周日午餐:永恆的義大利經典

Those who know well the Belpaese culture and traditions, will know that almost all Italians have a fixed appointment every week. We are not talking about the usual football matches, nor about the famous "low-fat Friday" which involves replacing meat with fish. We are talking precisely about Sunday lunch, the first between every self-respecting tradition, from north to south and which, in one way or another, we are committed to replicating even when we are abroad.

But where is this costume born? What are the typical regional dishes that we still prepare for the most important family event of the week?

Sunday has always been family day. In the past, we met to go to the Mass in the neighborhood church and, subsequently, the whole family usually went to the oldest member’s house to have traditional lunch together. Although many years have passed, lunch still includes homemade recipes that have ancient and historical origins. Green light, therefore, to homemade pasta, tortellini, meat sauces, the famous "grandmother" roasts with potatoes and a whole series of homemade desserts whose scent brings with them the memories of a far but happy childhood.

What about the table? How do you usually set the table for Sunday? ça va sans dire that, being a recurring but special event, families often use the famous "good service"; the one that has been given as a wedding gift or inherited from an old great-grandmother. At the same time, the tablecloth will be elegant and classic, white or pastel colors, often ancient and, very popular at that time, hand-embroidered. In the center, fresh seasonal flowers will look great.

But not only Italy has this ancient tradition. The well-known "Sunday roast", the English Sunday roast, honors the best raw materials from the United Kingdom, such as tubers and obviously beef, turkey, lamb and pork. Obviously not every version of this recipe includes all types of meat but certainly the best, as well as the most complete, is the one accompanied by the delicious gravy sauce. Another fundamental element of this British tradition is the Yorkshire Pudding, a sort of donut without a hole but with a fairly deep cavity which, generally, is filled with super tasty gravy.

And abroad? Who is writing you, lover of traditional cuisine from Emilia Romagna and first pupil of a grandmother who was a great chef, has learned every recipe and moved the Sunday lunch tradition to Hong Kong. Our friends now are our family but the warmth is still the same.

Have you brought this tradition (and many others) to the places where you lived? We will talk about it next week with an article about how our eating habits change when we move to another country! Don’t forget to follow our Linkedin, FB and IG!