THE CREATION OF THE ULTIMATE ITALIAN COOKBOOK

Name: Hirmand Saffari

Year: 2012-2013

Supervisor’s Name: Greg Cusbert

School: Mulgrave, 2424

Grade:10

Word Count: 3, 532

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

DEFINING THE GOAL /3

SELECTION OF SOURCES /5

APPLICATION OF INFORMATION /7

ACHIEVING THE GOAL /11

REFLECTION ON LEARNING /13

WORKS CITED /14

APPENDIX A: PROCESS JOURNAL EXCERPTS /15

APPENDIX B: RESEARCH NOTES /19

APPENDIX C: PICTURES/PHOTOGRAPHS /22

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THE GOAL:

To investigate the background of Italian cuisine, to produce and test dishes based on that research and to create an Italian cookbook that brings together all I have learnt.

DEFINING THE GOAL:

There were many reasons which guided me to come up with the idea of creating an Italian cookbook with my own recipes. First of all, there was my passion for cooking. Another element that prompted me to produce a cookbook was my Italian heritage. Italian cooking and creativity is in my blood and I always dreamed about creating a cookbook. The decision came when, on a long drive to Maple Ridge, my father and I brainstormed a few ideas. We thought of simple things at first but we soon came to the conclusion of having me produce an Italian cookbook with my own recipes. I immediately loved the idea. This was my inspiration to come for the idea of producing an Italian cookbook.

After discussions with my advisor, Mr. Cusbert, I decided that the area of interaction (AOI) most appropriate to what I wanted to create was Health and Social Education. Using Health and Social Education as my AOI became a crucial part of my final product. It inspired the foreword1 of my book. I researched things such as the Mediterranean Diet2, staples of Italian cooking and regional differences within Italy cuisine and summarised them in the opening pages in my book. I also did some research on a few of the foods as well, such as pasta and pizza and included that in my book too. Clearly, Health and Social Education was very relevant to the creation of a successful final product.

There were many stages which occurred throughout the personal project, which informed the timeline I planned on following. The first stage was coming up with which recipes to make. This was critical because this would be a huge part of the content of my cookbook. The next step was researching staples of Italian cooking, the Mediterranean Diet and Regional differences within Italy. Next, I would start making the dishes that I chose to be in my book. This was the longest stage and took about 20 weeks to complete. While I was doing this, I was making detailed entries in my process journals as well. Finally, I would begin the design stage of my personal project where I would design and publish my cookbook.

1 A short introduction to a book2 A modern nutritional recommendation inspired by the traditional dietary patterns of southern Italy, Greece, Spain, Turkey, Iran, and Israel

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To ensure that my recipes were successful and cookbook worthy, I used my family and friends as taste-testers to try the food I made. I made a description for each possible grade ranging from 1-5. For example, a 1 would be an unsuccessful dish while a 5 would be an exceptional dish that is executed beautifully and is absolutely delicious. After my taste-testers rated each dish, I then found the average for that dish that the few people tried and inserted that in my cookbook at the bottom of each recipe. I had to find the average fifteen times, one for each recipe. All dishes came back with successful ratings. I then calculated a final cookbook average by adding up all the averages and dividing the total by fifteen. It resulted in an overall cookbook rating of 4.4 out of 5, which I judged to be a successful grade.

SELECTION OF SOURCES:

I used a variety of sources to complete my research during the personal project. The most helpful book I used was “The Umberto Menghi Cookbook” because it helped me with ideas on successful recipes, techniques and quantities of ingredients needed. I also used a few videos like, “How to Make Calzones” to teach me how to make a calzone3, which was perhaps the most difficult dish for me to make. Lastly, I used many websites to guide me with my research. Some of them were very useful, some of them not. For example, the Mayo Clinic’s website was helpful in informing me about the Mediterranean Diet, which I discovered is a major part of Italian cuisine. This is a website with contributions from doctors who have run experiments on the effects of the Mediterranean Diet and what it can do to one’s body. This was a very valid source which taught me a lot about Italian cuisine and how it helps one’s body.

