In Search of Pizza in Glorious Venezia!

On the recent Taste of Britain Curry Festival in Slovenia, we took a cultural trip to Venice to savour its wonderful architecture, scenic waterways, romantic atmosphere … and pizza.

 

Venice is not renowned for pizza; in fact it’s not even a typical Venetian dish, but a trip to Italy’s most romantic city wouldn’t be complete without sampling the food so loved all over the world. And we were hungry!

 

Pizza actually originated in the south of Italy, in Naples, when resourceful inhabitants decided to jazz up their leavened or unleavened flatbreads by adding garlic, lard, salt or cheese and, (after they were introduced into the country in 1548), tomatoes.

 

Today, pizza making is a profitable business – Italians eat over three billion of them a year. But according to recent reports, native Italians are shunning the traditional role of pizzaiaoili or pizza maker because of the long hours and hard work involved. Instead, the gap is being filled by the country’s immigrant workers who have more motivation and many of the cooks in Italy’s 25,000 pizzerias now hail from Egypt, Bangladesh or even the Ukraine.

 

Whatever nationality, we found there were still plenty of chefs to man the hundreds of takeaways, pizzerias or simple hole-in-the-wall outlets that form part of almost every street and piazza of Venice. Wandering from the station, through narrow streets, lined with shops, window boxes and washing, our stomachs were set rumbling by fragrant smells emanating from wood burning stoves. Inside shops pizzaioili stretched uncooked balls of leavened dough by hand or with a rolling pin, sometimes performing air acrobatics with the discs for the entertainment of passers-by.  The pizzas were gargantuan, in raised Neapolitan style or flat Roman, smothered in gorgonzola or mozzarella with artichokes and musky chorizo they adorned shop windows and tempted with their smiling rings of thinly sliced peppers and onions.  

 

As we were in the most beautiful city in the world we put our hunger on hold to admire the wonder of our surroundings. They were stunning. Venice is an island within islands – 118 of them to be precise - separated by canals and joined by 409 bridges. Not so many years ago the whole city was sinking and there were fears it would eventually disappear into the marshy lagoon in which it was built. Now, thanks to a ban on the Artesian wells which supplied local industry, the world famous buildings and precious art works are safe and visited by thousands of tourists every year.

 

 

The city is made for strolling and part of the joy of a visit to Venice is in soaking up the atmosphere. Eventually, and inevitably, we wound our way into the breathtaking Piazza San Marco, or St Mark’s Square. Flanked by the Basilica di San Marco, a great dome shaped church and the Doge’s Palace, the Square is also populated by thousands of tame pigeons which provide hours of amusement for tourists (and chefs). In the famous Caffé Florian, established in 1720, we paid the equivalent of a small ransom for a coffee but it was worth it to take in the delights of the piazza, listen to the small orchestra play, and watch the elegance of the aperitivo or promenade taken by Italians to see and be seen.

 

At the evocatively named Bridge of Sighs under which prisoners used to go on their way to and from the courts and prisons, the Grand Canal opened out before us. The busiest waterway in the city has all the movement, light and colour of a Canaletto painting. Three bridges cross the Grand Canal, the most famous being the Rialto built in 1588 with its double row of shops selling souvenirs, gold and Venetian carnival masks. A gondola ride, particularly a serenaded one, would have been the ultimate in romance but was, sadly, matched in price. The next best thing, a traghetto; is a similar vessel but one in which passengers have to stand, balancing precariously as they cross the waterway. A cheaper and more stable option is humble waterbus, or vaporetto which takes passengers on a fascinating journey away from the tourist hot spots along the back routes of the city.

 

At the Bacaro lounge in San Marco, gondoliers join the chic and trendy to eat, piatto del giorno (or plate of the day) priced from ten euros.  If we hadn’t had our sights set on pizza, more, typical Venetian recipes served in traditional restaurants include Sarde in Saor – sweet and sour sardines or Risotto di Zucca; risotto with pumpkins, onion and parmesan cheese. The local pasta is bigoli; a thick and coarse spaghetti sometimes black when mixed with squid ink, seasoned with fish or game sauces.

 

As for pizza, there were endless possibilities. In the Arte della Pizza, a hole in the wall restaurant off the Strada Nova, a huge pizza cost around six euros; or at Ae Oche in the Santa Croce area, we could have chosen from 90 types of wood-fired pizzas. All’Anfora on Lista Bari offered a plethora of traditional pizzas loaded with local tasty produce. Near the Rialto Bridge, the Muro restaurant specialised in calzone, and cicchetti (tapas) while the Antica Birraria la Corte on Calle S Bernando, a former bull fight pen, served up traditional pizzas with arugula, bresaola – a salted, seasoned aged beef - and Grana Padana.

 

Unfortunately, all we can only imagine how wonderful all these were. In desperation we satiated our hunger at a rather touristy restaurant behind St Mark’s Square where the immigrant pizza makers served up a bland Capricciosa pizza, and a coke at five euros a can. After feasting our eyes on so many varieties, it was, admittedly, a slight anticlimax. But eating the world’s most popular food in its home country and in the most beautiful city in the world was an experience to be savoured forever and anyway, now that the city’s no longer sinking, there’ll always be a next time.

