The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1878-02-28
Life in Italy.

Inc ltallans live very simply. The
country people arc content with diet
which most American farmers would de-
spise. They have four necessarics of life,
the supply of which is always first con-
sidc'cd-brcad, maccaroni, oil and wine.
The ordinary bread is coarse and rather
dark, but decidedly more nutritious than
that made from our finely -boltcd American
-four. We imagine that bread is good in
proportion as it is echite, and thus lose
much of its best property. The Italians
sometimes cook maccaroni in salt and
water, from necessity; but, whenever
possible, in meat and broth, with the ad-
dition of cheese and tomatoes. Tho olive
oil, which each farmer makes for himself,
is far better and wholesomcr than lard
in fact, it is almost equal to fresh butter.
Whatever is fried in it is sweet. palatablc
and easily digested.
A great many Ancicans, knowing
olive oil only as medicine. shuddel
when they hear it spoken of as an article
of food. Yet I have often seen them, in
Italy, heartily relisllipg their chops, and
omelettes, and fried fish, without the
least suspicion of the fact that much ol
the flavor was due to the oil. Wine, on
ions and oil, to a great extent, supply
the place of meat; but eggs and fish are
also plentiful, and usually cheap. The
flesh of pigs end goats--thc raising o
both animals being little expense to even
the smallest landowners much more
common than veal or beef. Old or dis.
| ablcd horses are fattcncd and slaughtered
and many an unconscious visitor to Rome
Naples or Florence, takes his share OF
roasted horse in the restaurants After u
| little experience I learned to distinguish
the flesh, and having no prejudice against
the use of it, l frequently ordered it fol
dinner. 1t has coarser grain than bcel
and slightly paler color; the flavor is
similar, but with suggestion of sweet
ness. If the horse be not too old, he
furnishes really palatable roast.
The people work steadily, but not with
haste or energy; and they take their full
share of the many holidays that their
Church allows them. Their houses are
always solidly built of stone, and last fe1
centuries; but only those who are in cx,
ccptionally good circumstances have sep
crate rooms for guests. Ordinarily the
neighbors come and go, almost like mem
bers OF the family, sitting beside the fire
| ct tagsg,ots in the winter, or under the vino
trellis in the summer. There arc always
few apple and fig trees near the house.
The latter bear fruit twice year Gn June
| and October) and contribute good deal
to the daily food Of the people.
must not forget to mention three 9th.
er important articles of nourishment-in
Northern Italy the pumpkin; In Central
Italy, Indian corn, and in Corsica ard
among the Apprentices, ,chestnuts. Pump
kins cut in slices and baked, are sold at
the street corners, and the inner kernels
of their fiat seeds are as much rclished bv
the boys of Venice and Florence, as pea-
nuts are by ours.
At the cheap open-air thcaters, where
children arc admitted for five cents, the
gravel floor is always covered with the
hulls of pumpkin-secds. The Italians
know corn as we'll as VIC do, and they
would not learn much from Mr.. Hewitt's
proposed missionary corn-restaurant at
Paris, except some new varieties of cook
ing. They roast the green cars instead
of boiling them, and their favoritc dish
(polenta) is sort of thick mash or ''ponc,' ~
made of corn-mcal, salt and water. italy
is the only country in Europe where an
American can get fried mush, and quite
as good as at home. The chestnuts are
very large-such as we call 'Spanish'
chestnuts-and exceedingly nutritious;
they are not only roasted, but ground in
to flour when dry, and baked as cakes.
In Corsica they are a more important
crop than ev.n wheat; in fact chestnuts
are called 'Corsican bread"