The research I did had a major impact on my goal and product. Much of the research was used in the foreword of the book; however there were some components of research that were seen throughout the book, like the background on some foods such as risotto4, pasta and pizza. This had a huge impact on the final product because the opening lines of the book were facts I had learned through my research. This also impacted the goal because part of the goal was to inform people about Italian cuisine and I did this through my knowledge of it based on my research. It also impacted the first part of the goal which was to create an Italian cookbook with my own recipes. I would not have known how to add my own flare to a dish to make it unique without my research on Italian cuisine and background on some of the foods. I also would not have known how to make the recipes in the book successful without my research because that aided me in finding methods to cook the food well.

33 A type of pizza that is folded in half before cooking to contain a filling.4 An Italian dish of rice cooked in stock with other ingredients.

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My area of interaction definitely guided but also changed my research. Health and Social Education guided me to learn about physical wellness through my research on the Mediterranean Diet and staples of Italian cooking. By learning about Italian foods, I learned how to manipulate these dishes to make them my own unique creations and through that, learned about wellbeing and physical unity.

Research definitely changed the direction of my Personal Project. At first, I was going to research more about the background of a few Italian foods and not have a foreword at all. Then through my research (and the help of my supervisor) I decided my product would be much more significant if I learned more about Italian cuisine and its effects on human health as well as background on particular foods.

The majority of my sources would be judged credible and trustworthy because most of them came from institutional organizations and government websites. First of all, the websites I used, such as mayoclinic.com helped me a lot through the research stage of creating my cookbook. The video I used, “How to Make Calzones,” by Chef Peter Reinhart was a credible source because it was created by and starred a successful, practising chef. Additionally, it included background on Italian cooking. Also, “The Umberto Menghi Cookbook,” was an excellent source because it too was written by a real chef and included great tips on different techniques used in Italian cooking. My sources were also credible because all the authors who published the sources were experts in the field. Also, most of the sources are recently revised ensuring modern information. Lastly, my sources were credible because there was no clear bias and they gave extremely helpful and practical information.

In conclusion, the majority of my sources were valid; however, there were a few that may have been unsound and those I disregarded. Through my research, I was able to accomplish my goals. The area of interaction of Health and Social Education guided and changed my research a lot. Lastly, research did change a few of my original ideas; however, at the same time, I was able to collect practical information to help me finish my product and achieve my goals.

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APPLICATION OF INFORMATION:

There were many stages in producing my cookbook but research shaped both the process and the final product. Investigation of the Mediterranean Diet, staples of Italian cooking, regional differences within Italy and background on certain Italian foods, allowed me to manipulate my chosen dishes. This is how I was able to make my dishes my dishes. My research on the background of a few foods such as risotto, taught me how to cook these foods using traditional methods. For risotto and cioppino5 I did in fact cook it in a soffrito6 which is how it is conventionally made.

The next step was also the longest step: making, photographing and recording my recipes. I would write down my recipe and then make the dish and take pictures as I made it and lastly would record the scores I received after serving it to my taste-testers. Of course I had to do this process fifteen times, once for each recipe I made.

Next, I had to design my cookbook. I made an outline of how I wanted it to look. Of course it had to involve some of the colours of Italy, red, white and green and it also had to be attractive. I decided on a title that was simple, a little bit flashy and rolled right off your tongue, “The Ultimate Italian Cookbook.” The final step involved in producing my Italian Cookbook was of course, formatting the book. This also took a long time because I had to copy and paste each recipe, format it correctly, add the pictures, include the foreword of the book, write a summary on the back of the book and all at the same time, make it look attractive. Once this stage was done, I converted my Publisher document into a PDF7, put it on a USB8 and took it to a print shop.

