TUSC

ANY, ITALY

A N T I PA S T O C

O U R S E

HISTORYTuscany is one of twenty regions in Italy. The region is located in the central, western part of the country, north of Rome and south of Genoa. It is bounded by the Apennine Mountains to the North and East, the Apuan Alps on the northwest and by the Tyrrhenian Sea on the West. Its land area is about 9,000 square miles (23.300 square kilometers). Its major cities are Florence, Pisa, Siena and Arezzo Its major river, the Arno, begins in the Apennines and heads toward the coast - both Florence and Pisa sit astride the Arno river.Tuscany was the home land of the Etruscans, which was annexed by Rome in 351 BC. After the fall of the Roman empire, the region, which became known as Tuscany (Toscana in Italian) came under the rule of a succession of rulers (Herulians, Ostrogoths, etc.) and emerged as a political entity with its own rulers. By the twelfth century, the Tuscan cities were gradually gaining their independence as republics and forcing the nobility to live in the cities. By the high Middle Ages, the cities of Pisa, Siena, Arezzo, Pistoia, Lucca, and especially Florence had become wealthy because of textile manufacture, trade, banking, and agriculture. There were many wars between the city states to conquer territory and power. Gradually, Florence came to overshadow and conquer all other cities in the region.

BRIEF HISTORY OF TUSCANY

An Antipasto Misto Toscano with Cold Cuts, Crostini & Pecorino Toscano Cheese

WINE

WINE

HTTP://WWW.DISCOVERTUSCANY.COM/TUSCANY-HISTORY-AND-CULTURE/

Argentina Malbec was brought to Argentina by

French agricultural engineer Michel Pouget in 1868, and it found a home in Mendoza where the grape seemed to thrive during the long, sunny growing seasons.

Malbec is Argentina's signature red wine grape and one of the five major red Bordeaux grape varieties.

Coquena Malbec This high altitude

Malbec brings dense, ripe plum flavors. Medium-bodied with good structure and spicy fruit flavors that linger in the mouth.

Pair with Braised beef cheeks with blueberry jalepeno compote

Argentina’s Wine Regions

Chile Chile has been a wine-producing country

since the first European settlers arrived in the mid-16th century.

Chile, a country which has long been known as a source of good value wine, has built its reputation mainly on its Merlot-based cuvees

Merlot Smooth, rounded and

"easy-drinking" are common descriptions of Merlot wines.

It is a grape used for producing wines of a particular texture, rather than a particular taste, relying on organoleptic properties other than just flavor and aroma.

Paired with Spicy garlic and pepper shrimp

For wine $18

Chile’s Wine Regions

Work citied http://

www.vineconnections.com/argentine-wine/education/food-pairing.php

http://www.wine-searcher.com/wine-50474-0001-via-wines-chilcas-single-vineyard-cabernet-franc-maule-valley-chile

http://www.wine-food-matcher.com/

Paris, France

Works cited

http://www.bing.com/search?q=french+pinot+noir+burgundy+wine+region&FORM=HDRSC1

History of Wine(Pinot Noir)

Pinot Noir Grapes were being cultivated in the Burgundy region of France.

Pinot Noir is a red wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera.

The name is derived from the French words for pine and black; the pine alluding to the grape variety having tightly clustered, pine cone-shaped bunches of fruit.

Wine Region

Moelleux au Chocolat (Chocolate lava cake with salted caramel)

SPAIN

Around 200 B.C. the Roman entered Spain from the South.

In 711, the Muslims invaded Spain and Portugal

The occupation of Iberia by the Moors for seven hundred years had a great influence on the cultural and culinary develop-ment of both Spain and Portugal.

Spanish Jews once constituted one of the largest and most prosperous Jewish communities under Muslim and Christian rule, before the Jews of Spain were expelled in 1492.

Jews also had a great influence on Spanish cuisine

Experts at irrigation, the Moors introduced the cultivation of rice, now a staple food.

The Moors brought with them figs and citrus fruits, peaches and bananas and many of the Eastern spices, including cumin and anis seed, which are used so much in Iberian cooking today.

Figs

Cumin

Anis

They used almonds a great deal in the cooking of both savory and sweet dishes.

BUTTER AND LARD are more common in Northern Spain. the lush pastures of the Pyrenees foothills produce superb beef, dairy products, fruit and vegetables, while the Catalan coast is rich in fish and shell fish.

PAELLAA Spanish dish of Saffron-flavored rice combined with a variety of meats and shellfish (such as shrimp, lobster, clams, chicken, pork, ham and chorizo), garlic, onions, peas, artichoke hearts and tomatoes.

RIOJAS are excellent table wines.