Repast

Pietro Romanengo fu Stefano: Candies full of History

When I arrived at the Fancy Food Show, my boss Ihsan Gurdal (see photo of him to the left in his “element,” surrounded by cheeses!!) directed me in several different directions.  One of them was to visit Delfina Romanengo, the highlight of my experience at the show.

I reached Delfina’s booth amongst the crowds of people running around like  crazy animals eating as many samples as possible.  She stood there behind her stand as though she was completely detached from her current surroundings.  It was as if she was mentally removed from the chaotic food show and still standing in the historic shop, Pietro Romanengo Fu Stefano, on Via Soziglia in Genoa.  And so, as I approached the stall at the show, I felt like I was entering a severely reduced version of the historic store.  I briefly spoke to Delfina.  I wish I could speak Italian so that I could have explained to her how fascinated I was by her handcrafted candies, her beautifully exquisite candied fruits and fondants.

She gave me a brochure that I feel funny calling a “brochure.”  It’s more like a historical guide through her shop.  The story of Pietro Romanengo fu Stefano begins with Antonio Maria Romanengo in Genoa during the second half of the 18th century.  He opened a colonial goods and drugstore.  His son Stefano received a diploma in confectionary from the University of Genoa, and, in 1814, he opened up the store on Via Soziglia.  Stefano’s son Pietro registered the company with the Chamber of Commerce and Arts as "Pietro Romanengo fu Stefano" to ensure that his father's name lived on.  Pietro helped establish the stunning packaging.  He designed the dove and olive branch logo, a symbol of peace in the wake of the Napoleonic wars. He also established the company's blue paper packaging which was once used to wrap up sugar cones.

The candies were popular among many historical figures:

Giuseppe Verdi - his letters on Romanengo's candied fruits are kept in La Scala museum Prince Umberto and Margherita of Savoy – In 1868, they ordered the candy for their wedding – the order is now kept in the historical archives of the Commune of Genoa
Vittorio Emanuele II

Two Influences on Pietro’s One-of-a- Kind Confectionery: the Middle East and France
During the Crusades, Europe’s culinary traditions were affected by the Arab world.   Chocolate, sugared goods, preserves, candied fruit, syrups and liqueurs all first appeared in the Middle East.  Since the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Genoa had some of Europe’s most renowned confectionaries.  Despite their established success in this craft, it was not until the 18th century that these confectionaries reached new heights in their techniques.  This was due to the French.  Pietro used French industrial machinery.  Pietro drew inspiration from the Parisian confectioners. 

Why would Pietro Romanengo turn to Paris? 

During the second half of the 17th century, Parisian cooks were revolutionizing modern cuisine. The 17th century was the heyday of vegetables and fruit in France.  Before this time period, they were dismissed as indigestible food for peasants.  It was not until 1683 that Dr. Nicholas Venette explained that they were good for you.  French scholar, Joan DeJean explains that French food writers were preaching the message to use the finest and freshest ingredients in the simplest way possible.  This probably helped to produce the 17th-century obsession with confitures and the science of drying and preserving fruits.  By the 18th century, many Parisian candy makers opened up shops in Italy.

Tasting the fruit gelées from Pietro Romanengo:

The day after the Fancy Food Show, Delfina came by the shop and gave me two boxes of fruit gelées.  What are these fruit gelées?  They look likes jelly candies, but taste like delicious fruit pastries.  Each gelée is inserted with the natural juices from the fruit.  Starch is used to create the coating on the outside.  When I gave one to Amy, my coworker, she explained that the outside tasted like an icing. These candies are truly works of art.  The history behind them is extraordinary.

   

Tia, Fine Indian Sweets, and the Buffalo Milk Pastry!

  It’s time that I write a post about TIA, the incredible Cheese Force at Casellula restaurant!  I feel as though there should be a photo of her dressed up as a super hero cheese woman with her many bags of interesting foods and of course CHEESES (See photo on the left!).  She should have her own theme song as she enters my store, says “hello,” and puts down her cheeses.