In terms of improvements to the overall process, in reflecting on the final product, I wish I had spent more time on research into the design stage of producing a cookbook. I could have looked more into some tips on designing and formatting a cookbook, beyond my meeting with a professional book designer. Lastly, I think I could have added a little more into the recipe-making stage of my personal project, specifically, adding more recipes and a few desserts. Usually, cookbooks have a little more than just fifteen recipes and also include desserts. Overall, I feel the process I followed was appropriate and helpful in the completion of my cookbook.

Producing a cookbook was no easy task and definitely changed me as a learner. First of all, I had a chance to show my creative side, a part of me which I did not know I had. I had no idea I could be a successful creator. Another skill I learned throughout the project was of course cooking. I was not an avid chef before I started the production of my book, however,

5 An Italian fish stew6 A combination of onions, carrots, and celery used as a base in cooking7 A file format that provides an electronic image of text or text and graphics that looks like a printed document8 A connection technology for attaching peripheral devices to a computer, providing fast data exchange

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throughout the process; I became a much better cook. I learned a variety of different knife-work techniques like slicing, dicing, mincing and chopping. I also learned other moves as well such as sautéing, frying, grilling and baking. Lastly, the final skill I learned was recording information. I had to constantly record recipes, pictures and scores so I can later add them into my cookbook. This skill was developed throughout the process and was extremely important. I also improved this skill a lot as the project went along.

At first I was not very good at writing down all my ideas and I always seemed to end up making mistakes. For example, when I originally went to the print shop for them to print my final product I noticed that under the title “Minestrone,” there was the recipe for risotto. Unfortunately, I noticed this after they had already printed five copies of the book and I had to inform them of this mistake and they had to reprint it all over again and charge an additional $15 as well. The fact is, I would not have made this mistake if I had been a little bit more careful with recording my information. Generally, I learned quite a lot of skills that did in fact change me as a learner.

I received much assistance to help me achieve my goal. One person who helped me was my advisor, Mr. Cusbert. He helped me through all stages of the project and he is the one who gave me the idea of adding a foreword to my cookbook. Other mentors I had were my mom and dad. It was my dad who helped me with the idea of producing a cookbook for my personal project and gave me advice on what dishes to make and how I should make them. Both my mom and dad helped pay for the ingredients which I cooked and this project would not have been possible without them. I also received help from Sarah, a colleague of my mother, who designs booklets for her company. She was great help in the designing stage of my project and gave me some great tips on how to make the resolution of the pictures better and also how to properly align all of my work. Without help from Sarah, the cookbook would not look as good as it does now. Lastly, my other family and friends helped tremendously in the recipe making portion of the project. They were my taste testers and I would not know if the dishes I made were successful without having them taste and grade my food. The production of the Ultimate Italian Cookbook would not have been possible without these few mentors who truly helped me achieve my goals.

Research also proved to be vital in achieving my goals. Through the research I conducted, I was able to collect information on many different categories involving Italian cooking. Learning about the background of a few foods helped me make successful dishes in my cookbook. Because I learned about the background of these foods, I was able to learn how they are traditionally produced and could take that research and apply it to my cookbook.

ACHIEVING THE GOAL:

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The tool I used to measure success was taste testing. I had a group of family and friends who would give me a score out of 5, based on a rubric, to indicate if the dish was successful and cookbook worthy. I would then include this score in my cookbook at the bottom of the page the recipe is on, so the customer knows the quality of the dish they are cooking. The criteria I used in my reubric was a great way of measuring success because it completely showed if my dishes were executed well or not. I did this fifteen times, once for each recipe, and then added up all the scores and divided it by 15, bringing me to a final cookbook average of 4.4/5, meaning it was successful. While this indicated that the content within the cookbook was successful, it did not affect the entire goal because part of the goal was to inform others about background on Italian cuisine. The rubric did not test anything on background of Italian cuisine or the actual cookbook. It only tested the recipes which is why this technique was valid for the content of the book, but not any other components.

