Institute of Technology Tralee Student's Visit Italy

The Italian Job and the French Connection -

Report by Nicole Magnan 2nd Year  Culinary Arts in Tralee

When thinking about our trip to Turin, Italy, it is difficult to put into words the atmosphere, the totally different experience from daily college life, the enthusiasm for the food and the skills that they displayed and the pride of what was being produced on a daily basis . It was the best holiday I have ever been on! I will attempt to pinpoint the highlights but this in itself is a very hard job as each day out did the next.

The Italian Family - Mariea and Papa
One of the first places we went after the very welcoming Hotel Bologna, was an Italian family home. We were welcomed with opened arms and smiling faces. Even though they had very little English we still were able to understand each other. Mariea and papa, as we learnt to know him, cooked the meal. The display of food was amazing. With anti pasta plates, 2nd pasta course, meat and fish course and desert. Hopefully I haven’t forgotten any. The meal went on for about 4 hours and was a celebration of food in itself. All the food was cooked in front of us with papa filleting the sea bass for each of us and taking great pride in doing so. For me this was one of the best nights even though we were very tired we had a very good night and got to know the family, which later in the week we went back to, to drop off presents and we were asked to sit down for lunch and another meal was presented in minutes to us. It was a pasta course with burnt garlic and tomatoes this dish was simple but not forgettable.

Thoughout the days we went to many cafes but Café Toranto was one of the first and this was amazing, just to sit in this café was breathtaking with gold paintings all over it and the service was exceptional to watch as they worked with professional ease and were groomed so well. The coffee alone was well worth the travelling from Ireland to Turin.

 Vineyards:
We visited the Borolo vineyard and had a tour around where we ate and had matching wines. As. We later went to a small producer and there we had wine tasting and cheeses. From there we up the hill to a small restaurant were we had another 8 course meal which included rabbit the taste  of which is still lingering in my mouth.

Ouxs in the  Alps
On Wednesday we had a 2-hour train trip up the Alps to Ouxs where we had a wonderful meal. We were given veal carpateo, which was new to me, but the taste was fresh and flavoursome. Also we were given a beef dish, which was cooked for 8 hours on a slow heat in red wine. This was mouth watering and each piece was better than the rest. The chocolate dessert was with amaretto biscuits and cream, which was the perfect ending to a perfect meal.

The Market
On Thursday we went to a market to see how the Italians were so passionate about there food. At the market there was a husel and busel of sales. There was an excitement in the air with the Italian women and men shopping for their food and taking nothing but the best from the sales men and women. The smells as we walked through the market changed every few feet from fresh oranges and strawberries to cheeses, meat and fresh fish.

AL Cambeo - Top Restaurant Experience
That evening we went to Al Cambeo one of the most prestigious restaurants in Turin. We were seated to our table the room was an old room with gold paintings and mirrors, it was ornate and gothic with such a delicate touch at the same time. The meal was very different to most of the other meals it was garegan service with the waiters and waitresses serving the food for us. The main dish was a confit of duck with bitter chocolate and vanilla potatoes this was a very well matched combination as most plates were cleared. But yet I find my self-remembering the pre-dessert so much,  I would have loved it as the main item. It was a cream brulee the crust on the top was prefect the flavour lingered in your mouth and the texture was outstanding. The crunch of the top with the smooth creamy flavour of the bottom this pre-desert was what I thought one of the best deserts of the tour. 

Volcanic Ash Disruption

 The only thing that was on our mind besides food there was the difficulty of getting home, as a volcano had erupted that day our flight was likely to be cancelled. But using all recourses and friends our tour leader and lecture Kevin Mc Cann put the trip together, a trip I will never forget. It was an adventure of a life time with trying to get from buses to trains and trains to ferries it was something out of a movie meeting very interesting people along the way and even being able to eat a croissant in France, which I had never been to. In one was this trip will always be different to others as the 2010 trip to Italy will go down as a story in the I.T. Tralee college forever.

In this essay there seems to be a lot of different parts but truthfully these were only some of the things we did, going to eat Italy where the slow food movement is really in play, going to a counts house for diner and wine, having a few pizzas at the night time with there own house brew beers and not forgetting 5 star hotel where we had lunch before visiting the place and the shroud. As you can see there is many more parts to this trip and each part was an experience with a brilliant tour guide and an even better lecturer no one could have made this trip better.

Food complemented there daily life, it was apart of each occasion be it a formal business meeting, a social get together or a friendly chat, one went hand in hand with the other, similar to our coffee or tea in Ireland. I would recommend this beautiful city with such great history, culture and food that would excite any taste buds and leave them wanting more. This experience will be of great benefit to any and all up and coming culinary students. I know that this week will always stay with me and ideas and flavours that I tasted and saw will always be in my mind.

Nicole Magnan