 

The Curry Life Team stayed at Hotel Park, Ljubljana Tabor 9, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

Phone:+386 1 300 25 00

 

 

 

Ljubljana - the small but perfectly formed capital of Slovenia

The Curry Life Taste of Britain Festival travelled to Ljubljana in Slovenia to introduce its inhabitants to British-Asian cuisine. Here we take a look at the city famous for dragons; architecture and a type of sausage called Krajska Klobasa, and discover that the best things come in small packages...

Set in the centre of scenic Slovenia, Ljubljana is a fairytale city of humpbacked bridges, fabulous statues, dreamy fountains and ornate monuments. According to legend, the town was founded after the Greek mythological hero, Jason, slayed its resident dragon. Today, with dragons firmly banished to statues and coats of arms, Ljubljana is a romantic and picturesque place where culture is celebrated and life is bohemian.

With a population of just 270,000, the city is “made to the measure of man,” so is small enough to explore on foot. Alternatively, tourists can follow the example of many of its residents by cycling or taking the city bus through the historic streets to visit a host of accessible landmarks, art galleries, museums, cafés, bars and restaurants.

Lying between Vienna and Venice on important transport routes through Europe, Ljubljana has seen more than its fair share of turmoil over the centuries. Hit by devastating earthquakes in 1511 and 1895 and ruled by the Austro-Hungarian Empire and France, it was occupied by the Italians and Germans in the twentieth century. At the end of the Second World War, the city was surrounded by a barbed wire fence for three years, later becoming part of the post-war creation of the socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

Somewhere in between the two wars, one man informed the character and buildings of the city to make it rank as one of the 20^th century’s greatest total works of art: the architect, Jože Plečnik whose work re-designing the walkways and squares, renovating bridges and buildings, was carried on by his pupils and gave the city its distinctive appearance that blends classical with new.

When Slovenia declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, Ljubljana shook off all vestiges of its Soviet past to become a young and modern centre. But history is still integral to the overall experience of the city; a walk through the Old Town takes you from the medieval squares of Mestin and Gornji Trg, past the elegant, Baroque facades created after the first earthquake, to the walls and postern gates of the Roman city of Emona, west of the town centre.

 

Sightseeing is a relaxed and pleasant affair in Ljubljana – after all, it was awarded the title of the world’s “most honest city” by Readers Digest. The vast and leafy Tivoli Park and Botanic Gardens stretch right into the centre and the River Ljubljanica offers the opportunity for leisurely strolls along its banks lined with trendy cafés and restaurants. Boat trips take the traveller under the city’s famous bridges; the art noveau Dragon Bridge guarded by four detailed dragon statues; the Cobblers Bridge, named for the cobblers’ workshops that used to occupy it, and the Triple Bridge, with its pedestrian walkways on either side of the original stone structure. 

Dominating the entire city is the medieval Ljubljana Castle, open daily and accessible by a funicular railway, tourist road train or on foot. Boasting a jail, Gothic chapel and ubiquitous dragon, tourists can climb a tower to view the city and surrounding alps or visit the Virtual museum to experience a three dimensional world.

Museum attractions include the Museum of Modern Art, the National Gallery and Museum of Slovenia. There are also numerous street markets with jazz and blues shops, bookshops and antiques – the Central Market in Vodnikov Trg. sells fruit, vegetables and herbs with Slovenian specialities including proscuitto and potica cake. In Ljubljana Old Town, five squares blend into each other to form one long shopping mall with antiques, handmade Idria lace and souvenirs. Downtown, the city teems with trendy cafés, bars and high class restaurants offering cuisine ranging from typical Slovenian fare to the fresh fish including calamari, John Dory, Scorpion fish or crab in the romantic setting of Ribca Bistro, or more intrepid diners may want to sample a horse burger at the Hot Horse restaurant. Nightlife entertainment usually goes on into the small hours with jazz, rock and electronic venues.

With Lake Bled just a one and a half hours drive and the Adriatic coast within 30km, the city is a gateway to the beautiful landscapes and exciting terrain of the rest of Slovenia, with the mysterious Ljubljana Marshes natural park, the Karst subterranean limestone caverns, lakes, forests and Alpine landscapes to explore.

 

The Curry Life team stayed at Hotel Park - Tabor 9, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

Phone:+386 1 300 25 00

 

 

 

The Magnificent Seven: They Came, They Cooked, They Conquered!

 

 

They may sound as if they’ve stepped out of a Spaghetti Western but the ‘Magnificent Seven’ who took Slovenia by storm at the recent Taste of Britain festival were no gun slinging cowboys – they were an elite posse of chefs – and they were armed with curry powder.

Mohammed Azad from Cafe Saffron in Shrewsbury, Shah Ansar Ali from Bengal Paradise, Suhel Ahmed from Aroma Spice in Hampstead, Syeduz Zaman Kamran from India Lounge in Wigan, Juber Ahmed from Fetcham Tandoori in Surrey, Allam Shah Ullah from Cutlers Spice in Sheffield, and Kaysar Ahmed from Zeera Restaurant in Potters Bar, were selected from hundreds of chefs to showcase the best of British Indian cuisine in Europe.