I used various ways of achieving my goal of creating an Italian cookbook with my own successful recipes and informing others about background on Italian cuisine. Of course, there was the taste testing which was my method of measuring success. However, I also included some background research on a few categories relating to Italian cuisine which was used in the foreword of my book, along with background material on a few Italian dishes that were also used in my cookbook. Unfortunately, the only part of the goal to test if it was valid was the recipe portion of the book, which was a major component. As for the background information on Italian cuisine and some dishes, there was no method to test if these were acceptable. Therefore, I do not know if these two portions of the final product are valid. These are the various ways of achieving the main goal I set.

However, one thing I could have done to ensure that my cookbook is successful is to actually have a way of measuring the excellence of the book itself, not just the recipes in the book. I also needed a way to make sure that the research I did was valid because a big part of the goal is to inform others about Italian cuisine particularly. Unfortunately, I did not have a method to measure this. I could have got an overall final cookbook rating which includes the research I did, used in the foreword of the book. This would have helped a lot because then I would know if the research I conducted was successful.

I received very good feedback from the taste testers I used. They critiqued me very well and gave constructive criticism and helpful tips for next time as well. The most common comment I received was “needs more salt.” This means that some of my dishes were too bland for some people’s liking. However, I also got many comments like, “I enjoyed the variety of flavours in the dish.” This means that I did well in making sure that all the essences in Italian cooking were present in my dishes. My overall cookbook average was 4.4/5, meaning the content of the book was successful.

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In conclusion, I accomplished the task of making successful recipes by having other people taste and grade my food which I created based on the research conducted. The outcome of the product is of a high quality and I achieved my goal.

REFLECTION ON LEARNING:

I would change several things if I were to do this project all over again. First of all, I would research more techniques on designing a cookbook, because this is one area which is not my strongest. Also, I would learn some photography skills as well, as about half the cookbook is pictures which I took. Some pictures seemed a little bit stretched out and were in low resolution9; however, if I researched some photography techniques and perhaps had even taken a small course in photography, then the pictures in my cookbook would seem more appealing. Lastly, if I were to remake an Italian cookbook with my own recipes, I would add more of a twist on some of these recipes to make them more my own. However, these twists would have to synergize with the food I created and the techniques I learned and I could have ensured this by conducting more research on certain foods Italians use in their cooking as well as different flavour balances of Italian cooking.

My interpretation of Health and Social Education as an Area of Interaction did change. I also learned a lot about this area of interaction in regards to some other school courses I am taking. At first, I thought that health and social education meant eating well and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. However, it is much more than that; it actually relates to how we think and act and how we, as humans are changing. Developing my knowledge of Health and Social Education helped me connect more to other courses which I am taking like Social Studies, English and Science.

My research taught me about how things are done traditionally and how the people of Italy used to create certain things as part of their culture. I also learned how to create text that was competent and useful to the project, which is a major part of English 10. Lastly, learning how to create successful food is both a science and an art. For me to learn how long to cook things or to see what flavours should be incorporated into a dish, required the scientific mind and some artistic flair.

I am extremely proud of my final product. I feel I successfully accomplished my goals and this was a great way for me to build my confidence. I also am happy because I know that this was the best work I could do. The effort I put in to all stages of creating my cookbook was excellent and although it was not an easy task, it was a lot of fun. Perhaps, sometime in the

9 The number of pixels that, constellated together, form an image or a photograph.

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future I will create another cookbook based on fusion cooking10 and incorporate other styles and flavours into my dishes.

In conclusion, I learned many things in producing this cookbook and I am extremely pleased with the final product. Although there were a few things I would have done differently, I put in a lot of effort and gave it my best.

