Before we say goodbye to 2022, let's find out what you've been looking for on Google – and we'll also give you the answers so you never have to search again!
As usual, the end of the year has arrived and we all take stock of how the year just ended was. 2021, as well as 2020, was a special year for Italy, to put it mildly: curfews, vaccines, the new Draghi government, Eurovision, European football championships, important farewells to much-loved celebrities, such as Raffaella Carrà.
Is in the kitchen? Taking a look at the ranking of most searched words of 2021 in the kitchen, we have a mirror of what the Italians wanted to answer. In general, 2021 saw the desire to return to enjoy life but also the impossibility of returning to pre-pandemic levels; he also witnessed the questioning of the traditional model of food consumption and the onset of laziness, following a 2020 lockdown where everyone – or almost everyone – wanted to try their hand as chefs and bakers within the walls of their own home. So let's look at the official ranking of the most searched words of 2021 in the kitchen, by Italians, according to Google.
The 10 most searched words of 2021 in the kitchen
10. Scrambled eggs
Are Italians really not able to make two scrambled eggs? Hard to believe, yet a scrambled egg done right isn't that easy to make. I personally have in mind for years the recipe of Tom Cruise – just him – which provides great generosity with butter; it also requires that the eggs be opened in a cup and beaten just a little, without overdoing it. In a hot pan, pour the eggs into the already melted butter and let them set for a minute, continuing to mix vigorously and turning off before complete cooking, always mixing.
9. Homemade ravioli
If home-made bread is tired, a different story applies to home-made pasta: ravioli, in particular, keep a hit in the ranking also for the conviviality required in preparing them. To tell the truth, however, "homemade ravioli" indicates a huge family of stuffed pasta, not only Italian (which changes from city to city along the whole boot), but also of foreign origin, such as Chinese ravioli, pierogi Polish, etc.
8. The meat broth
What Christmas is without broth? I am pretty sure that this research item has been used especially in the latter part of the year. Everyone likes broth, even the youngest, it tastes like a party and recently it was the protagonist of a very pleasant book, “The Christmas broth in Emilia-Romagna”, by Irene Fossa and Mattia Fiandaca.
7. The porridge
It is a bit surprising to find this word in the ranking of the most searched words of 2021 in the kitchen, because porridge has already been talked about for some years in Italy, and its advantages are well known. Porridge, which in Italian could be translated into "oatmeal" is a very balanced breakfast, its preparation takes little time and is extremely versatile. On the porridge, which can be made with water or milk (cow or vegetable), you can put literally everything: honey, agave, blueberries, strawberries, strawberries, bananas, pecans, macadamias, Brazil nuts, everyone chooses according to his tastes. personal. Curiosity about porridge: it is believed that something similar was widespread in the Paleolithic, with a geo-localized origin in Italy, in the South.
6. Hard-boiled eggs
I understand scrambled eggs, but boiled eggs? Probably someone needed a reminder on cooking times, to avoid getting a soft-boiled egg or an overcooked egg, which tastes of sulfur. In fact, during cooking in boiling water the sulfur is released which combines with the hydrogen contained in the egg white producing hydrogen sulphide, which interacts with the iron of the yolk forming, in fact, the iron sulphide, which in addition to the unpleasant odor gives a gray-green color. So the answer is: 6-7 minutes for soft boiled eggs, 8-9 minutes max for very hard-boiled eggs; in any case, if you want to make hard-boiled eggs try to buy them from the farmer. It's a whole other story.
5. Sushi at home
How ambitious, these Italians: there have been many homemade sushi on the “cucinaremale” Facebook page. Honestly, I've never seen anyone manage to make a noteworthy sushi at home, and considering the cost of the raw material, you don't even save money. Yet, many people have searched for this keyword, so maybe someone has even become good.
4. The tomato paste
The most cliché word in the kitchen in this ranking. The tomato paste is the symbol of Italianness abroad, almost everyone has done it. The flavor of a homemade tomato paste, in fact, is incomparable to that of a puree bought at the supermarket. In addition, in 2021 awareness has finally spread about the too low costs of canned tomatoes from the supermarket, which often conceal the exploitation of a foreign workforce not protected by trade unions and forced into grueling shifts and shameful wages. It is welcome, then, that Italians feel the need to prepare the tomato sauce on their own.
3. The bechamel
There are those who buy made béchamel and others who are a little less lazy: a good béchamel requires little time and cheap and easy-to-find ingredients. The only trick is to stir continuously and pay attention to the heat of the stove. In fact, there is nothing worse than a burnt béchamel sauce, especially when you have to clean the saucepan afterwards.
2. Homemade pesto
Genoese pesto, of course. According to the Consortium for the protection of Genoese pesto, the essential ingredients of pesto are: Genoese basil, extra virgin olive oil (Ligurian), parmesan, Sardinian pecorino, pine nuts, garlic and salt. The mortar allows for ideal texture, but an immersion blender is fine too. The only limitation of blenders is linked to the metal blades, since upon contact with the metal some substances are developed that alter the flavor of Genoese pesto. The most difficult part of Genoese pesto is perhaps the cultivation of the potted plant, which many die after a few days. The advice is to place a plant in a large and tall pot, place it outside or on the windowsill, in a sunny area but slightly sheltered from direct sunlight, and water it constantly every evening when the temperature drops.
1. Homemade pizza
At the top of the ranking of the most searched words of 2021 in the kitchen is the most Italian of recipes: homemade pizza. In an area where it is certainly not difficult to find pizzas of every style and origin, generally of perceived high quality, Italians have decided to continue to try their hand at this dish, and who are we to blame them? Homemade pizza deserves to remain the first of this ranking in Italy for a long time, because it is nice that in every home you choose and define your own recipe, to be handed down to children, grandchildren and friends.
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