News and Blog – Page 65 – DEV – The Umbra Institute – Study Abroad in Italy

…Olive season that is. Three Umbra Institute students went to Passignano sul Trasimeno to help pick olives for production of one of Italy’s most delicious and famous products, olive oil. The overnight trip was at the Orsini family’s agriturismo, a self-sustaining organic farm. Little did Umbra Institute students know, they would become honorary members of the family, taking cooking lessons from the grandmother, hanging out and sharing stories with the daughters and a friend, eating breakfast,

lunch, and dinner with the whole family, etc..

Not to mention, the priceless Italian language practice! One of the students said, “It may be one of the best things I ever do in Italy.” In the end, these three students walked away with much more than their complimentary bottle of olive oil.

Professor Zachary Nowak participated in a conference on cultural integration in Florence.

This past weekend Umbra Institute professor Zachary Nowak presented a paper on the creation of Italian-American cuisine during a conference in Florence. The conference, entitled “Italian Cultural Integration: Facts & Fiction,” was organized by SUNY Stony Brook and the Palazzi Florence Association for International Education. The aim of the conference was to introduce, focus on, and outline different perspectives that concern Italians as migrants from the past two centuries on and contemporary Italians in their country integrating with other ethnic groups.

Nowak’s paper, “Integration at the Dinner Table: The Creation of Italian-American Cuisine,” outlined the ways that the culinary traditions which Italian immigrants brought to the United States were molded and changed by various factors—the relative food abundance, the mixing of Italians from all regions in Little Italies, the need to render “Italian” food more similar to American food—, leading to the creation of a genuinely distinct cuisine. Nowak followed the history of that most Italian-American of dishes, spaghetti with meatballs, to illustrate these processes.

This paper was part of Nowak’s larger research on the origin of food myths and the social reasons for their perpetuation.

Congrats to Max Milhan from University of Colorado-Boulder for his winning photo of the memorial along the Danube! Max will enjoy free pizza from Quattro Passi Pizzeria!

Recent acquisitions make the Umbra Institute’s food history section Italy’s largest collection in English.

Food is a lens through which scholars can look simultaneously at economics, politics, and sociology and see societies—past and present—as an integrated whole. The Umbra Institute has long supported a rigorously academic food course, one that both introduces contemporary Italian foodways, while giving the student the historical background to be able to understand Italian food customs.

Necessary to this endeavor is a well-stocked library. Professor Simon Young, in collaboration with Coordinator for Academic Initiatives, Anna Selberg, has worked for the last year to expand Umbra’s already large collection to over one hundred volumes. The strength of the selection, though, relies not only on depth but also on breadth of topics covered. Umbra’s library has some of the latest books that the food world has deemed important—Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Slow Food founder Carlo Petrini’s Slow Food Nation—but also others on themes ranging from the Roman cook Apicius to what might be called “the Sociology of the Table.”

The Umbra Institute library has always been responsive to the needs of the students and professors. The creation of a larger food section is part of that effort.

On Saturday, Umbra students dusted off their soccer shoes for maybe the first time in years to play calcio, the national sport of Italy. They brought their Umbra spirit all the way to victory, winning several soccer matches against the home team, the ONAOSI Institute. The gracious hosts provided a beautiful Umbrian backdrop with 2 soccer fields, talented players, and a referee. As luck had it, the weather was perfect and everyone enjoyed soaking up the warm fall afternoon sun. What had nothing to do with luck was the teamwork, infectious energy from the fans, and the spirit of the game. Go Team Umbra!

For anyone interested in the Swedish chocolate ball recipe from the game…here it is!

Chokladball Recipe (Serves 24)

3 ¼ c. oats = 260g
1 ¼ c. granulated sugar = 250g
6 tbsp. cocoa = 36g
1 tsp. vanilla
2/3 c. butter = 150 g
5 tbsp. coffee and/or milk
½ c. powdered sugar

Mix dry ingredients using your hands. Mix in coffee and butter. Roll into balls. Roll in powdered sugar or coconut and chill.

This year’s fall break coincided with Italy’s national holiday, falling on November 1st, , a day dedicated to honoring loved ones who’ve passed away. Locals here in Perugia celebrate the day amid family, friends and lots of food while outside of town near the stadium the annual fair is in full swing–complete with carnival rides, food and an enormous market called Fiera dei Morti (Fair of the Dead). A smaller market in the center of Perugia is set up and vendors are selling everything from homemade treats like strudel, cured meats and cheeses and handmade crafts. The fair goes on until November 6th.

It’s that time of year again, Eurochocolate! Every year in the fall for a week, the streets of Perugia fill up with chocolate and chocolate lovers alike. People flock to the historical center of town from all over the world see, taste and smell different kinds of chocolate. This year the weather has been slightly drizzly and chilly–nothing that one of the dozens of flavors of hot chocolate for sale in the streets won’t cure.

No need to check your calendar. It’s not Halloween yet. The people dressed in Medieval costumes are actually the Medieval Cultures course students and professor. The class was transported back in time as they dined on traditional cuisine from recipes dating back hundreds of years. What was the setting for such a feast you ask? The ancient Roman theatrefrom the 1st century A.D. in Bevagna cleverly transformed into a Medieval house.

Bevagna is home to Il Mercato delle Gaite, a market that prides itself on producing goods such as candles, bells, and paper using Medieval techniques and equipment. Students saw first-hand how paper was made thanks to the Master Paper-maker, Signor Proietti’s tour of his workshop. After the dinner feast and a tour of the town’s churches, it was time to come return to the 21st century and Perugia.

Congrats to Morgan Little from Lebanon Valley College for her winning photo this month from the Isle of Capri. Morgan will enjoy a free meal at Quattro Passi Pizzeria. Auguri, Morgan!

This weekend Brother Sun vacationed with 39 Umbra Students, leaving the rest of Italy wet and without his warm company. Then again, Tuscany does tend to attract all sorts of visitors…

Students spent Saturday morning in the undulating Cecina valley; home to the Etruscan and medieval haven Volterra. Students had an afternoon to wander the ancient stronghold’s tiny streets, and a few even chose to sample some of Tuscany’s more acquired tastes, such as cinghiale (wild boar) or Chianina (a type of beef unique to the region).

With stomachs pleasantly full students made via considerably winding roads for San Gimignano, whose looming towers and uneven piazzas pay perfect homage to a past usually seen only in Hollywood movies. A guided tour yielded several of the city’s countless secrets—old blood feuds or hospices visited by weary pilgrims centuries ago. And ofcourse, one couldn’t leave San Gimignano without paying an indulgent visit to its world-famous gelateria. (If you ever go, try the pistachio!)

Saturday evening found students lounging in a quiet villa surrounded by rolling hills and sprawling vineyards laden with dark purple grapes; a perfect end to a long, rain-free day… After a light breakfast the following morning, the trusty coach and its deft driver brilliantly navigated the snaking hills of Tuscany to bring his charges to the dark walls of Monteriggione, one of Sienna’s oldest outposts responsible for guarding the once important Cassia trade road.

Having toured the entire town, a feat easily accomplished in twenty minutes students ventured on to Sienna, as always an unforgettable experience. Green flags sporting proud geese (the mascot of this year’s Palio winner) waved triumphantly over exploring students, who had the afternoon to stop in tiny shops, restaurants, or the black and white-stoned wonder that is Sienna’s Duomo. Last views were taken from Sienna’s highest point, on a far reaching tower offering panoramas of the entire countryside.