What is it About Italians?

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Speaking of food - If you all haven't noticed my handle is one of my favorite Italian dishes, "Osobuco"

OSSOBUCO MILANESE (BRAISED VEAL SHANKS)​

Traditional Ossobuco alla Milanese (Milan style veal shanks) braised in an incredible tomato and white wine sauce until the meat is extra tender and falling off the bone. Served with Risotto alla Milanese and topped with zesty gremolata it's the ultimate comforting meal.
Osso Bucco on a plate of saffron risotto and topped with gremolata
I love Italian food, not so much spaghettis or pastas, but their take on seafoods and steaks. But... the Greeks!! in Birmingham the best restaurants were all started by Greek families who have become the stars of Birmingham cuisine. It has had me studying the way they use spices and their approaches to cooking. My wife knows now that when we eat out in The Ham, that I will be making notes while eating to try to come home to recreate the dishes.
There are some Greek pipemakers, but really, they've never had a production pipe company that I know of.
 

Ag®o

Lifer
Nov 14, 2021
1,225
14,139
Italy
LOL - yeah - I spelled it differently and I actually think it is two words "Osso Buco". maybe one of our Italian members can let us know the proper way. I guess I americanized it! LOL
The name of the food is "ossobuco", composed of the two words joined as you correctly observed.
Simply a name given by the appearance, pierced bone.
 

Ag®o

Lifer
Nov 14, 2021
1,225
14,139
Italy
I love Italian food, not so much spaghettis or pastas, but their take on seafoods and steaks. But... the Greeks!! in Birmingham the best restaurants were all started by Greek families who have become the stars of Birmingham cuisine. It has had me studying the way they use spices and their approaches to cooking. My wife knows now that when we eat out in The Ham, that I will be making notes while eating to try to come home to recreate the dishes.
There are some Greek pipemakers, but really, they've never had a production pipe company that I know of.
There are some small companies that make pipes, but I think Greece is best known for exporting briar.
 
Ahhh yes, you are also correct. Empire food. While I love most things Indian... I really would love to visit there one day, soon... My stomach just hasn't evolved a tolerance for curries or THAT MUCH spice. I do love the smell of it though. The English do love their appropriations. puffy
speaking of spice in terms of HOT chili spice - Indian curry was never "hot" spicy back in the day nor was italian or asian food. Chili peppers are a new world food and did not spread through the world until after columbus. Tomatoes too. I told a bunch of my Indian friends this back in grad school and they were totally scandalized and said I was full of it,... until they did their own research. I still remember the look on their faces. LOL
 
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speaking of spice in terms of HOT chili spice - Indian curry was never spicy back in the day nor was italian or asian food. Chili peppers are a new world food and did not spread through the world until after columbus. Tomatoes too. I told a bunch of my Indian friends this back in grad school and they were totally scandalized and said I was full of it,... until they did their own research. I still remember the look on their faces. LOL
I've never really eaten any food made before Columbus. puffy
 

briarbuck

Lifer
Nov 24, 2015
2,292
5,579
Speaking of food - If you all haven't noticed my handle is one of my favorite Italian dishes, "Osobuco"

OSSOBUCO MILANESE (BRAISED VEAL SHANKS)​

Traditional Ossobuco alla Milanese (Milan style veal shanks) braised in an incredible tomato and white wine sauce until the meat is extra tender and falling off the bone. Served with Risotto alla Milanese and topped with zesty gremolata it's the ultimate comforting meal.
Osso Bucco on a plate of saffron risotto and topped with gremolata
OK you need to stop. That's not fair right before lunch.

We are lucky to have a couple of fabulous Italian Restaurants in Cincy. Osobucco done right is incredible.
 

mingc

Lifer
Jun 20, 2019
4,258
12,602
The Big Rock Candy Mountains
speaking of spice in terms of HOT chili spice - Indian curry was never "hot" spicy back in the day nor was italian or asian food. Chili peppers are a new world food and did not spread through the world until after columbus. Tomatoes too. I told a bunch of my Indian friends this back in grad school and they were totally scandalized and said I was full of it,... until they did their own research. I still remember the look on their faces. LOL
You can make food pretty hot without chili by using ginger and peppers. And ginger and pepper are more complex tasting than chilies.
 

karam

Lifer
Feb 2, 2019
2,604
9,927
Basel, Switzerland
I love Italian food, not so much spaghettis or pastas, but their take on seafoods and steaks. But... the Greeks!! in Birmingham the best restaurants were all started by Greek families who have become the stars of Birmingham cuisine. It has had me studying the way they use spices and their approaches to cooking. My wife knows now that when we eat out in The Ham, that I will be making notes while eating to try to come home to recreate the dishes.
There are some Greek pipemakers, but really, they've never had a production pipe company that I know of.
Oh there is: http://stefanou-pipex.gr/en_US/pipes/ quite boring looking but fairly decent quality and cheap.

On food, as a discerning pig I can find something I like anywhere, but for my tastes nobody does it better than French classic and Italian rustic.

Edit: steaks man? As an American? Nothing beats American grilling/BBQ in my books, and I come from a place where grilling over coals is a national sport.
 
Last edited:

Laurent

Lifer
Dec 25, 2021
1,514
16,695
45
Michigan
Location location location plus thousands of years of practice. From their amazing hills to the salty sea, that’s why their produce and experience, and Roman’s technology advancements.
 

smokeymo

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jun 1, 2020
173
483
AZ
Location location location plus thousands of years of practice. From their amazing hills to the salty sea, that’s why their produce and experience, and Roman’s technology advancements.
And yet modern Italy (Rome in particular) is not great.
 
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Oh there is: http://stefanou-pipex.gr/en_US/pipes/ quite boring looking but fairly decent quality and cheap.

On food, as a discerning pig I can find something I like anywhere, but for my tastes nobody does it better than French classic and Italian rustic.
As with any of these generalizations, there are outliers. If in conversations about Italian foods, someone brings up the Olive Garden, then I have to laugh, as it is the worst food you could serve me. Chinese food... I've been to Korea, and what we have in the US is American Chinese lookalikes. I imagine Italians laugh at the Olive Garden, and the Chinese laugh at any US Chinese places.

French, we have several places in B'ham that serves French foods, but they are owned by Greeks, ha ha. Even the best Barbeque here is made by Greeks. when people come to visit, I take them to the Bright Star, the oldest restaurant in Alabama, and very classy place, and they serve Southern cuisine, but it is Greek, and was the first Greek Restaurant. It will make you slap your mama. Soooooo good. The Greek Orthodox Church in downtown B'ham has a Greek food festival every year. It is the one time I can actually get those Greek families rendition of actual Greek dishes... the entire city turns out for it, and WOW, brother that food is awesome. Funny though, none of their restaurants seem to serve Greek food, just their "take" on other genres, but they do an awesome job of it. It is actually a local phenomena. Why the hell did a Greek family entrench themselves in Southern Culture going back to the Civil War? But, I am glad they did.
 
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