User:Montecara/Sandbox 3

Montecara must import nearly all of its basic foodstuffs because of its lack of arable land. It does, however, harvest a great deal of seafood, which is reflected in traditional dishes. The limited farmland is devoted to high-value crops suitable to the climate, mainly grapes (mainly for wine production), citrus, coffee, saffron (zafràn), and flowers.

Ingredients

Xinòta cut in half

Montecara's access to the sea and long culinary tradition has led to a great variety of specialties making use of local ingredients. Cuttlefish braised in ink, fried sardines, and bixàto, or roast eel, are all typical dishes. Other local favorites include sepe col nero (squid with its ink), gó (a small, local fish, often fried), small soft-shell crabs which are eaten after molting, razor clams, and sea urchin. One of the most iconic dishes is bàcala, creamed salt fish, which is usually served with polènta. Sardi a saor, a dish consisting of sardines in a sweet-sour sauce, is another dish synonymous with Montecaran cuisine.

Fowl is also a traditional favorite, especially duck and other water birds, and duck eggs are still more popular than their chicken-borne counterparts. Songbirds were also eaten in large numbers up to the 1980s, when their capture was banned by environmental legislation. Montecara is on a major flyway, so stakes covered in birdlime (vignòla) were used to catch birds for culinary use. Though illegal, it is reportedly still possible to find some chefs who will prepare songbirds in the traditional manner.

Meat from land animals is a small part of the diet and consists mainly of lamb and mutton, though goat is also popular. Most meat is imported from Tsabara. Historically, horse and donkey meat were eaten, especially by the poor, and they are still consumed on occasion. Fegato (liver) is traditional.

The principal cooking fat is duck fat, with olive and sunflower oils assuming lesser roles.

Historically, rice (rixo) was the supreme staple food for Montecarans. There was always some domestic production, but Montecarans have relied on the sea trade for the bulk of their rice import for centuries. This is reflected in traditional dishes such as rixoto, a soupy preparation of rice simmered in broth, and rixi e bixi, rice and peas cooked together. In modern times, corn (biàva) is popular as well, and is used to make bread, polènta, and many other dishes.

Cheese

Despite the small role that red meat plays in Montecaran cuisine, cheese is ubiquitous. Montecara has a cheesemaking tradition that goes back millennia to pre-Sotirian times. Milk from sheep and goats was historically preserved in rennet and either brined in seawater or aged in one of Montecara's many caves. These methods are still in use to make heritage cheeses today.

Most favored are sheep's-milk cheeses, especially those aged long enough to take on a finely grained texture. Goat cheeses enjoy somewhat less prestige but even greater popularity thanks to their lower price and multitude of styles.

- Local variant of feta - Influences from Tsabaran cheeses

Montecaran cheeses that enjoy protected designation of origin status are:

• Dozòcoli, brined and made of a mixture of sheep's and goat's milk

Herbs, spices and flavorings

• Mastic
• Saffron
• Mahleb

Herbs:

• Hyssop (ìsopo), in fatty lamb dishes, baked goods, and as an herbal tea
• Lemon verbena (melìsa), especially in sauces and marinades for fish
• Rue (rùa), as a flavoring for liquor and egg dishes or battered and fried shoots

Meals

Montecarans generally have a light breakfast on the way to work or school at cafés or stalls located throughout the city. This often consists of a pastry, sandwich, or fruit accompanied by coffee or juice. There is a traditional mid-morning break for coffee around 11:00, and shops and offices often close briefly to allow for this. Lunch, usually the largest meal of the day, is eaten around 14:00 to 15:00, and workers generally take a full hour to do so, often eating at home. It usually consists of a main dish and at least one accompaniment, such as a salad or antipasti. Dinner is eaten at about 21:00.

Courses

A full meal with all the traditional courses consists of the following:

Aperitivo

Sparkling wine, liqueur-based cocktails and accompanying snacks such as nuts or dried fruit

Antipasto

Cold, light pre-first course

Primo

Starchy first course

Secondi

Meaty second course

Contorno

Accompaniment to the second course, usually cooked vegetables

Insalata

Salad

Formaggi e frutta

Cheese and fruit

Dolce

Dessert

Caffè

Coffee or orzo

Digestivo

Stronger, bittersweet liqueur

Eating establishments

Bars

Montecara has a rich and storied bar culture. Bars range in size from gardens that can seat hundreds to tiny nooks that seat four or five. Some establishments are centuries-old.

Bars (bacàri), by definition, emphasize drinking over food. However, nearly all offer some type of chixeto (snack) to complement the drinks. Chixèti are eaten with fingers or a toothpick, never cutlery, and are usually priced at Ł5-15 each. Chixèti include:

• Marinated or fried:
  • Artichoke
  • Zucchini
  • Mushrooms
  • Cheese
  • Squid
• Arancini di risotto
• Fried polenta alla marinara
• Bean paste on toast
• Bacalà on toast
• Grilled or boiled baby octopus
• Boiled duck eggs
• Oysters
• Clams
• Charcuterie
• Cheese
• Olives
• Snails
• Sea urchin
• Radish with salt
• Crudi of scallops or shrimp

A bar specializing in beer is a birrerìa.

Street food

Traditionally served from carts in the shadow of towers and big buildings in public squares. In some areas, upgraded over time to permanent booths with one vendor inside. These one-man kiosks are now considered icons of Montecaran life.

Drinks

Spaiòl grapes drying indoors

Wine

Montecara produces wine in a range of styles and varietals, but by far the most popular type, and the one most closely associated with Montecara's culinary identity, is xàca, a fortified wine made from white grapes. Three varietals enjoy protected status as heirloom crops in Montecaran law, all white grapes: Garganèga, Verdùxo, and Spaiòl. Garganèga is used to make still wine noted for its lemon and almond notes, Verdùxo is favored for the sparkling white Caràxa, and Spaiòl is used to make both a golden dessert wine with notes of honeysuckle and apricot and a light, acidic still wine. All three are used to make xàca, which can range in color and sugar content from nearly clear and dry to almost black and very sweet. Under Montecaran law, only wine that is produced from 100% domestic grapes can be sold as "Montecaran wine" (vin Montecarà). Montecara has some of the highest per-capita alcohol consumption rates in the region, and in addition to wine, beer and spirits are popular.

Beer

Bìra crùd

Sweets

Montecara is known for its sweets, notably xinòta-flavored marmalade and hard candy and formàxo giàço, a frozen dessert and snack similar to ice cream that is flavored with soft cheese and usually served in a split-open sweet bun (brioxa).

Holiday food

Special foods are eaten around Easter. These include galani, a rum-flavored fried pastry served with lemon zest, and pandòr, a sweet egg bread. Easter lunch traditionally includes a feast of seven different types of fish, the exact components of which vary but which generally include clams, scallops, salt cod, anchovy, and sea snails.