Thank goodness it is September. All the vacationers have left and life is returning to normal here in southern Italy. Along with the tourists leaving so has the hot and humid weather. Today is a beautiful clear day and here is my view from my office as I type this blog. Not too bad - right?
Over the weekend I went to the Sagra in Pioppi. This Sagra is one of the oldest if not THE oldest in the Cilento area which started in 1969. The famous "Mediterranean diet" was discovered in Pioppi by Angel Keys. And an interesting fact about Mr. Keys - he has a tie to Minnesota as he spent a short amount of time at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester and then taught at the University of Minnesota. In Pioppi there is a small museum for the Mediterranean diet. He spent 28 years in Pioppi and returned to Minnesota one year before he died at the age of 100.
The Sagra in Pioppi is Sagra del Pesce (Festival of fish). Most of you that know me know I am not fond of fish but I do eat some types - just not alot. Living in southern Italy I am trying to have an open mind and try more fish as I do know it is healthy. So to the Sagra I would go. Friday night I went with Angela and Luigi. I ate Polpo (octopus). It was served in a salad with potatoes. It really wasn't that bad - no fishy taste which is the worst for me - but the texture was a bit challenging. A bit like calamari - but I do like calamari - so go figure. And thank goodness it was dark so I couldn't really see what I was eating - haha!!!
The second night I was able to spend the evening with a cousin I had not seen yet since my move in May.
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| My cousin Rosanna (former teacher and artist) I have a few pieces of her art in my home. |
She and her husband spend the summers in Pioppi but live in Salerno. Due to some family issues they have not been in Pioppi much this summer so I was thrilled when we were able to make plans to spend time together. Rosanna's husband, Pasquale was working at the Sagra so she and I were able to catch up. Also we were able to get a behind the scenes view of the main food station (Fried Anchovies) - OMG! For 6 euros you got a cone full of fish with some bread and either a water or glass of wine. Check out the process.
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| The fish are put in a large strainer and flowered. The motion in the picture didn't turn out real well. |
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| Then the fish as put in the fryer |
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| The basket of fish is pulled out of the fryer and the fish are drained on a large paper lined grate |
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| The finished product ready to be loaded into the paper cones shown on the right side of the picture |
Needless to say I was not brave enough to try these - a bit too fishy and they still have the heads - oh ick!!!
Another sign of fall is the different fruits and vegetables I will get at the market. I was so excited to see Pomegranates (melograno) last time I went. I love them and again a very healthy fruit. I will eat the seeds with yogurt and honey. The good things is they are so inexpensive. In the states you could pay over a $1 for one. My total purchase at the market which included a pomegranate was 3 euros!!! I will be buying lots of pomegranates. In fact I may plant a tree next spring in my front yard!
Stay safe if you live in the path of "Irma" and will write more soon.
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