The most frequent topics, ingredients, and recipes on the first pages of favorite Italian cooking blogs and magazines.

Italian summer months typically run from May through September, with the month of June particularly generous in the production of fruits and vegetables.

The homepages of the top food magazines and blogs showcase the fresh, flavorful ingredients essential to Italian cooking. If you have the opportunity to visit Italy, I highly recommend seeking out seasonal ingredients to truly experience the essence of Italian gastronomy at its finest.

Pizza and the Ancient Fresco:

This month, the talk of the town has been Pizza Pizza Pizza, even more so than usual. The discovery of an ancient wall painting at the Pompeii archaeological site, bearing a striking resemblance to a modern pizza, has sparked excitement and marketing opportunities. It has reignited the discussion surrounding the origin of pizza, proudly affirming its Italian heritage. Archaeologists were quick to argue that the dish should not be called pizza, since “Most of the characteristic ingredients are missing, namely tomatoes and mozzarella” (NYT, June 28, 2023). Nonetheless, at least one renowned Neapolitan pizzaiolo, Sorbillo, has used the fresco to create a new “Pompeii inspired” topping comprising spinach, anchovies, colatura di alici (anchovy sauce), walnuts, and olives.

Refreshing Cold Dishes for Hot Weather:

The summer weather forecast for 2023 in Italy is: Hot Hot Hot. In response, food blogs and magazines are presenting an array of refreshing salad recipes. From hydrating options to chicken and fish salads, the choices are plentiful. Eggplant and zucchini are up front, with recipes featuring variations of parmigiana and stuffed zucchini.

Budget-Friendly Delights:

Il Cucchiaio, a popular blog/magazine, acknowledges the rising interest in cost-effective recipes among Italians (inflation is high in Europe, too). To cater to this demand, they present weekly lists of recipes costing less than 1.50 euros per person. Using seasonal ingredients, they offer delicious suggestions such as a carpaccio of thinly sliced zucchini, basil, extra virgin olive oil, and Grana Padano flakes. Another wallet-friendly classic is the “pappa al pomodoro,” a comforting dish prepared with tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, basil, and stale bread.

Creative Desserts and the Tiramisù Twist:

If you’re seeking a creative and indulgent tiramisù recipe, look no further than Chiarapassion. This innovative blogger has ingeniously infused mascarpone cream into small chocolate eggs, giving birth to “Ovetti Tiramisù” (tiramisù chocolate eggs). It promises to be a delightful addition to your picnics and al fresco dinners.

Apart from Chiarapassion’s unique creation, other food websites celebrate the Italian success story of ice cream in its various forms, including sorbet, granita, and semifreddo*. Cherries and strawberries hold the spotlight as the reigning fruits of June, gracing cakes, cheesecakes, semifreddo, sorbets, and ice creams.

VIP Foodies and Pizza Maestros:

The pizza frenzy continues as two famous pizzaiolos —Renato Bosco, and Corrado Scaglione, known as “taste ambassadors” — took center stage during the “Il Cucchiaio d’argento food tour.” Renato Bosco, also hailed as the “pizza researcher,” emphasizes the importance of simplicity by recommending the use of no more than 4-5 ingredients, in order to allow each element to shine and be appreciated by those enjoying the pizza. (Sorbillo’s recent Pompeii inspired pizza would appear to violate this principle.)

See you soon with more July food news!

*an Italian sweet dish made from crushed ice and sugar mixed with fruit, coffee, or nuts (Definition of granita from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

**Semifreddo (Italian for ‘half-cold’; pronounced [seh-mee-fray-dow]) is a class of frozen desserts similar to ice cream (See definition of semifreddo on Wikipedia, 2023).

References

Cambridge Dictionary. (2023, June 28). granita. @CambridgeWords. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/granita

Dirindin, V. (2023, June 28). Gino Sorbillo piglia tutto, pure la pizza di Pompei di duemila anni fa. Dissapore. https://www.dissapore.com/pizzerie/gino-sorbillo-piglia-tutto-pure-la-pizza-di-pompei-di-duemila-anni-fa/

Guido. (2023, March 3). Seasonal Italian Fruits and Vegetables | List month by month. Why Italians. https://whyitalians.com/seasonal-italian-fruits-and-vegetables-list/#:~:text=Then%20make%20way%20for%20watermelon

Marco, D. D. (2023, June 28). La pizza è stata inventata a Pompei (NA), la verità è ristabilita. Dissapore. https://www.dissapore.com/pizzerie/la-pizza-e-stata-inventata-a-pompei-na-la-verita-e-ristabilita/

Marx, S. (2023, June 1). Colatura di Alici: What It Is, Why It’s Worth It, and How to Use It. Serious Eats. https://www.seriouseats.com/italy-has-fish-sauce-too-get-to-know-colatura-di-alici

Panariello, E. (2022, April 15). Ovetti ripieni di Tiramisù senza uova | Chiarapassion. Chiarapassion.com.https://www.chiarapassion.com/2022/04/ovetti-tiramisu.html

Povoledo, E. (2023, June 27). A Proto-Pizza Emerges From a Fresco on a Pompeii Wall. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/27/world/europe/pizza-mural-pompeii.html

Semifreddo. (2023, May 31). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semifreddo#:~:text=Semifreddo%20(Italian%20for%20

Infographics References

International Dairy Foods Association. (2020, March 18). Ice Cream Sales & Trends. IDFA. https://www.idfa.org/ice-cream-sales-trends

PXR Press. (2022, September 22). Ice cream market: consumer preferences in 2022 – PXR Italy. Pxritaly.com. https://pxritaly.com/en/blog/ice-cream-market-consumer-preferences-in-2022/

Redazione Panbianconews. (2023, January 23). In crescita le vendite di gelato artigianale: raggiunti i 2,7 mld – Wine Pambianco. https://Wine.pambianconews.com. https://wine.pambianconews.com/2023/01/in-crescita-le-vendite-di-gelato-artigianale-raggiunti-i-27-mld-16/211557

Research and Markets ltd. (2022). Italy Ice Cream Market Summary, Competitive Analysis and Forecast, 2017-2026. http://Www.researchandmarkets.com. https://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/5714768/italy-ice-cream-market-summary-competitive