Today has been a lazy, boring day.
I had a day off but, since it is gloomy and rainy, I have been stuck on the couch watching soccer and a Super Nanny marathon. Thankfully my best friend/cousin combo saved me from monotony and took me out to lunch. I’m really starting to appreciate these daily lunch dates with family… Lunch today was unbelievably not boring and something that I would never had known about if not for this blog.
On Paca Street, there is a small, hole-in-the wall, run-down looking storefront of a deli that, at first glance, appears to be closed. Pushing in the door, however, one is immediately transported into a Sicilian delicatessen. This blog tries to highlight authentic Baltimore culture, but this store is purely and authentically Italian. Fresh-baked crusty breads are stacked on shelves, home-made pastas and sauces crowding counter-tops, jars upon jars of fresh olives of every shape and variety, and a vat of homemade olive oil make the store visually and aromatically overwhelming in the best way possible. It is only fitting that this small piece of Sicily is called Trinacria: the island of Sicily is often called the “Kingdom of Trinacria.” A trinacria, or a triskelion, is an ancient symbol of both Greece and Italy; when Sicily was part of Greece, the three-pointed symbol represented the three points of the triangular island. The symbol of the trinacria was also considered a cultural reference to the legend of the tables of Hephaestus: the Greek god had three-legged tables that could run around themselves, serving food to all the gods of Mount Olympus.
But I digress. Let’s get back to the food.
You all are probably getting very tired of hearing the same old story, but Trinacria was opened by Sicilian immigrants in 1908 and sold fresh pasta, sauces, bread, deli meats and other Italian groceries to Baltimore residents, both Italian and non-Italian. Trinacria values its reputation as an old-world style Italian delicatessen and quality Italian groceries and food products for relatively low prices; in other words, the average person in Baltimore could probably walk in, buy some pasta, sauce and a nice bottle of wine without too much trouble. It is this accessibility that allows Baltimore residents to absorb Italian culture and let it permeate into their own food culture, like the way a great tomato sauce is absorbed by slow cooking meatballs. In the end, Baltimore food is always flavored with a little bit of the other cultures that exist within the city. My only wish? That Trinacria lived up to its mythological namesake and deliver me another smoked turkey, mozzarella, roasted red pepper and artichoke Panini to my front door on a magic little three-legged table. Oh and some of those spicy red cherry peppers stuffed with goat cheese, too. Now that is the food of the gods.
'References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hephaestus
No comments:
Post a Comment