THE NEW GEOGRAPHY OF TASTE
The philosophy of the zero kilometer menu or km zero, as Italian producers first called it, means every ingredient on the plate travels the shortest possible distance between soil and table. What emerges in practice is an extraordinary negotiation between the cook and the climate, between ambition and humility, between the chef’s imagination and what the land produces.
So whether you are dining in a Michelin Star or a local Trattoria, their food is rooted to their soil, climate, culture and nature!
What makes the zero kilometer so compelling is that it looks different depending on where we are standing. In Italy this means fresh white truffle and pine nuts in the north, hand rolled mozzarella and burrata cheese with the freshest cherry tomatoes in the center, red chillies and onion along the coast and of course the best meat.
Full disclosure, I’m a meat lover but I always tell my friends that I don’t mind being a vegetarian when I’m in Italy.
Pasta with Truffle shavings – truffle, one of the most prized possessions of Italy’s zero kilometer cooking!
Freshly rolled pasta with pesto – basil, olive oil, local Parmigiano, pine nuts from the hills. Every element sourced within 40 kilometres of the kitchen.
La Carraia – my favorite gelato parlor in the birthplace of ice cream, Florence!
The ORIGINAL LOCAVORES
The Italian culinary tradition is fundamentally a patchwork of microclimates and micro-identities — campanilismo, as applied in the kitchen.
The best part about Italy is you will walk past a small unassuming door that is easily missable. But if you take a closer look at the door, it has several Michelin Guide recommendations or Michelin Stars on it.
And both Sam and me are suckers for such traditional Michelin recommended or Michelin Star trattorias. And hence we booked one in Tuscany, near Florence.
We walked into that small place at around 7.00pm. The moment we walked through the tiny door, we realised how tiny the space was and how choc a bloc it was with localites, in their elemnts! The chef, who workspace (kitchen) sat smack in the middle of the space, an open kitchen was in full swing!
The moment we entered, he looked up from this work station gave us a light wave of hand with a mouthful of smile. as if he has known us for ages!
We meandered our way through the happy cacophony and found a place, a humble bench and desk with a white and red checkered table cloth.
It was a four course menu that night. Not a printed menu but one written by hand on a blackboard. There was a young man who would go up to each table, the board in hand, explaining the evening specials. Each item on the menu was built around what was available in the local market that morning.
While we were waiting for our set menu, we befriended almost everyone sitting around us… the usual banter, where we are from, for how long are we visiting, and a list of local recommendations on restaurants, cafes, bakeries, antiques and more!
As soon as the food made its appearance (the aroma came in a few seconds early), a sudden silence fell in the room!
With each bite of our food, we looked at each other, surprised at how can something made from such humble ingredients hold such complex flavours and grateful that the universe allows us such experiences!
I will not go into the details of what we ate, and how it was because there are somethings that should not be described, only experienced!
Needless to say it was and still remains one of the best meals of our life!
THE COMFORT FOOD & WINE COMA
Just like that small trattoria tucked away on a Florentine street, Tuscany is full of hidden gems waiting to be discovered. Let us take you there, through its markets, kitchens, and vineyards for a journey that’s as much about taste as it is about living the Tuscan way.