Tia comes into the shop almost every week to purchase cheeses for Casellula.  She almost always brings me an intriguing snack, like dried Chinese olives.  Like many of us “foodies,” gourmands, gourmets, or whatever you want to call us, Tia is perpetually seeking out new and exciting foods.  Living in Jackson Heights, Queens, Tia has access to a fascinating and delicious array of foods from all over the globe.  A couple of weeks ago, she brought me an Indian buffalo milk pastry. 

An Indian buffalo milk pastry.  Well, the history dork that I am!  A billion  questions started racing through my mind before being able to take a bite into the pastry.  But, I had to postpone those questions – stop the madness of my mind asking many different inquiries about the history and culture of this pastry.  All that had to be put aside, because Tia was standing in front of me waiting to see my response to its taste.  My older sister Sasha told me that our response to taste is extremely visceral.  In other words – you could tell if someone tastes something and is disgusted.  Their face says it all! I couldn’t agree any more. 

My visceral response said – Yum! Yummy! Yum! Yum! 
The texture: gritty, crumbly, and creamy on the palate
Taste: Sweet!  An interesting “cakey” flavor, maybe like a marble cake

I think that my obsession with these pastries is based on the fact that it combines to elements to which I have already formed a serious addiction: MILK (anything DAIRY!) & SWEETS.  Tia left me with a box of these pastries, and I’ve been snacking on it little by little each day.

But, now, I am wondering:
Are there enough buffalos in India to produce pastries with their milk?
What’s Desi Ghee?  The ingredients say – Buffalo Milk, Desi Ghee, Sugar.
   
Answers:

1 – Apparently (according to my limited online research), buffalo milk produces 45 million tons annually in the Asian-Pacific region.  **Over 30 million tons are produced in India alone!!  The photo on the left shows water buffalo in Varanasi, India.

2 – Desi Ghee – SCARY! When I googled “Desi Ghee,” I was led to a site that mentioned that Desi Ghee is one of the most unhealthy butter oils used in conventional Indian cooking.  The site reads:

Desi Ghee being rich in saturated fats has the tendency to increase total cholesterols including HDL (so called "good cholesterols") and LDL & VLDL (so called "bad cholesterols"). As such consumption of desi ghee coupled with fibre rich diet which reduces LDL bad cholesterol & physical activity which reduces VLDL bad cholesterol brings about a favourable lipid profile.

I am not sure what HDL, LDL, and VLDL mean….

Besides the ingredients of these pastries, I have to reveal the little story on the back of the box.  It answers my many questions but also raises more regarding the cultural significance of these pastries –

Milk cake is traditional Indian Sweet originating from ‘Vrindavan’ in the Pre-historic era of Lord Krishna.
Our Special Milk Cake is made from pure Buffalo Milk from the plains of North India in the traditional artisan way involving the careful cooking of protein rich milk with sugar in small lots.  The caramalization effect in the trade secret passed on from the generations.

Tia, From which shop in Jackson Heights did you purchase this box of pastries full of “Vrindavan – Pre-historic” Indian history?

Wine + Cheese = a Match made from Heaven

It’s not always easy to find the right pairing for a cheese.  Wines and cheese pairings could be super difficult.  Many times the tannins in the wine overwhelm the cheese.  Today, I met with Erin at Pasanella, a beautiful wine shop in the South Street Seaport.  We were discussing a wine and cheese event we are going to have on the Campania region of Italy.  I discovered a great pairing: Caprea and Falanghina. 

It’s worth looking more closely at this specific pairing in order to find out how to properly pair cheeses and wine.  Firstly, the citrus flavors emanating from the cheese were not overpowered.  It’s crucial to find a harmony in flavors.  The Falanghina I tried was floral and slightly acidic; the acidity balanced well with the acidity in the cheese.  Secondly, the creamy texture of the cheese seemed to coat the white wine as it went down the back of my throat.  The “retronasal tastes” is the term used to refer to the sensations felt at the back of your throat.  These sensations were exceptional!  The fruity aromas lingered at the end.  The texture and flavor of both were highlighted by one another.      