WORKS CITED:

"Italian Cuisine." Mediterrasian. Mediterrasian, nd. Web.October 12, 2012

"Regions." Rustico cooking. Rustico Cooking, nd. Web. October 12, 2012

"Mediterranean Diet." Mayoclinic. Mayo Clinic. nd. Web. October 12, 2012

"Mediterranean Diet." Oldwayspt. Old ways. nd. Web. October 12,2012

“Evaluate the Credibility of a Source.” wikihow.com. Wikihow. nd. Web. February 20, 2012

Saffari, Hirmand. Personal interview. 12 Oct. 2012.

Menghi, Umberto. The Umberto Menghi Cookbook. Vancouver: Thomas Hayes, 1986, print

How to Make Calzones. Dir.Peter Reinhart. Fine Cooking Films, 2012. Film

10 Cooking that combines ingredients and techniques and seasonings from different cuisines

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APPENDIX A: PROCESS JOURNAL EXCERPTS:

September 29 2012

This is my first process journal and I am very excited to attack my personal project. I have only been up to the stage where I have decided what my project is. I will write and publish a small Italian cookbook with my own recipes. I am planning to do this by doing a lot of research online and formatting ideas for some cookbooks I have at home. I have not used any resources as of yet as I am not quite at that stage yet and have not even met with my advisor. However, my dad helped me to come up with the idea when we had a discussion in the car and so this is how the early stages in my personal project came to be. I have faced a few challenges so far. One would be how to publish my book when it is ready and complete. I am not entirely sure what I should do. There are a few online sites that can allow one to publish their own book. Also, there are some stores such as "Staples" or "London Drugs" that can publish it for you. I am not entirely sure how to approach that, but I suppose I may have to find the solution later in the personal project. Overall, the personal project is at a good start. I have successfully conquered

my goal of thinking up ways to write my cookbook and the cooking portion as well.

October 21 2012

This week, a lot has been accomplished since my last process journal. I am really learning a lot about cooking Italian cuisine and the process of producing a cookbook. I have completed a lot of work this week as well. I served my minestrone to a few more people and the results came back to have an average of 4.3/5. This means the food was delicious and that the eaters really enjoyed it. I also finished researching and making my risotto with mushroom and peas. A few people have tested it and almost everybody gave it a level 5/5 so far. More people later today will be trying my risotto so I can get more valid results. I also plan on doing much more work as well. I plan on making a pesto pasta with sundried tomatoes later today with my grandmother who is Italian and knows how to make successful and delicious recipes. I also will hopefully take

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lots of pictures to include in my cookbook. I have used plenty of resources during the process as well. I have continued looking at cooking shows and videos for ideas and they seem to be very helpful. I also have looked at some very helpful websites such as www.allrecipes.com which help give me ideas for the quantities of ingredients I should use. Although it seems like this process is easy, it actually was difficult and I faced many challenges. One challenge was making the risotto. It took hours to do and required some advanced techniques such as mixing and stirring strategies. I also faced a problem when coming up with the idea to add a twist to the pasta with pesto. Then, through research I realized that the best thing I could do is to add sundried tomatoes which would give it colour and flavour. Overall, I feel I am achieving my goals. I have made two successful dishes and now I know much more about cooking than ever before.

November 6 2012

A lot has occurred in the past week since my last process journal. I am currently learning many new things about Italian food and the stages in producing a cookbook. I have completed lots of work as well as I have made two dishes since my last process journal, a bruschetta and a veal scaloppini. It was fun making the bruschetta and I enjoyed eating it too! The results came back as a 4.7, meaning the food was tasty and flavourful. This is a successful dish. Also, on the veal I made, I received a perfect score! 5/5! In my opinion this is a very successful dish and it was executed beautifully. I also have many things to plan on in the future for how the project is to be undertaken. I have decided how I am going to print my cookbook. There is someone at my mom's work who is a graphic designer in corporate marketing who can help me print the book. I am excited to meet her and discuss how the printing of the cookbook is to be executed. I also plan on making a ciopinno which is like a fish stew involving lots of seafood. It will more than likely consist of clams, mussels, cod, squid and octopus tentacles. I am making it for 7 people who are all family members, so hopefully it will turn out well. I have also used many resources thus far in the personal project. One great help for the veal scaloppini was the Umberto Menghi Cookbook. It has great Italian recipes and tells you how to perfectly cook veal. Although, making these dishes was enjoyable, I still faced many challenges along the way. One difficulty was chopping the tomatoes for the bruschetta. This was a long and dangerous process which unfortunately almost cost me my finger! Another difficult task was perfectly coating the veal with bread crumbs. This was difficult because one does not want to overcoat the veal or undercoat it either. Overall, I am achieving my goals of making successful dishes and am well on my way to producing a successful cookbook. I look to improve on many things so far like to improve certain dishes such as the chicken in red wine sauce or the pesto pasta recipe.

