All language subtitles for A.Taste.of.Italy.S01E04.Livorno.1080p.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-squalor

(intro music)

(guitar music)

- I'm chef and
restaurateur Nisha Katona

the star of the show there,

is the gorgeous aubergine.

I love coming to Italy on
delicious foodie forays

to see what Italians
are really eating.

This is a tuna hot dog,

I've never seen
anything like it.

Buongiorno.

In the markets.

This is like an Aladdin's
cave for the pork lover,

which I am.

On the streets.

And in the restaurants.

It's well-worth getting
here just to try this.

Now I'm taking the
path less traveled

to hidden culinary hotspots.

It's one of the most
beautiful cities

I have ever seen.

On a voyage to uncover
recipes and ingredients

passed down through generations.

(laughing)

You bring in your
family, your history.

- Our history is the
base of our future.

- [Nisha] Proving there's
more to Italian food

than just pizza.

Mint and tuna try it.

I would never have
thought about it.

And on the way I'll be
cooking up new dishes

inspired by my travels.

- It's fantastic.

- A million different colors,

and a thousand
different flavors.

So join me on an
idyllic Italian escape,

Delicious.

Today, I'm in Livorno
on the Tuscan coast,

this is a city
with a long history

of hospitality to
the outside world,

due in no small part to its past

as the earliest and most
successful Freeport in Europe.

Since ancient times,

this bustling port
has been a magnet

for traders from
across the world,

who left their mark, not only
on the city, but on the food.

It's no surprise that
a city by the sea

is well-known for its seafood.

And this place is packed with
fantastic fish restaurants,

which I'm hoping will give
me some ideas for a coastal

Tuscan dish of my own.

Here in Livorno,

the dish that inspires
the most pride

is a fish and tomato
stew called, Cacciucco,

which sounds quite
humble, doesn't it?

But it's so well loved,

that they had an annual festival

just to celebrate it.

I've come to find
out how they make it

down here at the harbor.

Like Livorno, itself,
Cacciucco has influences

from far and wide with a name

supposedly having come from
a Turkish word Cacciuc,

which means small.

A reference to the
scraps of fish.

originally used
to make this dish.

I'm meeting Alberto at
his family's restaurant,

La Persiana,

where Cacciucco takes pride
of place on their menu.

- Buongiorno Alberto!

- Welcome to La Persiana.

- Oh, I'm so glad to be here.

It's a beautiful restaurant,

what was it?

- [Alberto] It was
a fisherman's store.

- A fisherman's store?

So what will they store their
boats and the fish in here?

- [Alberto] Yeah, inside,
yeah, yeah. Go inside, please.

- [Nisha] Amazing.

This is the perfect setting
to discover more about

Cacciucco, which I've heard

must have at least five
types of fish in it.

One for every C in its name.

In the kitchen head Chef
Debra is hard at work,

prepping the dish along
with sous chef Davide.

- Buongiorno!

- Buongiorno!

- [Nisha] The first
thing to catch my eyes,

is that beautiful octopus.

So all Cacciucco has
polpo, has octopus in it?

- [Davide] Yeah, yeah.

- [Nisha] A truly
beautiful thing, wow.

I want to know
what other seafood

make up the famous
Cacciucco five.

- [Davide] There
is a local legend.

- It's part of the legend?

The fish?

The squid?

- [Davide] Polpo.

- Octopus.

The mussels?

And the (indistinct)
which is prawns?

This is the important
five fish, yeah?

Those are the historical
ancient ingredients.

Fantastic.

As octopus needs, plenty of
cooking to become tender.

I'm not surprised to see
it's the first of the seafood

to go into the pot,

along with some gorgeous
aromatic flavors.

(speaking in Italian)

I love the idea of using
sage in a fish stew.

It smells amazing.

How old is this dish?

- I think about 400 years.

- About 400 years? Incredible.

It must be good if
it's lasted this long.

What is the history
of Cacciucco?

- Cacciucco was made
with leftover fish,

and so the poor guys, the
poor fisherman of Livorno

try to make this
one for, for eat.

- This is that kind of peasant
cooking that poor cooking,

that's one of the most
delicious dishes, huh?

- Yeah, now it's not a poor
dish, but it's a it's made with

good fish.

- Have you altered the
recipe or do you stick to the

traditional recipe?

- We do the traditional
recipe, but we add some

particular skills.

- Tell me, can you
tell me any of them?

- Nope.

- [Nisha] No! Really?
- I have to kill you.

- [Nisha] Do you know really?

Only in Italy would a fish stew

be a matter of life and death.

It's going pink, it's
going red, and beautiful.

After about 45 minutes,

the octopus is
tender and it's time

for seafood number two to go in.

