The Italian Riviera is dotted with small coastal towns, each with their own character. We had planned to take a drive along the coast today and visit one or two. Maybe Chiavare or Sestri Levante. But after yesterday’s excitement, we decided to just take it easy and take a walk around town. I’m glad we did, too, because we stumbled upon what one might call Santa Margherita Ligure’s “Bakery Row.”
We can’t afford to get too carried away today, anyway, because tomorrow we leave Santa Margherita Ligure to go to Alba. My beautiful, demure, and highly organized Better Half will want to get started packing early. (Well, early by my standards). Sometime today, neat little piles of clothes will magically start appearing on the bed.
Time for a Walk
It was mid-morning when we started our walk. Other than the area around the marina, we haven’t really seen much of Santa Margherita Ligure. We hadn’t been walking long when we heard a wicked sound echoing through the streets.
It was two of the Bugatti’s that had whizzed by us on the freeway a few days ago. Man, those cars are something else. Mamma mia! You know you’re not in Kansas anymore when you see a Bugatti Veyron go by.
We turned away from the marina and walked toward the center of town. We came to a pedestrian-only street that was lined with shops. This could be interesting.
Bakery Row
As we walked along, we passed bakery after bakery. All kinds of delectable baked goods were on display in the windows. They grow a lot of hazelnuts in this region, and there was all manner of delectable items made from them.
We saw cakes called “Torta di Nocciole”. (“Tor-ta-dee-noh-CHYOH-leh”). “Nocciole” means “hazelnuts.” I read that there’s no butter used in this cake, and egg whites instead of whole eggs. The idea is that there’s not much in the cake that can obscure the flavor of the hazelnuts.
We saw “Torta di Noci”, too. (“Tor-ta-dee-NOH-chee”). “Torta di Noci” is “Nut Cake”. They can use any kind of nuts they want in these. Pecans, maybe.
Another cake we saw in more than one window was called “Torta di Grano Saraceno.” “Gran Saraceno” sounds like it must be something grand, but it just means “buckwheat,” so this is “buckwheat cake.”
This type of cake is traditionally from the extreme north of Italy, near the Alps. I’ve heard that buckwheat flour is something of an acquired taste, so maybe this one isn’t going to be everyone’s favorite.
However, to make it more interesting, there’s a layer of jam in between two layers of cake. There’s also plenty of butter in it. Torta di Grano Saraceno is getting more interesting now, eh?
I can’t believe we’ve been here for three days and I haven’t had a taste of any of these cakes yet. That is just WRONG.
Eat Regional
With the exception of Torta di Grano Saraceno, we probably wouldn’t find these cakes anywhere outside of this region. But here, they’re in every bakery window.
It’s like focaccia – remember the bread that looks like a mattress? It’s sold everywhere around here. But in other parts of Italy, if you ask for a piece of focaccia, they’ll look at you like you’re some kind of Torta di Noci.
There was something else we saw in one of those windows that made me forget, (temporarily), about cake. They were were little round balls of goodness called “Baci di Dama. (“Bah-chee-dee-DAH-ma”). “Baci di Dama” means “Lady’s kisses.” But let’s come back to Baci di Dama later.
After walking another block or two, we came across a neighborhood grocery store. We wanted to find a store that carries pocket-size tissues. They come in handy, and our stock is running low. This could be it.
Alien Grocery Store
It’s fun to go into a grocery store in a foreign country. Everything’s just a little different. (“Hey, what do you think this stuff is?” I have no idea.”) Grocery store employees in small towns rarely speak English, so checking out and paying can be an adventure, too.
Sure enough, they had a good selection of pocket-sized tissues. We picked a 12-pack and went to go check out. We masqueraded as regular local folks who were completely at home in this strange, foreign environment. If the checker doesn’t want to make any small talk, we’ll be okay. Then she said the price…
“Due cinquanta-sette euro.” (“Due-eh-ching-quant-ah-set-teh-euro.”). To get the full effect, you need to say it fast. I mean really fast. She was too fast with those numbers for me, so I just handed her what I thought might be slightly over the bill, and hoped for the best. She gave me back some change, we said our “gracie’s”, and that was that. Okay. Now for some lunch!
To be continued…