They were then jetted over to sub zero temperatures in Slovenia, accompanied by some of the restaurant owners.

And, despite having to contend with some of the heaviest snowfalls Slovenia’s capital city of Ljubljana had seen for years, diners not only thronged to the festival to sample the chefs’ curry dishes ... they kept coming back for more.

But there was not only food on offer; visitors were also able to experience a unique programme of events ranging from spectacular banquets to traditional Bangladeshi dancing and cookery demonstrations which took place throughout the week.

The Taste of Britain Curry Festival was organised by Curry Life, the British Embassy Ljubljana UK Trade and Investment and Hotel Park with the aim of promoting the curry industry, chefs and restaurants in Slovenia and Central Europe.

The launch took place on 21 February with a two-day trade exhibition at the prestigious Cankarjev Dom. Industry icons such as Eurofoods, Kingfisher Beer Europe, East End Foods Plc and The Authentic Food Company were able to showcase their wares and meet key wholesalers, restaurateurs and distributors. Delegates attending from ten European countries including Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Serbia and Croatia, had a unique opportunity to forge links and explore possibilities for future trade and development.

The day of networking was followed by an exclusive Evening Reception hosted by HE the British Ambassador in Slovenia, Andrew Page, when invited guests could mingle in a more relaxed atmosphere before sampling a wonderful banquet of more than 50 fusion dishes prepared by the seven master chefs.

Speaking at the Press Launch led by Festival Organisers Syed Belal Ahmed and Syed Nahas Pasha, the British Ambassador HE Andrew Page and Urša Malovrh, Manager of Hotel Park, Mr Ahmed recognised that the festival had been only possible with the support of the Ambassador and his team and the owners and staff of Hotel Park.

He said he had fallen in love with Ljubljana after the festival in 2012 when the team was given such a warm welcome: “Last year’s event had such an impressive response from the city and beyond I think people realised what they were missing out on,” he said. “There is huge potential for ethnic food in Slovenia and I hope this event will initiate more curry houses over here.”

HE Andrew Page also remarked how the success of last year’s festival inspired him and his team to work with Central European network countries to bring buyers from further afield. “There is a lot of potential for British companies to get a foothold in these untapped markets,” he said. He reminded the audience that 60 years ago when the recipe for Coronation Chicken was created to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s accession to the throne, curry was almost unknown. “Now, two thirds of people in Britain who go out for a meal go for a curry,” he said.

Urša Malovrh manager of Hotel Park commented on how pleased Hotel Park was to host the Taste of Britain Curry Festival once more: “We were amazed at how popular and successful the festival was last year – people came from all over the country and even from other countries, to try a taste of curry,” she said.

Currying Favour at Hotel Park

 

The festival relocated to Hotel Park until 27 February where diners were able to sample a buffets and a la carte dinners cooked by the Magnificent Seven. Dishes included signature dishes of Naga Chicken Balti, Spicy beef cutlet, Dal Gosht and Allo Chop, not forgetting the British favourites of Chicken Tikka Masala and Balti. Many VIP guests attended such as the Indian Ambassador in Ljubljana and his family who commented on the variety and quality of cuisine on offer.

The chefs also took part in various cookery demonstrations including one for teachers and pupils of the British school. Having created something of a media sensation, they were feted by local and national press and TV.

But it wasn’t all hard work – the intrepid seven also had a chance to grab a quick sightseeing tour of Zagreb in Croatia and Venice in Italy as well as taking in some of the local attractions in the beautiful capital city itself and, of course, shopping.

At the end of the festival it was apparent that Slovenians had taken the chefs to their hearts. But did they think Indian food was something that could become more popular in the country?

“Yes, I like spicy food and this curry is special,” said Marko, a visitor from Ljubljana. “At the moment there are only two Indian restaurants in Ljubljana and I would really like to see more opening up. We like to try different foods and it would be good if we could try a selection of everything.”

“We’ve tried green or red Thai curries before but we have never experienced food this hot – but it’s really good!,”added his companion.

“I have eaten curry before in the UK and I loved it,” commented Bojan who had stopped off at the hotel on his way to Maribor, “So to find it here in Ljubljana was a big surprise. For me, anything that may help bring curry to Slovenia should be encouraged and embraced.”

Jana Verk, Head of UK Trade and Investment at the British Embassy who played a key role in organising the events said she was absolutely delighted as to how the festival had gone: “All the hard work has paid off. The chefs have performed magnificently and it has been a pleasure to work with such a friendly and enthusiastic team,” she said. “I hope that events such as this will help to bring more ethnic food to Slovenia.”

“It was great to showcase our cuisine to such appreciative customers,” said Allam Shah Ullah, chef of Sheffield’s Cutlers Spice. “We’ve received a fantastic reception and we’re all extremely proud to  have been selected to represent Bangladeshi and Indian food in Europe. Who knows? Maybe soon curry will be as popular in Slovenia as it is in the UK.”