December 29 2012

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I am aware that it has been awhile since I wrote my last process journal. But that is because I have been so busy working on my cookbook and I have completely finished the recipe making portion of my project. I made a ravioli one night and I also made my final dish, meatballs. The ravioli scored a 4 while the meatballs scored a 5. These dishes are both successful and I am very excited that I am nearing the end of my personal project. I have decided not to meet with the lady who will help me print my cookbook. If I do meet with this woman, I will just look for tips on printing it. My final decision is to go to Staples and have them look at the publisher document which I made and see what they can do in terms of the binding and printing. I also have finally come up with a name for my book : "The Ultimate Italian Cookbook, with Chef Hirmand Saffari" and I have made the cover page and have included my research on the Mediterranean diet, staple parts of Italian cooking, and regional differences within Italy. I decided not to meet with this lady because she can only give me suggestions of print shops in Vancouver all of which are at least a 500$ cost. Staples however, is not that expensive and allows me to put the time and effort into creating my cookbook, using the eye of the beholder, me. I did not use too many resources in the making of these final dishes. For the ravioli, I used ideas from recipes made by professional chefs like Giada DiLaurentiis. For example, I whisked in some ricotta cheese into the sauce and this made it delicious. For the meatballs, I used a combination of my nanny's and grandmother's recipe, to create my own unique dish. I also faced some challenges in the past two weeks. One challenge with the ravioli was to cook it perfectly. Some ravioli's broke while being boiled in the water and this was a sign that they were overcooked. Another difficulty was making the meatballs into perfect balls, allowing there to be no air in between the ingredients within the ball. This required a lot of work in using the palms of my hands to get the ball tight, allowing them not to break while cooking. Overall, this week went very well. I finished the most difficult part of my personal project (recipe making) and started a brand new and exciting part. I look forward to see what my cookbook is going to look like. I have completed my goal of making successful dishes. I also added up all the averages from all the recipes I have made to get to a final cookbook average. My final cookbook average is 4.4 meaning the recipes in my book are successful. Overall, I made great food tasty and flavourful! I am proud of this and hopefully the actual final product will be successful as well.

January 17 2013

The reason why I have not made a process journal in a while is because I have been quite busy with studying for exams and the production of my cookbook. I have completed a lot of work since my last process journal including the final printing of my cookbook! First of all, I did in fact meet with Sarah, the lady who helped me in the printing stage of my cookbook. She gave me some great advice involving the pictures and how they can all be to scale with a high resolution. This means that I finished writing the draft of my cookbook in Microsoft Publisher. I then took the advice that Sarah gave me and made a few tweaks to my publication file. The changes were

