Learning from a Pro

     

     While on my culinary sojourn through Italy I spent a day under the tutelage of Alain, a professional chef and our guide.  He was a member of the Food & Wine Academy of Florence.  I met him one morning in the shadow of the Duomo that towers over the city and he led our group through town to the Sant' Ambrogio Market.  It has both indoor and outdoor vendors and Alain claims it is the most authentic of the markets in the city, better than the famed Central Market that he says is just for show and more of a tourist destination than a place to purchase fresh ingredients.  And if you get there early you will see many of the top chefs and restaurateurs there shopping to supply their kitchens.

       We made our way around the outdoor vendors and sampled some of the fruits and vegetables, including something called a Tabaccheria Peach.  It was a squatty looking fruit, akin to our doughnut peach, thin skinned with a white flesh and a very juicy interior.  The name in Italian translates "snuffbox" because it has that shape if you use your imagination.  It does not travel well and is consumed locally, close to where it is grown, and it has a very short season.  It is so juicy in fact, that it is recommended that you eat it over the sink!



     Going inside we were introduced to no less than 24 regional salumi, ranging from Tuscany to Milan and everywhere else in between.  And of course there were so many shanks of prosciutto hanging that I lost count.  I also came across a cooler case of coniglio.  And although I was unfamiliar with the Italian name I did recognize the shape as rabbit.  Another popular item was tripe, cow's stomach.  I think it is what we would call an acquired taste!