We can all agree that Italian cuisine is distinct.  Different.  Special.  But what not even Italians can agree on is exactly why.  Some say it’s the focus on high quality ingredients.  Others point to a minimalist approach – the complete opposite of that found in French cuisine.  And still others talk up the easy going Italian attitude as the secret to their success.

But it’s clear that there is an emphasis on freshness.  Be it freshly made pasta, luscious ripe tomatoes straight from Mama’s garden, or just freshly caught fish.  So it might surprise you to learn that one of the most highly sought after seafood products in Italian cuisine is tinned tuna.  Rio Mare Tuna – available from Limoncello.

Tinned Tuna?

At first glance this makes no sense at all.  After all, we in the UK well know the reputation of canned fish.  And it’s more of a reputation for affordability and a long shelf life than one of high quality and tastiness.  But then what would you expect from a people who take lovely fresh fish, douse it in batter and deep fry it?  You can almost hear the Italian cries of shock and disbelief at such food heresy from here.

But much of this poor reputation stems from a couple of choices made during the tinning process.  The first is to prioritise quantity – leading to an inevitable drop in quality.  And the second is to tin the fish in brine.  Which, though a good preservative, will often lead to the taste of the fish in question being literally watered down.

Rio Mare Tuna

Rio Mare Tuna is completely different.  To begin with they prioritise quality, making it a specialist product rather than something found on your average supermarket shelf.  Only the finest fillets of yellowfin and skipjack tuna are selected for canning.  Compare this to the often quoted (though perhaps apocryphal) “fact” that 84% of “tuna” served in sushi joints across the world is actually Escolar.  A lesser fish that does bad things to people’s digestion.  You never have to fear that with Rio Mare Tuna.

After selection the tuna fillets are delicately cooked.  Then they are covered in high quality olive oil and allowed to marinade for 6-8 weeks before distribution and sale.  Many connoisseurs feel that it is this quasi-aging process, which allows the olive oil and tuna flavours to mingle and merge, that results in this superior quality product.

It is also what makes it so suitable for (and great in) Italian cooking.  With its heavy emphasis on olives, olive oil, and other tastes and ingredients which complement them.  What better to elevate an Italian salad than fillets of succulent tuna already infused with olive oil?

In fact, Rio Mare Tuna is widely held to be superior to even fish so fresh they were caught that day for many aspects of Italian cuisine.  It is a high quality, highly prized and much sought after product for all Italian chefs.  And where can such a boutique Italian product be found?  Limoncello, of course.  The Cambridge home of boutique Italian products.

Credit: Thomas Farley

Italian cuisine is overflowing with truly classic products and dishes.  From pasta, pizza and pesto, to tiramisu, gelatos and negronis.  Created and traditionally made from local ingredients grown easily in the Mediterranean climate.  And then exported across the world with the rest of the Italian diaspora.

But there’s one peculiar exception to this trend – coffee.  Italian coffee is widely held to be the best in the world.  And the Italian coffee served in Limoncello to be the best in Cambridge.  If you doubt this then ask any Italian and they will set you straight.  Yet Italy isn’t exactly known for its verdant coffee plantations – so what gives?

What Makes it Italian?

Let’s be clear here – Italians arrived as late to the coffee scene as they do to any appointment.  Arabs and other peoples of the Medieval Muslim world had been drinking coffee for centuries before they brought it to Europe.  And they brought it not to Italy, but to the Hapsburg Imperial capital of Vienna in the form of a literal invasion.  Legend has it that as the Ottoman Turks  withdrew from their unsuccessful siege of Vienna in 1683 they left behind sacks and sacks of coffee beans.  Which the Viennese seized as spoils of war and found they quite liked.  Sparking the European craze for coffee which continues to this day.

So if coffee doesn’t grow in Italy, and Italians weren’t even the first Europeans to drink it, then why do Italian words dominate the language of coffee?  Espresso.  Cappuccino.  Macchiato.  Even Americano is an Italian word for how those weird Americans liked their coffee.  The answer is because the Italians were intense coffee innovators.  Experimenting with different preparation, serving and roasting styles.  Then iterating and refining to produce the perfect coffee experience.