The squid.

(speaking Italian)

Such brilliant textures,
those aren't they?

Is this a dish that you
grew up with in your house?

- Yeah.

- So it's not just
a restaurant dish?

This is a home style dish?

Time for the wine, huh?

A full bottle?

- [Alberto] Yeah, a full bottle.

- This dish just
keeps getting better.

There is a festival,
a Cacciucco festival.

- Many people. come
from all of Tuscany,

all of Italy to eat Cacciucco.

She made 200 Cacciucco.

- Whoa, no way!

200?!

Wow, my goodness, incredible.

People love it so much.

So what makes the sauce
of the Cacciucco so rich?

- So really strong,
good, strong tomato.

And here it is now in
the form of passata

made of blended tomatoes
and tomato concentrate,

which is added to the
octopus and the squid.

And in with the puree?

Once the tomato has
cooked out a little,

the gradual building
of this dish continues

with seafood number three,
gorgeous pieces of Dogfish.

While I relax by the harbor,

chef Debra makes the
finishing touches to the dish.

Beautiful cicale prawns
and mussels make up

seafoods four and five.

And it seems you don't
have to stop there

with a whole gurnard
topping it off.

Such a fascinating long
and complicated cook

because you've got that octopus

cooking for a long time
and the squid goes in

and there's a
definite chronology.

Wow!

That's incredible!

Thank you so much,
looking forward to it.

Thank you.

It's really delicious.

You know just calling
it a fish stew

with the tomato sauce,
belies how complicated it is.

I love the different textures.

The Palumbo is a
very meaty fish.

It's almost like
monkfish in a way.

And then we've got the
cingale look, you know,

the prawns that
are in the shell,

and I'm really digging
in with my fingers here,

it's really encouraging
that they brought me

a wet wipe and a bowl,

because I intend to get sort
of elbow deep into this dish.

That's incredible,
this is a dish

that's about 400 years old.

That was born from
that peasant cuisine.

And it turns out there's nothing

peasant-like about it at all.

It's rather grand.

I can't wait to see what else

this fascinating
port has in store.

(guitar music)

Whenever I travel in Italy,

I try and find what is the most

beloved street food in an area,

and here in Livorno it is
something called cinque cinque,

and the best place to get it

is this, doesn't
even have a sign,

it's behind this kind of
holy of holies curtains.

And I'm going to
go in and try it.

And Tika Tortilleria
Gabarain has been serving up

this Livorno
favorite since 1959.

- Buongiorno!

- Buongiorno! Cinque cinque!

- Cinque cinque!

- Amazing.

(indistinct)

Which is better?

Que buena?

Grazi!

What is cinque cinque?

- Once upon a time,
the 5 cents of bread.

- [Nisha] 5 cents to the bread.

- And inside five
cents chickpeas cake.

- So it was 5 cents
for the chickpea cake,

5 cents for the bread,

so cinque cinque.

- Five and five, cinque cinque.

- And that's where it came from.

These days, cinque cinque
costs a little more,

but at just two euros 50,

it's easy to see why
it's still so popular.

This chickpea cake is
very common in port towns

all along the Ligurian coast.

The Livonese special twist
is to pair it with grilled

aubergine marinaded in
chili, garlic, and olive oil.

This is so popular here, huh?

- [Man Behind Counter]
The most popular!

- Most popular, big queues.

Wow, lots of flavor, huh?

Lovely!

Oh, it smells amazing.

Grazi mille!

Thank you! Si, ciao, ciao!

- Ciao, ciao!

- This is hot in my hands.

And look at the queue that's
forming for this cinque cinque.

And what it is, is this
French bread, chickpea cake

that is warm and oozy

and gorgeous marinaded
aubergine with garlic,

which is just a fantastic
trinity of flavors.

Okay.

Mmm.

That combination of
flavors is so comforting.

And zingy, it's got
a real kick to it.

Totally understand
that queue now.

What's becoming clear to me as
I eat my way around Livorno,

is that being a port has
shaped the whole identity

of this town.

And all the people
passing through

have left their mark,
not just on the food,

but on the drinks as well.

I've been told I can't leave
Livorno without trying this

legendary drink called ponce.

And what really intrigued
me is apparently it's got

British roots.

Bar Civili is the
original ponce bar

and a local institution
that's been serving

this little tipple since 1890.

Buonasera!

- Buonasera.

- I hear this is
the place for ponce,

ponce, thank you.

The name already gives me
a clue as to its origins,

as ponce translates to punch,

a drink first popularized in
Europe by British sailors.

(speaking Italian)

- Rum?

And this is typical ponce.

- Typical, ponce Livornese.

Sugar.

- [Nisha] Sugar.

