Tag: soul

Soul Food: poor cuisine born from the African-American community – Italian Cuisine


Soul Food is the cuisine of the African-American community born in the south of the United States, characterized by poor and genuine ingredients and closely linked to the history of their culture and their emancipation

For Soul Food, or "soul food" means the Traditional cuisine from the African community in the southern United States. Although the term was coined in the sixties, a period in which the first cookbooks also saw the light, Soul Food has its roots in the period of slavery and in the following 100 years. The African-American community, in fact, accustomed since the past to using economic and local ingredients, has carried on this culinary tradition, giving life to a poor and simple cuisine, but rich in flavor. The food of the soul, over time, ended up influencing the cuisine of the whole country and spreading to the rest of the world, where it is now highly appreciated and rediscovered.

History and evolution of African-American "soul" cuisine

The history of soul cooking has gone hand in hand with that of the emancipation of this community and represents an important component of this culture. Its characteristic flavors, long preparations and many of the recipes conceived and handed down for generations, became famous in the sixties, thanks to the rise of black nationalist movements. In particular the term Soul Food was coined in 1962 by Amiri Baraka, activist, poet and leading figure in the fight to claim the rights of black American citizens. Responding to the widespread prejudice that his community "did not have a language or a characteristic cuisine", he collected in an essay the best of African-American cuisine, specifying that it was precisely a "popular cuisine of the soul" that came directly by migrants from the south and that was for them reason for pride. THE first soul cookery books began to appear in progressive book stores in the 60's then spread in the 70s, while the first restaurant was opened in Harlem in 1962 by Sylvia Woods, known as the "queen of Soul Food".
The restaurants of the soul then began to make their appearance in the large metropolises of the country, with an increasingly diverse clientele, and this cuisine was soon recognized and loved nationally.

Popular ingredients, characteristics and recipes

Soul cooking is pretty spicy, rich in aromas and seasonings, and contemplates the use of offal and "waste" parts of the pig as well as poor, accessible, substantial and versatile ingredients such as corn flour.
But let's see specifically which are the most used ingredients. The king of the meats is precisely the pig, of which every part is used, including the fat for frying or the lard used for many sweet and savory recipes. There corn flour it is used in many ways and many preparations, including corn bread, a sort of fried pancake called johnnycake and round pancakes called hush puppies. On the legumes and vegetables front, Soul Food is characterized by awide variety of beans and peas, while vegetables are divided between those of African origin, such as okra and sweet potatoes, or American ones, such as cabbage and turnips. Between most famous soul recipes the chicken, smoked pork belly, catfish main courses, beef ribs, Hoppin 'John (a soup made with bacon and black-eyed beans) and potato salad stand out. Dishes are often seasoned with a spicy vinegar and chilli sauce, with a spicy blend of spices called Cajun or with mayonnaise.

THE contemporary cooks who try their hand at cooking Soul Food, often make it more "healthy", limiting or avoiding the use of animal fats such as lard, replacing rapeseed oil with other vegetable oils and inserting leaner cuts of meat.

Photo: corn pancakes hush puppies_soul food_Flickr Christine Wisnieski.jpg
Photo: soul food soup hoppin 'john_Flickr Jeffreyw.jpg
Photo: fried chicken soul food_Flickr stu_spivack.jpg

Tradition and innovation at the Castello di Semivicoli, Relais de Charme with a green soul – Italian Cuisine

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A territory characterized by excellent food and wine, a fascinating landscape with enormous potential that plays on the unusual sea-mountain proximity, a magnificent baronial building in the hills in the hamlet of Semivicoli, in the province of Chieti, surrounded by lush vineyards and offering at the same time Adriatic sea view – with the "overflows" on the coast – and view of Maiella.

A wonderful location, the Castle of Semivicoli, which was also the home of the famous French actor in the cinematic fiction Gerard Depardieu when he filmed between his rooms and courtyards the film "Nothing can stop us" by Luigi Cecinelli. Gourmet declared that of wine if it intends, the French Depardieu cannot not have loved this land strongly tied to its roots, to the family, to the traditions and the pleasures of the shared table.

A place of magic

179948Built between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries on the highest point of the village of Semivicoli in the municipality of Casacanditella, the Castello di Semivicoli has been restored according to the dictates of both conservative restoration and bio-architecture; this Relais de Charme has kept the porch, the oil mill of 1868, the granary, the ancient cellar of 1808, the neviera. Rooms and rooms furnished with antique furniture that recall past times, the rooms of the old kitchen, with the large fireplace, the oven, the copper cookware and the crockery on the walls, host the guests' breakfast in a charming atmosphere from the contemporary comfort. The palace is surrounded by its own vineyards, gardens full of roses that bloom in rotation, the secret garden with the small chapel and the secluded pool area.

Reference point for Abruzzo wine tourism

179954The ancient noble residence is also a respectable wine center, a reference point for the discovery of local wines and of the whole territory: Gianni Masciarelli, a legendary figure in the wine world of Abruzzo and a man who knew how to look far with his wife Marina Cvetic , bought it in 2004 to make it an agriturismo.

After his untimely death in 2008, his wife Marina embraced her husband's vision with courage and determination and is now at the helm of Masciarelli Tenute Agricole, flanked by her first child Miriam Lee, who works as a Brand Manager around the world. The 350 hectares of the wine-making company extend over various plots of land in the four provinces of Abruzzo – Chieti, Teramo, Pescara, L'Aquila.