Another element to consider is what region they are from.  Often (NOT ALWAYS!), pairing a wine with a cheese from the same region can maximize both flavors.  Falanghina grapes come from Campania.  They seemed to have brought out the citrus flavors of the region. 

How come matching regions works so well?

Citrus Acidity in Wine + Citrus Acidity in Cheese

TERROIR

Terroir is just as important for cheeses as it is for wines.  And, it is especially important for goat’s milk cheeses.  The flavor of the grasses and flowers that the goat, cow, and sheep are eating in the region determine the flavor of the milk.  This inevitably ends up creating a distinct taste in the cheese.  Goat’s milk cheeses have less butterfat.  The butterfat equalizes a lot of the flavors.  With less butterfat, goat’s milk cheeses tend to have a much more pronounced flavor of whatever the goat was eating.  The Caprea tastes of lemons and has floral notes; it’s not surprising if you think of the numerous lemon trees that grow all along the hill tops of Campania where the goats are grazing.   

Försterkäse Krümmenswil: a Collaboration of Woodcarvers and Milk Producers

Cheeses wrapped in bark – I’m obsessed!  Lately, I have been really excited about Le Sousbois, a soft-ripened cow’s milk cheese wrapped in spruce bark.  The cheese is similar in flavor and style to the famous Vacherin Mont d’Or, but it doesn’t have a washed rind.  I’m fascinated by the bark, and I am wondering what the cultural and historical origins are behind it. 

So, this past Friday, while opening up cheeses at the warehouse, I was surprised and thrilled to uncover another cheese wrapped in bark: Försterkäse Krümmenswil .  This cheese is from an entirely different canton from the Vacherin and Le Sousbois, which are both produced in the canton of Vaud (western part of Switzerland, bordering France).  The Försterkäse is produced by Ernst Dirriwächter in eastern Switzerland, in the Toggenburg region.  What strikes me about this cheese is its incredibly rich flavor, reminiscent of Le Sousbois, and also its dense texture.  It has a sweet candy-like taste that is truly one-of-a-kind. 

As with many cheeses, the Försterkäse is the result of a collaboration of many farmers.  Not only did the milk producers in the Toggenburg region help to develop this exceptional cheese, but also the woodworkers.  The region’s famous artisan woodcarvers cut the wooden rind that binds the cheese.  The aroma of this cheese is more pronounced than both the Vacherin Mont d’Or and Le Sousbois.

I’m still wondering about the origins of the use of wood to bind cheeses.  There are many times that people tell stories about when a cheese came into existence, and soon after we find out that it actually was produced centuries prior.  For example, the Vacherin Mont d’Or is said to have first been produced by a cowherd named Roguin who led a herd of cows through the forests of the Jura during the winter of 1871 in order to help General Bourbaki’s troops make a safe retreat.  This story was soon debunked.  It may be true that Roguin produced the cheese, but records later proved that the cheese was being made way before him.  Documents revealed delivery records of the cheese 26 years before. 

I suppose that in a country of famous artisan woodcarvers and cheese makers it only makes sense that they would collaborate.   

Hi, my name is Max and this is my first post.

Hello, my name is Max Shrem. After having worked for Ihsan Gurdal, renowned cheese expert, for nearly a year, I have come across some of the most unique food products that I have ever seen.  And, I am starting this blog to share these food discoveries with you.   It may seem really cliché to hear about the importance of cultural traditions and food, but I have to say that the common theme with all these discoveries is cultural history.

Managing Formaggio Essex (the New York City outpost of Formaggio Kitchen) has brought about the most thrilling food explorations: cheeses made from century-old monasteries, marshmallows made in the same fashion as the ones eaten by the French aristocracy during the 17th century, and homemade jams from a self-sustainable Piedmontese farm.  In this blog, I look forward to sharing with you a cultural and historical perspective to new and interesting foods.  The word “repast” is both a noun and a verb: a meal or a feast, and to eat.  It stems from Latin “pascere” meaning to graze and “re” meaning "repeatedly."  In modern French, “repas” means a meal.

I hope you will enjoy becoming a food detective with me and sharing in my culinary delights!

Image courtesy of Formaggio Kitchen.