "panis focacius" was a flat bread that was baked in a fireplace. Throughout the years, different dialects and local ingredients have adapted this word and type of bread into many varieties of Italian style bread.

Typically, ingredients that come on focaccia bread are herbs, olive oil, cheese, meat, pesto, tomatoes, olives, and a variety of other vegetables. It is a very popular snack or side dish in Italy. While in Cinque Terre, I ordered focaccia twice: one with pesto and tomatoes and the other with herbs. My friends got it with cheese on top or just plain.

Here is a recipe on how to make Focaccia bread: quick and easy.

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup mozzarella

Directions

1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, sugar, yeast, garlic powder, oregano, thyme, basil and black pepper. Add in the vegetable oil and water after the dry ingredients have been mixed together.
2. When the dough has pulled together, knead until smooth and elastic with a little bit of flour on a hard surface. Oil a large bowl and place the dough in the bowl to get it covered with oil. Cover the dough with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Punch dough down and place on greased baking sheet. Pat the dough into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Brush top with olive oil. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese (if you want cheese on top).
4. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Next time you go to Northern Italy, buy a slice of focaccia bread, it will make your day!

The Mediterranea Diet

Italy is known to follow the Mediterranean Diet. The Mediterranean Diet incorporates the basics of healthy eating plus olive oil and a glass of red wine, along with other components characterizing the traditional cooking style of countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. The diet includes: getting plenty of exercise, eating primarily plant-based foods, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts, replacing butter with healthy fats such as olive oil and canola oil, using herbs and spices instead of salt to flavor foods, limiting red meat to no more than a few times a month, eating fish and poultry at least twice a week and drinking red wine in moderation.

I went on a school trip this weekend to Cilento and focused mainly on learning about the Mediterranean Diet and consuming foods that follow the guidelines of the diet. All I did this weekend was eat. We ate pizza, pasta, bread, cheese and wine at every meal. The Mediterranean Diet traditionally includes fruits, vegetables, pasta and rice. I definitely ate lots of pasta and vegetables. Grains in the Mediterranean region are typically whole grain and usually contain very few trans fats. Italy is not known to produce whole wheat pizza or pasta, but the small portions they give you is what the key to the diet is. Bread is also an important part of the diet in the Mediterranean cities. However, throughout the Mediterranean region, bread is eaten plain or dipped in olive oil and not eaten with butter or margarine like in the United States. I ate lots of pizza, but in moderate portions and consumed bread without anything on it.

Overall, I did a lot of eating this weekend, but followed the Mediterranean Diet. I consumed foods rich in olive oil instead of butter, containing lots of vegetables, and with low amounts of saturated and Trans fat. The whole reason why I am studying abroad in Italy is to learn about Italian food and culture, and this weekend demonstrated firsthand the Mediterranean Diet and how Italians follow this lifestyle.

Barcelona's Palate

Barcelona is a complex city with a unique history, culture, and perspective. The city’s diverse cuisine and the culture surrounding it are the result of their geography and history of trade.

The foundation of much of Barcelona’s cuisine is its geography and position. Barcelona is located on the coast of Mediterranean Sea on the Iberian Peninsula. The city is situated between two rivers, Llobregat and Besos, and the Collserola mountain range. The combination of Spain’s fertile terrain and temperate climate make Spain strong agriculturally. The surrounding farmland provides Barcelona with a plethora of fresh foodstuffs. Due to Spain’s geographic location, the country’s cooking style has historically relied on whatever ingredients were available locally. Barcelona is positioned on the Iberian Peninsula and therefore is almost entirely surrounded by water. Seafood is one of the main pillars of Barcelona’s cookin. Popular types of seafood include sea bass, monkfish, squid, clams, mussels, langoustines, crayfish, lobster, shrimp, and prawns.


Spain’s farmlands grow a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. Other famous Spanish delicacies are their hams and pork products.


Spain’s geographic location makes their cuisine fundamentally Mediterranean, but Barcelona’s position as part of the trade route between North Africa and the rest of Europe also had a major affect on the country’s cooking. When Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas in 1492 he significantly influenced the course of history, and the eating habits of all of Europe. His discovery particularly affected Barcelona’s cuisine due to the city’s centrality in trade. Of the many products that crossed the Atlantic to Europe the items most influential to Spanish cuisine were tomatoes, legumes, potatoes, and peppers which are found in many traditionally Spanish foods. Many foods that are recognized as “typically Catalan” include products imported from the Americas such as tortilla de patata, patatas bravas, and pan con tomate.


This past weekend in Barcelona consisted of constant eating. I tried all three famous Catalan dishes, but my favorite was the pan con tomate. It looks and taste like brushetta, but is totally different. It is one of the simplest and the most widely eaten famous dishes from Cataluña. It is toasted bread rubbed with fresh garlic and ripe tomato, then drizzled with olive oil and a bit of salt.

The food was so fresh and delicious, I never went a few hours without consuming something. On Saturday I went to the Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria which is a large public market in the Ciutat Vella district of Barcelona. The market has a very diverse selection of goods. There were stands and stands of food products. I bought a few apples and oranges and was content.

I loved the Spanish Cuisine especially the typical Catalan dishes. I hope to go back to Spain and explore some more typical Spanish plates.