North End Market Tour

Stay tuned for details and photos of my most excellent adventure in Boston's North End touring hole-in-the-wall food shops for all things Italian. I'm too tired to recap it right now.

Ciao.

Here is the recap of my very neat Food Market Tour of the North End:

I saw in my trusty Top 10 Boston book that a food market tour of the North End was offered several days a week.  According to their website, here is what to expect:
Follow your guide on this culinary walking tour into the food traditions and marketplaces of the most authentic “Little Italy” remaining in America. Learn how Italians eat and how their food traditions were adapted to this country; glean insider cooking tips and gain resources on how to identify and where to buy the very best ingredients.

Well that grabbed my attention, so I made an appointment to do that while Jeff was in boring classes all day. The tour groups are limited to a dozen participants and, once I saw the sizes of some of the shops, I could see why. Authentically teeny tiny.

We met with Jim, our guide, who spent the first few minutes highlighting the geography of Italy and explaining how that influences the food. It was like a mini-history course crammed into 20 minutes which laid a great foundation for what we were about to see. It was interesting to learn that foods are cooked differently in different regions in Italy which explains why some of our Italian restaurants have different kinds of breads and sauces and such. Jim promised to keep us off of Hanover Street, the main street running through the North End, since he said it was more geared for tourists. So for the next three hours, we wove our way through tiny little curvy streets lined with one very old family-owned shop or restaurant after another.

Our first stop was Maria's Pastry Shop, a favorite bakery among the locals. The lady behind the counter was Maria's cousin since Maria herself had taken her elderly mother back to Italy for a visit. We learned all about the dozens of sweets they make each day, about their schedule to make all this happen, and we got to taste some of the goodies. It was especially interesting to learn about the religious holiday specialties they make. 

Next, we went to Mercato Del Mare. Well, actually, we stood outside the place for Jim to talk to us about the contents because there wasn't room for all of us and the customers. If we had squeezed inside, we would have seen a large assortment of local catches as well as homemade prepared foods like lobster rolls and seafood pot pie. I put this on my list for my next trip to Boston!

Then we went to Polcari's Coffee which was like stepping into a shop in Italy. It had over 150 different dried herbs and spices, roasted coffee of every kind and a variety of hard to find ingredients necessary for certain recipes. Jim explained that the locals go to the markets each day for fresh ingredients to make their lunch, then repeat the process for dinner preparations, buying only what they need for the next meal. And they typically buy small amounts of fresh spices. For instance, instead of buying a whole container of commercial cinnamon sticks, they will buy just what they need of authentic cinnamon (yes, there is a difference...I felt and smelled the two!) for a certain dish. No spices with 2005 expiration dates for these folks like at my house. We got to sniff and taste several spices but the best part was that we were given a little cup (tiny, as in three sips) of their lemon slush as we left. I have craved a big cup of this every day since, but I understand there's little hope of obtaining the secret family recipe. 

Then we went next door to Sulmona Meat Market. There wasn't much to see since everything is cut to order, but we stood outside where Jim explained about the various meats used in most Italian recipes. I have to admit that I didn't hear a lot of what he said at this point because I was finishing up my lemon slush and trying to figure out how to go back to Polcari's to buy another one and not get lost from my group. 

Our next stop was at Alba Produce, another shop entirely too small for our little group. Jim told us how the owner goes to a produce market at 4:00 a.m. every morning six days a week and brings back fresh seasonal produce and herbs for making Italian dishes. He said they don't even have prices on the food since the prices vary each day, depending on what he brings in that morning. He educated us on all kinds of random facts about produce, like how to tell the difference between male and female eggplants!

Monica's Mercato was next on the agenda. This was probably my favorite stop (except for the lemon slush at Polcari's). This was a little Italian grocery store crammed full of homemade pastas, oils, cheeses and condiments unique to Italian cooking as well as a selection of ready-to-eat dishes. The same family who has owned this shop for generations also owns two restaurants and Jim says they are some of the best ones in the North End. Another note for my next trip.

On to The Cheese Shop where we learned more facts about various cheeses than I could comprehend. What I do remember is that certain cheeses are produced in particular regions of Italy and this place specializes in fresh homemade cheeses of every kind imaginable....and lots I never even imagined! They also have a large variety of cured meats which we sampled along with some cheeses. Then we had a crash course on olives, olive oils and vinegars. All I know is that we haven't been buying the right stuff all these years!

Our last stop was V. Cirace & Son, one of the oldest wine shops in the country. While we stood amidst a huge selection of wines and spirits from every region in Italy, we learned about what Italians drink with what foods at what times of the day and for what occasions. The one thing we sampled was in a fun looking bottle and is something (I can't remember the name) the Italians love to sip chilled on a hot day. But honestly, every person in our group thought it was just terrible.

After three hours of learning and tasting, my legs were tired and I was craving a good Italian meal. Unfortunately, I had to attend a banquet in a hotel which meant a mass-produced meal. Seems kind of cruel to see and smell authentic Italian ingredients all afternoon, then go eat  hotel banquet food.

This tour was so interesting and so much fun.! They also offer food market tours of Chinatown. I've added that to my list of things to do next time I'm in Boston. I went to bed craving a "granita di limone". That's lemon slush for those who don't speak Italian.