EASTER AS AN ITALIAN

If I thought I knew before the term “I cannot eat anything more” after a good family meal, I lied.

As Mexican food culture is very important and in my country any celebration is the perfect excuse to eat a lot in family, so previously I thought I had already lived days in which my stomach could not tolerate any more food after a party; after having lived Easter feast as an “Italian” I think differently.

EASTER AS AN ITALIAN - image 2

Easter is very important in Italy, in fact the custom of eating eggs in all their preparations at this time of the year as a symbol of the birth of something new is of Italian origin; Something I also learned these days is that the chocolate eggs with surprises inside are authentically Italian! The only difference is that here they have unreal dimensions and impressive flavors.

This year I lived Easter with a completely Italian family from Florence, and not only was I surrounded by long tables for more than 20 people, a language I adore and a beautiful landscape in San Miniato (30 minutes by car from Florence) in the Tosacana; but I recharged myself with love with the warmth of the family that received me and I had some of the richest meals of my whole life.

EASTER AS AN ITALIAN - image 4

After having hidden, searched and found chocolate eggs all over the place and ate “apperittivo” snacks throughout the morning while preparing the food (in which I only ate), we sat at the table to start with a delicious Tortellini pasta filled with cheese and spinach accompanied by a glass of red wine typical of San Miniato; when I finished I really thought I´ve had one of the best Italian meals so far, it was surprising to realize that the pasta was simply the first time of a meal that followed with varied salads, meats of different preparations, prosciutto, cold meats and cheeses. This delicacy was followed by a time of coffee and fruit with sweet creams, a raffle in which each of us obtained a giant egg of different types of chocolate, and even afterwards we tried a “dolci” (Italian dessert) typical of Easter called “Colomba” made of dried fruits and almonds. It is impressive to remember that even after 4 continuous hours of laughter, Italian jokes, Mexican music and lots of food, we set the table for dinner…Only after having lived this experience is that I notice the importance of the culture of food in Italy because it is not simply food, but since its preparation it implies coexistence, love, identity and roots.P.S. If you haven’t enjoyed a full meal on an Italian holiday, you still cannot use the phrase: “full belly, happy heart.”

EASTER AS AN ITALIAN - image 2

 

Alejandra Urrutia Matute a estudiado Nutricion en la Universidad Autonoma in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Ahora estudia en la escuela de arte superior SRISA en Florencia, Italia durante el semestre de primavera del 2019. Se encuentra en Instagram como @aleurrutiam.

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.