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mostly involving the pictures as the text was written and produced professionally. I then met with Staples and they said that I needed to put the document on a USB and PDF it and they would charge 30$ per copy. I then decided to go to A.J. Print as we are family friends with the owner and they would charge 20$ per copy. So, I saved it on to a USB, PDF'd the publication and gave it to them to print. Three days later, they called and said it was ready for pick up. Then when I brought the six books back home I noticed I had made a mistake. Under the recipe entitled, "Minestrone," the text and ingredients were for the mushroom risotto recipe. This was a big issue. I then told them about this mistake and they gladly changed it with charging an additional 15$ which I was happy to pay. So now, I have 4 final copies sitting in my living room to sell to my family. (One copy was given to Mr. Cusbert and the other was given to my nanny. Six copies printed in total) I am glad that the production stage of the personal project is over, but there is still the hardest part to come, the project report. For the essay, I plan on creating an outline of how I want it to be formatted and ask Mr. Cusbert if there should be any alterations made to this. I also plan on doing many creative things during the celebration of the personal project on March 8. I plan on having copies of my cookbook out and serving people a few appetizer dishes like bruschetta and Caprese salad. I also plan on making it at the school during the celebration as this would show my techniques which I have learned during the process. The resources I have used was of course, Sarah who I deeply thank, and also Microsoft Publisher and A.J. Print for helping me produce this cookbook. Overall, I have met my goal of creating a vibrant and excellent cookbook with many successful recipes. My next goal for the project is to create a good project report about the evaluation of the process of my personal project.

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APPENDIX B: RESEARCH NOTES:

Notes staple part of cooking

The average Italian generally has a high carb diet found as wheat is culturally important as is rice

Italian cooking rely heavily on good produce

The most common vegetable found in Italian cooking would be tomatoes

Vegetables are usually chopped up and added into pasta dishes, pizzas, sandwiches or salads

Fruits are eaten as snacks and desserts

Popular fruits are grapes, figs and citrus fruit

The best olives for olive oil come from the South of Italy

Whole olives are also found lots in italian cooking

Olive oil can be drizzled on bread or added as a salad dressing

Popular fish of the Italian region are swordfish, sardines, anchovies and seafood such as squid, clams and mussels

The fish and shellfish is traditionally added to stews

Meat is something eaten on festive occasions and is not always part of their traditional diet

Cheese in Italy is eaten regularly

Cheese is used in bakes or to top pizza

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Notes on Mediterranean Diet

If the diet is consumed for over a number of years, it can reduce risk of heart disease, cancer, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's

Does not apply to all of Italy because in the North around the region of Piedmont, there is much lard and butter used in their cuisine

Has low saturated fat which is good for the heart

High in fiber from the vegetables

The red wine in moderation can reduce heart disease

The vegetables can clean the colon preventing cancer

Due to the amount of osteocalcin in olive oil, it can help reduce bone disease

The low consumption of meat also contributes to heart factors

Olive oil has a high amount of monounsaturated fat which can lead to a reduction in coronary heart disease risk

The anti Oxidants in olive oil can also lower cholesterol as well

Notes on Regions of Italy

Campania has lots of tomatoes, onions and peppers and is the largest producer of pasta in Italy and is where pizza was invented. Also known for its capers, pasta and cheeses. Pasta dishes with seafood come from here. Very vibrant seafood dishes as well

Liguria is famous for Italian dishes like rabbit stew, salted cod and subtle pastas. The bread focaccia comes from this region of Italy. Liguria is notable for its spices and herbs

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as well. Their fish dishes are excellent. Some of the best basil in the world comes from Liguria too.

Tuscany is famous for its meat and vegetables and beans. Famous spices would be thyme, rosemary and fennel. Tuscans are lovers of rice and salads. There are many rock fish as well. Ravioli and tortellini are Tuscan and are both stuffed pastas. Have many cows providing succulent beef to grill.

Sicily has many elements inspired from Arabic, Mediterranean and Spanish cuisine. The region is famous for its antipastis like caponata, a potato and cheese pie. It also has seafood like Sea Urchin which is served with spaghetti. Fish is also traditional like swordfish and also couscous with fish. Sicily is most famous for its granitas, like an Italian slushie.

Veneto is famous for their risotto which is a rice dish. Beans are widely found in Veneto as well. Spices and sauces are vastly found near the coast where plenty of fish is eaten. Lastly, veneto is notable for its sausages and salami.

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APPENDIX C: PICTURES/PHOTOGRAPHS:

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