Italian Roast

Although there are many stages to the production of a truly great cup of coffee, none are as important to the final product as the roast.  As you roast green coffee beans they slowly lose much of their natural acidity.  Which can be unpleasant to the taste and harsh on the stomach.  Yet the more you roast the less original flavour from the natural bean will remain to pass into the finished cup.  Slowly being replaced by first sweet, caramel and chocolatey tones.  Then ultimately the bitter tang of the burnt to a crisp dark roast.

So when we talk of “Italian coffee” we’re not talking about country of origin as much as style of roast and serve.  The Italian roast is somewhere between a medium and a dark roast, but closer to dark.  Always trying to hit that elusive sweet spot in the middle where it is neither too acidic, nor too bitter.  Retaining much of the original flavour of the carefully sourced beans, yet enhanced by caramel undertones.

Limoncello coffee is so good due to our usual approach of sourcing from only the best of artisanal suppliers.  Though in the case of our coffee this isn’t from rural Italy, but instead local.  Sort of.  The excellent Norwich based Green Farm source green beans from plantations across the world.  Then utilize their expert knowledge to roast and blend to perfection.  In our case, a specially selected blend of both robusta and arabica coffee beans roasted in the Italian style, resulting in a potent yet smooth coffee with a bittersweet taste and chocolate overtones.  Stop in some day and try a cup.  Leave with a bag of beans for future consumption.

Credit: Thomas Farley

Here’s a question for all you cheese lovers out there: have you ever tried a piece of brie and wished that it was a bit more…complex?  A tad funkier?  Had a bit more zing?  That it was a bit more…Italian!

If so, you’re in luck.  And if not, prepare to be amazed.  For at Limoncello we have just what you’re looking for – La Tur.

Three Milk Cheese

“Three milk cheese” sounds like a bad translation.  Or perhaps the punchline of an ancient Chinese proverb.  But it’s not.  La Tur is an excellent representative of the Robiola style of cheeses from the Piedmont region of Italy.  It is made from a blend of cow’s, goat’s and sheep’s milks.  The goat’s milk gives it that earthy, tangy aspect we associate with a full goat’s milk cheese.  While the sheep’s milk adds a rich, buttery and slightly nutty element to La Tur.

La Tur is a soft ripened cheese.  A style also sometimes called bloomy rind cheeses for their moist, edible and almost paper thin rinds.  The blend of three milks is first lightly pasteurised at low temperature.  A process which allows the natural microbes present in the raw milks to contribute to the cheese’s final flavour.

The curds are then ladled into moulds and allowed to drain under their own weight rather than being pressed.  This process allows a higher moisture yet more fragile cheese to develop.  It is then aged for the short period of only ten to fifteen days.

La Tur

The result of this traditional, artisanal process is a straw coloured cheese delivered in wheels the size of a cupcake.  It has a creamy, almost velvet-like texture similar to a traditional Italian Gelato.  And an earthy, mildly herby flavour with just a hint of tanginess.

So what exactly does that mean for us mere mortals who don’t speak the language of a cheese connoisseur?  Simply put, it’s like an Italian brie.  Deeper and more complex in flavour, yet retaining and elegant simplicity.  Take some brie and make it a bit more earthy, tangy, zingy and generally more Italian, and you’re getting close to La Tur.

So, now your mouth is well and truly watering with anticipation, there’s the obvious question: how do I best enjoy La Tur?  You already know that Limoncello is the best place to acquire some.  Unlike some of Limoncello’s other popular Italian cheeses, such as Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano which are both widely used in Italian cooking, La Tur is best eaten raw and fresh.  And we’d heavily recommend serving it at room temperature to best showcase the depth of its flavour and texture.  And since it’s a runny cheese, some bread or crackers are probably in order.  As well a glass of Prosecco.  Not that we really need an excuse for enjoying a glass of Prosecco.

La Tur keeps in the fridge for several weeks.  But like all soft cheeses it needs to breathe, so wrap it in parchment paper or cheese cloth for best results.  A plastic wrap will leave it watery and disappointing.  And a disappointed Italian is not likely to keep it to themselves…