Ahead of the week that celebrated the classic flavours of Italian cuisine, the Consulate General of Italy in Calcutta, in collaboration with Fabbrica and chef Vedika, hosted a special evening that introduced guests to a wide range of regular Italian dishes with special focus on Italian liquors and spirits.
Chef Vedika who runs her own pasta outlet named Alba18, brought her professional precision and expertise to cook the classic Italian dishes with a twist by infusing Italian liquors in them. These drinks date well back to the 17th and 18th centuries and have been craftily used in curating dishes to the wonders of food connoisseurs and professionals from diverse backgrounds who were present at the celebration over food and drinks.
Snapshots.
“I have been in Calcutta for over three years now and I think that food is one of the elements that can create more bridges between Italy and this part of India. This is because both Italians and Calcuttans are very interested in food. They are also very open to influences from abroad. We try to come up with something different which can also help promote new products from Italy in this city. This year we have prepared an event called Italian spirits through which we have shown that Italy is not only about wine but it’s also about spirits. We have served a series of different kinds of cocktails using several Italian spirits. This is something that the people here would love. Not many people are aware of the same. The whole objective of the evening is to familiarise people with other flavours that come from Italy,” said Gianluca Rubagotti, consul general of Italy.
“This was by far the most interesting culinary event we’ve been a part of. Italy is popularly known for its wine, but there’s so much more the country offers in terms of its liqueurs and spirits, and showcasing them through food and cocktails was the ultimate essence of the event. The consul general, Gianluca, shares the same passion and enthusiasm towards Italian food that chef Vedika and I do, and as always, it’s been an extremely immersive and an enjoyable experience working with them towards bringing the best of Italy to Calcutta,” said Naman Dhandhania, creative director, Fabbrica. Chef Vedika Bhootra of Alba18, who had spent a considerable amount of her life in Italy, chipped in, “It was very exciting to play around with these unique Italian liqueurs and create dishes and drinks. Introducing these not-so-common liqueurs like Liquore Strega and Cynar as well as the most loved Limoncello, through food, showcased the versatility of these liqueurs.”
“It’s always such an immersive experience to be here at the Italian consulate. The Italian spirits paired with authentic Italian food by Fabbrica always transports us all to Italy,” said Raghav Kapur, CFO, Fabbrica, who was there with wife Chahat.
Risotto Alla Strega: Strega liqueur adds an extended dimension to this Italian rice dish. The saffron-based risotto blends the flavours of the liqueur in its creamy consistency, which is further topped with a reduction of fennel salad. This particular liqueur is also known as the 'liqueur of the witch', ascribing to the fact that it comes from a place that has a legend adhering to witches.
Prosciutto Pizza Napoletana: Another pizza variant that was a standout, this included Buffalo mozzarella and cheese variants like Prosciutto di Parma, Rucola, Parmigiano Reggiano and EV olive oil.
Anil Vaswani, past president, Calcutta Wine Club, (L-R) Amrita Saraogi and Surbhi Bajoria
Caffe Borghetti served in chocolate cups: Caffe Borghetti is a liqueur from the 1860s made from real Italian espresso. It was started to inaugurate a railway line in Italy. Quite strong in nature, this alcohol is also used with coffee to warm one up. Here, it is interestingly served in chocolate cups to blend the taste of bitter spirit with sweet chocolate.