Archive for the ‘scenes from village life’ Category
Calabrian Folk Music from Tarantella Power 2010: Aquila Bella
As many of you know, my village was home to Tarantella Power again this year; I do have a video of tarantella music and dancing to share as well as more photos from the five-day (!) event, but first I want to share with you this video of one of my absolute favorite Calabrian folk songs, Aquila Bella:
The song is about a beautiful eagle that delivers a love letter to the singer’s beloved — unless she’s sleeping, in which case, the eagle is to let her sleep (and dream sweet dreams) because for her the night turns:
“Dorma gioiuzza, fai li sogni d’oru; Ca c’esta cu pe tia la notta gira.”
*le sigh*
Happy Love Thursday everyone!
Calabria Traveling Market: Buying Pecorino, Capocollo, ‘Nduja, and Pancetta from the Back of a Car
In Calabria, some days you go to the market. On other days you’re innocently typing away on your computer when you hear the cry of “Formaggio formaggio formaggio paesanoooo!” outside.
On those days, the market has come to you. So you grab your wallet and camera (no need for keys — you can just leave those in the lock in the front door), and head outside to see your choices.
Here was the selection yesterday morning:
This is all homemade and handmade locally by the seller and his wife.
Here he is weighing my capocollo and pancetta:
Yes, I decided to splurge and get pecorino, capocollo, and pancetta. Paolo and his friends have been working hard in our campagna (which means they need food up there every day) and most of his family is also around this month, so it’s good to have reserves in the house for drop-ins.
Homemade “paesano” salumi and cheese doesn’t come cheap, but it’s worth every centesimo. Still, the guy could sense my reluctance to part with my euros (may have been due to my price-haggling), so he threw in a big chunk of ‘nduja for free. You can see it a bit in the upper left of this photo:
What’s that? You’re not familiar with ‘nduja (ahn-DOO-ya)? Guess I’ll have to write a blog post about it, but for now, suffice it to say that it’s a Calabrian treasure — an uber-spicy, spreadable sausage that works well on everything from bruschetta to pasta.
And if you want a refresher course on the differences between pancetta, capocollo, our beloved suppressata, and more, check out Vince Scordo’s Guide to Cured Italian Meats: Salumi.
How would you enjoy the pecorino and salumi I picked up at the traveling market?
Benefits of Chamomile: Prenditi una camomilla!
“Prenditi una camomilla!” is a common Italian expression that literally means “Have yourself a chamomile tea!” but it’s the colloquial equivalent of “Chill out!” or “Take a chill pill!” if you prefer.
There’s even a Facebook group dedicated to this phrase, which happens to be one of my absolute favorites in the Italian language.
More literally, though, many Italians also suggest chamomile tea as a general home remedy for just about any ailment, including insomnia.
Although I love other herbal teas, I’m actually not a huge fan of drinking chamomile; I do, however, *love* the little flowers it comes from.
Maybe you’ve seen them growing wild somewhere?
As you can see, they look like little daisies (in fact, they’re from the daisy family), and they are literally everywhere in the spring in Calabria. You may know the plant as Roman chamomile, English chamomile, garden chamomile, and various other names.
Did you know even Shakespeare knew chamomile, writing that “The more it is trodden on, the faster it grows” in Henry IV?
In our garden, chamomile grows wild, lining the walkway, shown here with the dogs nearby so you can see just how tiny the flowers are:
To be honest I didn’t even notice these little flowers in Calabria until one day I saw an older gentleman picking them on the side of the road; only then did I realize they must have some use — Calabrians often focus on the utility of plants and flowers, not always their beauty.
Once you’re close to the chamomile, though, the unique scent will tell you what the flowers are. Che profumo!
More Health Benefits of Chamomile
Chamomile does a lot more than just calm your nerves, too; it can also act as an anti-inflammatory, which means it can ease indigestion, other digestive issues, canker sores, conjunctivitis, menstrual cramps, eczema, hemorrhoids, migraines, and more.
For a full list as well as precautions for using chamomile, check out the Chamomile Fact Sheet at About.com.
Are you a chamomile fan?
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