Quotessence
Home / Books / The Wedding Officer

The Wedding Officer

Book by Anthony Capella · 2 quotes · Italian Cooking, Italian Cuisine, Sauces

Filter quotes by topic

AllItalian CookingItalian CuisineSaucesTomato SauceEdible FlowersFertilizerFood And WineHerbsItalian FoodItalyOystersPoultrySeafoodVolcanic AshAnchoviesApricotsBornCheeseEggplantFood Combining

The Wedding Officer Quotes

“Each time Vesuvius erupted, it covered its slopes with a deep layer of a remarkable natural fertilizer called potash, and as a result the mountain supported dozens of species of fruit and vegetables which grew nowhere else in all Italy, a culinary advantage which more than compensated for the area's occasional dangers. In the case of apricots, the varieties included the firm-fleshed Cafona, the juicy Palummella, the bittersweet Boccuccia liscia, the peachlike Pellecchiella and the spiky-skinned but incomparably succulent Spinosa.”

VarietyItalyFertilizerApricotsVolcanic Ash
Book:The Wedding Officer
Create image

“Time passes, and as the hot midday sun and cool mountain nights alternately bake and freeze the blackened landscape of Vesuvius, something remarkable happens. Gradually, the streams of cold lava are colonized by a lichen, stereocaulon vesuvianim. This lichen is so tiny that it is almost invisible to the naked eye, but as it grows, it turns the lava from black to silvery gray. Where the lichen has gone, other plants can follow- first mugwort, valerian, and Mediterranean scrub, but later ilex and birch trees, along with dozens of species of apricot. Meanwhile, the clinkers and ash that covered the landscape like so much grubby gray snow are slowly, inexorably, working their way into the fields and the vineyards, crumbling as they do so, adding their richness to the thick black soil, and an incomparable flavor to tomatoes, zucchini, eggplants, fruit and all the other produce which grows there.”

ProduceItalyFertilizerLavaNew GrowthLichensVolcanic Ash
Book:The Wedding Officer
Create image