Tag: Water

Water and food combination: the best according to the hydrosommelier – Italian cuisine reinvented by Gordon Ramsay


The combination of food with water starts from the choice of the fixed residue.

The water card in restaurants

And he explains to us that water makes a difference at any time of the day Andrea Battaini, assistant restaurant manager of Roteo, the fine dining restaurant inside the 5-star MUSA boutique hotel on Lake Como. «Before any menu, we usually share the water menu with our customers, the first to be served; many remain intrigued, perhaps even initially confused, but let’s try to explain, without boring, that the choice must be calibrated according to needs” says Battaini. Needs that range from food pairing, such as that proposed with the dishes on the fixed menu Aqua, with dishes such as oyster pearl, ceviche water, green apple or risotto with hazelnut, bottarga. In these cases, when the menu is varied, customers start with one bottle and continue with another perhaps with a higher fixed residue. Then there are also those who need more mineralized waters after doing sports, and so the suggestion is more easily oriented towards waters with a higher fixed residue. Last but not least, the presence of Arab customers, for example, «who, not drinking alcohol, choose water as if it were a bottle of wine.

«Before any menu, we usually share the water menu with our customers Andrea Battaini, assistant restaurant manager of Roteo in Sala Comacina, on Lake Como.

In fact, by the summer, Roteo will also introduce some commonly unobtainable bottles into its water list, such as the Hildon, present on the Windsor table. «She was the favorite of Queen Elizabeth who chose her to accompany and lengthen her whiskey precisely because of the balance of her minerals. «With a neutral taste, it makes it perfect to accompany not only food, but also wines and spirits «so much so that since 1989 it has been the mineral water chosen by the sommeliers of the prestigious Institute of Masters of Wine. As well as the Canadian Iceberg or the Finnish Vellamo. Prices? From 30 euros up, like a bottle of wine.

The Hildon was Queen Elizabeth’s favorite water bottle.

The importance of water also in mixology

«Water is not just a simple tasteless and odorless chemical element, but a food in all respects says Elena Scordamaglia BRITA hydrosommelier and B2B marketing manager BRITA Italia, a leading company in water filtration. And he adds: «Its ingredients are mineral salts which help to stay hydrated, but also harmful substances, such as nitrates or volatile organic compounds, and chlorine which is used to disinfect the aqueduct pipes and which, although not harmful, it alters the taste and smell of the water.” To create culture there are some courses to follow, those of Aquademy by BRITA: a multilevel program to become experts in water and its areas of application. Aimed at everyone, even professionals especially in the coffee, mixology and pastry sectors. An example? Mosaico Spirits is the company that has patented a machine for personalizing gin that can be replicated anywhere through software. The water used is Brita filtered, in fact. «Gin is a cooking recipe based on a mosaic of ingredients, of which three are essential: water, alcohol and botanicals; water is essential for the success of a balanced premium product” explains Marco Bertoncini, CEO of Mosaico Spirits.

5 ways to waste less | The Italian kitchen – Italian cuisine reinvented by Gordon Ramsay

5 ways to waste less |  The Italian kitchen


L’waterfall it is the primary good for us human beings, but also for the environment. How to save water it must be a behavioral thought for everyone. L’waterfall it is therefore of vital importance and is also the most abundant chemical compound on earth. The quantity present on earth is immense, estimated at around 1200 billion tonnes. Our planet, in fact, is occupied for approximately 70% from water while only 30% is occupied by emerged lands.

Water is vital: our life depends on water

Most of our body is made up of water. It is the main ingredient of the blood, of our cells and represents approximately the 65% of our body weight. Water is vital and indispensable for our health: drinking water helps keep our organs healthy and replaces the liquids we lose through breathing, sweat and digestion.
To keep fit we should drink at least a liter of water a day, that is, approximately 6-7 glasses. Water is therefore a fundamental element for life on our planet!

World Water Day 2024

The World Water Day is celebrated on March 22nd (World Water Day), an anniversary established by the United Nations in 1992 and included in the Agenda 21 directives, the result of the Rio conference. The objective of the day is to raise awareness of world institutions and public opinion on the importance of reduce water waste and to adopt behaviors aimed at combating climate change.

