Tuesday, March 01, 2005

Traditional vs Experimental Cuisine: what about Le Marche?

Here is a link with the Italy Magazine Forum, where a thread about Italian vs Spanish chef has been issued as an excuse to talk about traditional vs experimental cuisine (whose main exponent is Ferran Adrià, the Master of our Moreno Cedroni).

What's my (simple) point of view referring to Le Marche? Here it is.

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I'd say that the point is slightly different. In Italy there are an impressive amount of trash restaurants, which pretend to be traditional. I can take Le Marche as an example, (although I'd say that in other places - Toscana, above all - the situation is much worse). Here in the area of Ancona, there are 3-4 great places, where you spend around 30 Euros but you get a REAL traditional food. However, there are about 30 places where you have "penne alla vodka", "penne speck and rucola", which is nothing traditional and nothing "experimental". It's just to save time and (but not always) money by the "chef".

There are also some other places (I'd say, 2-3, no more than 4), where they try to experimentate, and really they deserve a dinner. Which costs no more than 100 Euros per person, and sometimes is slightly hazardous.

So, I'd complain that in Italy the debate on issue is between traditional and experimental cuisine, however, the *real* point is the high number of unworthwhile restaurants, very often defined as "traditional".

You can also have a proof of what I say: simply go to Bologna, try to go for dinner at an old lady's place, and eat her "tortellini". Then, look for a restaurant which does the same at a fair price.

Or come here, and try to find a dish of real Tagliatelle. As far as I know, there is only one (maybe two) place which really do so. The same thing with Stoccafisso all'Anconetana.

In some areas of Tuscany (for instance, between Pisa, Florence and Siena), you can't find a good average restaurants for miles. Simply try to go to the Grosseto area, or to Livorno, and you will find some very good places (at a fair price) again.

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