(map) 
Not “show and tell” but “show and sell” is the theme of the Italian mostra mercato. These markets – generally open-air – can feature just a handful of vendors or hundreds and anything on display can be bought – and in some cases, tasted. No better way to warm up a chilly winter night than at the Mostra Mercato del Tartufo near Valtopina, tiny Umbrian mountain village located, appropriately, in the heart of black truffle territory.
For the last two week-ends in November, over seventy vendors/producers – from all over Italy – fill the huge tents set up outside the town, offering visitors tastes of not just truffles but of the culinary highlights of the Italian cuisine and the Mediterranean diet: olive oils, olives, honeys, breads, cheeses, sundried tomatoes, endless varieties of legumes, nuts, dried fruits, wild boar salami, capocollo and prosciutto.
Contests among prized truffle dogs (the best snout wins), concerts, guided hikes in the surrounding countryside, conferences, guided olive-oil tastings, art exhibits, and wine-tastings draw visitors, as do the evening dinners featuring truffles in almost every dish from bruschetta to grilled lamb. Each year, another of the twenty regions of Italy is honored guest: this year, Trentino/Alto Adige’s turn and the wine-tasting events featured top Trentino wines.
We dropped in on a Saturday afternoon with our farm friend, Peppa. She surprised us by setting aside her usual rural frugality to make some purchases: hot red peppers (to pulverize for her pasta sauces), sun-dried tomatoes (to grind for paté), ciauscolo (a fresh salami from the Marche region) and wild boar mortadella. She tried an olive oil from Trevi and judged it buonissimo!
(Part II and a Peppa recipe tomorrow…)
Contributed by Anne Robichaud who will be off to the U.S. in early February on a full 7-week coast-to-coast cooking lessons/lectures tour; (her itinerary is here: annesitaly.com/USevents.html#UpcomingUSTours). Anne will be teaching Umbrian rural cuisine in private homes – sharing the secrets of the farm friends who have taught her and husband Pino much since they moved to Umbria in 1975. Anne offers guided tours of the Umbrian hilltowns, and cooking classes in their Assisi area farmhouse (see www.annesitaly.com/Cooking.html). She writes frequently on Umbria and other areas of Italy. See www.annesitaly.com for more on her US EVENTS, tours, cooking classes – and her blog!
Contributed by Anne Robichaud who will be off to the U.S. in early February on a full 7-week coast-to-coast cooking lessons/lectures tour; (her itinerary is here:
Enjoyed the show and tell/sell concept very much! Nothing like when lots of fabulous food is collected all together under one roof! Thanks for the great information!
Anne, you certainly know how to entice us – foodies!
Is the statue of David made of cheese? Just curious.
Ciao Bella, Paula
Incredibile! Wish I could have a taste of some of that right now! Mouthwatering!
Thanks, Anne, for sharing so much. Whenever you write you bring Italy alive to me.
If I had to guess, I’d say the David was made from Bee’s wax
Bet the statues of David are made of Beesax. True or False?????
OOps! Beeswax !
Oh so tempting in prose and pictures – love the colours. Thanks for taking us to market with you.
What a treat that market would be. It gives me some good ideas. Fabulous!
Wonderful pictures, Anne. Wish I could be there in November tasting and smelling the great food at the mercato.
Continue to send these articles and pictures of Italy to us. It just makes my day so grand.
Ciao,
Claudia
Oooh . . . as Liz Lemon says, “I want to go to there . . .” Grazie!
Takes me back to my childhood in northern New Jersey where one of my relatives had an old-fashioned Italian market where we could get so many delicacies that I can hardly find any more.