Celebrating 150 years with one common scented tri-colour, ‘odori’.
Who hasn’t walked pass or into a kitchen and smelt the scents of celery, carrot and parsley frying in some peppery olive oil without their stomach doing gurgling cartwheels in anticipation of what these simple building blocks will be delivering when done?
Although Italy’s terrain and climate varies as much as each region’s hotly debated and zealously championed historical and cultural differences do, this is one small bundle of seasoning that provides a common link.
This backbone of flavours more often than not gets folded as a bundle and given freely with the weekly visit to the local market, or in our case from the vegetable man-in-a-van who visits the mountain villages; even a cheat’s version of minestrone pre-chopped in the supermarket has more than a healthy dose of odori.
The three elements united do provide a basic root to the world’s most popular cuisine, a flavoursome hint perhaps as to why Italy continues to be one of the most intriguing & charismatic nations in the world with a global influence. Viva Italia!
Author: Sam Dunham
Sam is a freelance SEO content creator and IGCSE Geography and English teacher at Istituto Cristo Re in Rome. She also runs the Life In Abruzzo Cultural Association, sharing stories and insights about this captivating region.
Alongside raising a teenager, Sam hosts guests at her family’s traditional home, the Little House of the Firefly in Abruzzo, offering a warm welcome and insider tips on local culture, food, and hidden gems.