The headquarters is on the estate of San Martino sulla Marrucina: in the barrels of the Sala dei Tini rests the Villa Gemma Rosso; in the Bottaia dei Rossi there are numerous French oak barrels cradled by classical music; there are those in the Bottaia dei Bianchi and finally those in the Sala dei Tonneaux, dedicated to the parents of Gianni, Amedeo and Liberata. In San Martino sulla Marrucina, Cabernet Sauvignon is cultivated, in that of Ofena Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and Trebbiano in other estates. Wine production includes 5 product lines: Classic Line, Villa Gemma flagship, Marina Cvetic, Castello di Semivicoli and the latest addition, Gianni Masciarelli.

Green recognition

179963Masciarelli Tenute Agricole has a strong push for research and innovation but always respecting the canons of sustainability.

The Castello di Semivicoli was in fact the first tourist facility in Abruzzo (the eighth in all of Italy) to obtain the EMAS certification (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme), a community eco-management and audit system to which companies and organizations willing to engage in assessing and improving their environmental efficiency voluntarily adhere.

"EMAS is a dynamic tool that allows us to constantly improve, in an effort to progressively reduce the consumption of raw materials and waste – not only of the production process but of the company as a whole" explains Marina Cvetic, considered by most the " lady of the Abruzzo wine ”.

"Abruzzo is a green area, rich in biodiversity – and therefore extraordinarily suited to wine production – our wines are well suited to the geographical conditions of the territory, they respect its wild nature and fully express its indigenous identity".

by Francesca Tagliabue
November 2019

Food for Soul: the refectories that give food and dignity – Italian Cuisine


MINI supports the project of Bottura Food for Soul refectories. Because in life, and in business, giving back surpluses is a responsibility

Food for Soul is a non-profit association founded by Massimo Bottura and Lara Gilmore to combat food waste in the interests of social inclusion. Perhaps the name says nothing, but surely it is easy to remember in the year of Expo2015 in Milan the media hype received by the opening of the Refettorio Ambrosiano, the first stone of this project. "Knowledge generates consciousness, consciousness generates responsibility" is the mantra that Massimo Bottura repeats. "What goes around comes around" because life is all a cause-and-effect circle. And karma does not forgive.

The Ambrosian Refettorio

The Refettorio Ambrosiano was created in collaboration with the Caritas Ambrosiana precisely on the occasion of Expo2015. The building, an abandoned theater in Piazza Greco in Milan, had been completely renovated and transformed into a new community canteen. The Refettorio Ambrosiano continues to welcome people in situations of social vulnerability every day and, from Monday to Friday, it offers 96 people a three-course meal prepared from food surpluses collected from the city's markets and supermarkets. The location is also available to the whole neighborhood for the realization of educational projects and cultural events. After the first Refectory many others were born (London, Rio de Janeiro, Paris and soon Harlem in New York), all community cafeterias, where needy guests are welcomed to offer them nutritious and healthy dishes in a convivial atmosphere. «This is not charity, it is culture, Explained Massimo Bottura at the press conference in which MINI announced its support for the project.

Return dignity, not just meals

The Refettorio, like all the other refectories around the world, is not a canteen like all the others. It offers food to the most needy, but actually gives much more than hot pasta. The poverty we are witnessing today is not just an economic poverty, but social isolation, and sharing the table gives first of all an opportunity for conviviality, exchange and humanity. Eating served at the table, in a beautiful place, is part of a project of social inclusion that restores dignity to those who think they have lost it together with work, home and the love of their loved ones. Among the 96 people of the Refettorio of Milan there are immigrants, separated fathers, elderly of the neighborhood, homeless who need first of all to feel part of a family. «Food, calories and hunger are not the real problem. It is not the lack of food the emergency in a city like Milan, but to stop feeling like other people, with the same rights, ”said Cristina Reni, executive director of Food For Soul during a last presentation. It is not the charity that is needed, but the desire to fully include in the society those who for some reason, during their life, feel they have slipped out of it, to the margins. And it is also done through good recipes, nice dishes, design tables and chairs: tearing away from the ugliness with beauty.

The Onlus that collects the support of companies

Food for Soul was created with the aim of encouraging public, private and non-profit organizations to create and support community canteens all over the world, and to involve professionals from different sectors, including chefs, artists, designers and food distributors, in order to promote an approach alternative to building community projects. Now they've managed to get involved too MINI. Responsibility, sharing, inclusion and recovery of urban spaces to relocate them and give them a new dignity that serves to restore hope to people, are the values ​​shared by MINI and Food for Soul. This is why the automotive brand has chosen to support this association and join the change by taking the first step worldwide in the Corporate and Social Responsibility strategy. This is how a brand can not only inspire, but above all contribute to change, to develop an increasingly sensitive, sustainable and visionary society, respecting and recognizing universal human values. "The positive thing is that it is consumers who ask for this" return "to society," explains Stefano Ronzoni, MINI director.

Return, because life is a circle

Return, is the theme of the Food for Soul project. Return all that would be wasted, such as food, time, energy. At the Refectory the surplus food is eaten, at the same time the supporting companies redistribute a piece of their profits (the amount of MINI's unconditional contribution to the Food Four Soul project remains a mystery), but the signal is positive. It is no longer "green washing", and companies know it well. MINI launched its first electric car this year, after a decade of investments in sustainable mobility. «What goes around comes around" Bottura concludes. It is karma, it can be as generous as a hot dish or it cannot be forgiven at all.

In the photo, Stefano Ronzoni, director of Mini in Italy, Roberto Olivi, director of institutional relations, and communication of BMW Italia and chef Massimo Bottura.

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