Sphere
#39
2015
22
<<
Viva Italia!
authentic Pizza Romana – Roman-style
pizza. Unlike Pizza Napoletana (Neapolitan
pizza), where the pizza bases are soft and
pliable, a thin and crispy base is preferred
in Rome.
Besides artisanal pizza, pasta and Prosciutto
di Parma, Parmigiano-Reggiano and freshly
imported Italian fruits and vegetables are all
popular bestsellers from the supermarket.
Colatura di Alici, also known as garum, is
an ancient Roman fish sauce that has been
surprisingly popular at GREAT. “Colatura di
Alici adds depth and flavour to many Italian
dishes. Despite being relatively unknown to
most, this centuries-old condiment has fast
become a favourite since its introduction in
GREAT Food Hall,” explains Chef Broderick.
During ancient Roman times, the sauce
and other similar fish-based sauces had the
equivalent status to ketchup in the modern
world. In the beautiful Amalfi coast region,
pasta is mixed with garlic, chilli-infused
olive oil and a little Colatura di Alici for a
deliciously rich flavour.
When asked why Italian cuisine has retained
its worldwide popularity and remains
influential to this day, Chef Broderick says
he believes it is because it has remained
consistent and well-defined. “Through
the test of time, the emphasis has always
“The emphasis in Italian
food has always been placed
on quality ingredients.”
Timothy Broderick,
Executive Chef for International
Fine Foods at GREAT Food Hall
been placed on quality ingredients and the
sheer practicality of the food,” says Chef
Broderick. “Many comparable Western
cuisines seem to be reinvented every
decade or so to keep them on trend.”
While our taste buds continue to enjoy
the (quite literal) fruits of Italian gourmet
culture today, the devices in our pockets
(which could very likely also be named after
a fruit) also owe their existence to Italian
inventiveness.
Italy calling
The ingenuity and innovation that was
born out of the Renaissance in Florence has
carried into modern times thanks to Italian
inventors whose impact is still felt today.
While Alexander Graham Bell’s famous
phrase “Mr Watson – come here – I want
to see you” has long been recognised
as the birth of telephony, his work was
not without precedent and in 2002 the
US Congress finally acknowledged that
another inventor – an Italian – beat him to
something recognisable as a telephone.
Technology leaders often dispute ‘who
came first’ through lengthy patent court
battles, but Antonio Meucci (1808–1889),
a Florentine inventor, is now recognised
as the creator of the first version of
the telephone – which he called the
teletrofono.
Following in the footsteps of fellow Italians
Volta and Galvani, Meucci’s successful
globetrotting career in Italian opera
production afforded him the funds and
time to indulge his passion for invention.
A student of electrology, while living in
Havana he accidentally captured and
transmitted a sound from the mouth of
an employee he was trying to cure using
electricity, through a copper device. He
coined the term ‘speaking telegraph’
(‘telegrafo parlante’) to describe the
phenomena and his subsequent research
in this area. This 1849 happenstance led to
investigations into transmitting sound.
Meucci was later hired, and his patent
rights acquired, by the Globe Telephone
Company who designated him Electrician
of the Company and promoted his
telephone supremacy in long-standing
battles with Bell’s companies, even after
Meucci’s death in 1889. In 2002, the US
Congress recognised his contribution by
formally approving a statement recognising
him as the true inventor of the telephone.