At a political level, attention towards the topic is very high. From March 22nd to 24th the international community gathers in the United Nations Headquarters in New York for UN 2024 Water Conferenceor the second world conference on water 45 years after the first conference, which took place in 1977 in Mar del Plata, Argentina.

With the support of UN-Water and the UNDESA secretariat and organized by Tajikistan and the Netherlands, the conference has the main aim of push political and social attention towards a global problem starting from the recognition of water as a universal human right up to the priorities of use, passing through the impacts on health and the environment. Italy will be represented by Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, minister of the environment and energy security, accompanied by technical representatives of the ministries responsible for the matter (Health, MAECI, MASAF) and of the main agencies and scientific institutions that deal with water according to the their mandate (ISPRA, ISS, AICS).

How to save water in 5 tips

Since water is therefore indispensable for us and for the Planet, let’s see how to use it starting from the small daily things at home. For example, a banal gesture to start from in the kitchen is to use less water to cook pasta.

Water and coffee: which before and which after? The expert answers – Italian cuisine reinvented by Gordon Ramsay

La Cucina Italiana


Water and coffee: which one do you drink first and which one do you drink after? And then, is drinking water always necessary in this case? After all, when you go to a bar there are no rules: there are those who serve it (usually in the South) and those who don’t, or those who only serve it natural or only sparkling. Yet there is a rule. In fact, there is more than one rule. The first already clarifies many things: «A glass of water should always be drunk before coffee”says Mauro Illiano, professional taster, founder of “Napoli Coffee Experience”, member of the board of experts of the Slow Food Coffee Coalition and, among other things, editor of the first guide to Italian coffees and roasters.

When do you drink water with coffee?

First water and then coffee, therefore, and it is not a matter of taste or preference. «Water – explains Mauro Illiano – cleans the oral cavity. Except for the first coffee in the morning, provided it is drunk on an empty stomach, during the day coffee is often drunk after eating or drinking something else. With a little water you eliminate any possible contamination that could affect the tasting experience: you can perceive all the scents of the coffee, both through taste and smell.”

What is the purpose of water with coffee?

The tasting of coffee, in fact, is not limited to the moment in which we drink it: it continues afterwards, and also through the aroma of the blend as well as through its flavour. «After drinking coffee, its lipid part – which is the same that remains on the cup or on the walls of the spoon – also remains in our oral cavity and its scents then return retronasally, sometimes even for an hour. It is one of the many pleasures that coffee gives. Drinking it with your mouth clean from a sip of water is a simple way to not deprive yourself of it”, Illiano further points out.

Why shouldn’t water be drunk after coffee?

On the contrary, obviously, all this does not happen if water is drunk after coffee: «TheWater aids swallowing and therefore if you drink it after coffee it makes this pleasant sensation disappear says Illiano. However, if it often comes naturally to drink after drinking the cup, there is a reason: «It happens when the coffee is not good: it is burnt or too bitter for example. In these cases needing to drink is a natural and unconscious reaction: it serves to cleanse the mouth of unpleasant flavors and odors. It is precisely for this reason that it is often said that drinking water after coffee, when you are on the balcony of the bar, is rude towards the barista: he could interpret it as a way to tell him that he did not prepare us the cup we would have liked to drink .

Still or sparkling: which water to drink with coffee?

Among the things to know for optimal coffee tasting, there is also that What makes the difference is the water: when you drink it before coffee, it must be natural. «A low-mineral or sparkling water alters the approach to the palate, enhancing the hardness. That is: it makes the coffee taste more bitter if it is bitter, or more acidic if it already tends towards sour.”

Should chocolate be eaten before or after coffee?

Not just water, however: not infrequently, especially at the bar, coffee is served with chocolates or biscuits. What to do in these cases? «Except for particular pairing experiences between food and coffee, they should not be eaten before or after because they alternate the perception of the taste of the coffee: a very bitter chocolate can make the coffee perceived as less bitter than it actually is, and vice versa. A biscuit is even worse because it is generally very sweet: the shock of flavors that can result risks ruining the experience.”

Other articles from La Cucina Italiana that might interest you:

Proudly powered by WordPress

By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. Click here to read more information about data collection for ads personalisation

The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.

Read more about data collection for ads personalisation our in our Cookies Policy page

Close