- Si scalda.

- Hot water?

- Un coffee

- And coffee.

And that's it?

- Si, si.

So Livornese.

- [Nisha] Only
Livorno, incredible.

(speaking Italian)

- [Nisha] Yeah.

- [Nisha] Oh, incredible.

It's a beautiful story.

And I tell you, it's
not just the legend

that keeps it alive.

It's the flavor tastes
amazing, beautiful.

- Grazi, grazi

- [Nisha] Bellisimo.

- [Nisha] As you can see,

this would be easy
to recreate at home

in place of espresso, any
strong coffee would do.

Salute! Salute!

A Livorno!

A Livorno, grazi.

- Wonderful.

Ah, this is lemon.

- [Man Behind Bar] Lemon.
- A bit of lemon zest as well?

(speaking Italian)

- It really wakes the drink up.

It gives it a freshness, huh?

(speaking Italian)

- They leave it sticking up

to tell you it's
been disinfected,

and it would stand
there like a sail.

Mmm.

It's not so strong,
it's quite a strong.

(laughs)

It's quite strong, yeah.

Livorno certainly,
hasn't be short

of delicious things
for me to try.

But after that ponce,

I think I'll need one
more dish to soak it up.

Before I create a Livornese
inspired feast of my own.

I'm in the bustling
port town of Livorno

and while it's lesser
known to tourists,

I'm certainly loving
exploring this hidden gem.

The influence of the
sea is woven into

the very fabric of this city

from the incredible array
of fresh seafood that

fills their historical dishes

to the influences
that you can find

of merchants and
sailors across the city.

Already today,

I've had a stew packed with
a cornucopia of seafood

and with a name
derived from Turkish,

a snack filled with
gorgeous Tuscan aubergine,

and of course, a heady
mix of rum and coffee

inspired by the British.

But before I make my own dish

filled with the
riches of Livorno,

I'm told there's one more
seafood dish I have to try.

And these gorgeous
hearty mussels

cooked in a rich tomato sauce
of what I'm here to eat,

but there's more to
these than meets the eye.

As if I haven't eaten
enough in Livorno,

I've been tempted into here by

another traditional
seafood recipe.

Thankfully, Gianni's
family have been making

this Livorno classic
for generations.

Thank you.

Tell me about
this, what is this?

- The famous stuff in mussels.

It's one of the most important
typical dish in Livorno.

- And what is it stuffed with?

- We use mussels,
ricotta cheese,

and beef, round beef.

- And beef! So beef
cheese and the muscles.

- Yup.

- I've never had
anything like that.

- Only Livorno.

Because in Livorno
different history,

it's an important port,

and Livorno people love
to mix seafood and land.

It's easy to family to,

oh this lady prepared this dish,

because the man go on the sea,

seaside catch the mussels, free.

- Free food.

- Yeah, free food.

- And is this your recipe?

- My mother, the chef,
made these stuffed mussels

like grandmother,
grand grandmother,
and grand grandmother.

- Oh my gosh. Thank you so much.

Along with the beef and ricotta,

the muscles are stuffed with
a mixture of breadcrumbs,

garlic and parsley, and then
cooked in a tomato sauce.

That is beautiful.

What's so incredible is

that it's stuffed
with cheese and meat.

I've had stuffed mussels
with breadcrumbs and herbs.

Those are traditional and safe,

but this is such a gamble.

It works so beautifully.

There's no wonder this recipe
stood the test of time.

I've never had anything like
it, it's really fabulous.

This dish is only
available in Livorno

it's very typical of Livorno.

How incredible to put such

a fantastic city on the
food map in this way.

It's well worth getting
here, just to try this.

Having now had mussels twice

during my short trip to Livorno.

It's clear that they will have

to make an appearance
in my recipe later.

So with those on
my shopping list,

I'm off to see what
other ingredients

the markets of
Livorno have to offer.

This is one of the largest
covered markets in Europe.

And it's what makes
Livorno such a wonderful

foodie destination.

It's full of fresh
local produce.

And I know I'm
getting inspiration

for my fish stew from
here, cannot wait.

The incredible food
I've eaten in Livorno,

makes it very clear that
glorious, fresh seafood

is at the heart of this
port city's cuisine.

I absolutely love the
bountiful fish markets

that Italy has to offer.

And Livorno's is up there
with the best of them.

For me, it's so evocative.

I used to come to markets
like this with my grandmother

at five in the morning.

Tuna, red mullets, breen.

You can see how fresh they are
by how clear their eyes are.

If you look at the gills
and if they're red,

it means it's good fish.

I could spend all
day in this market,

but it's time for me
to decide what seafood

I need for my Livorno
inspired fish stew.

I've spotted some
mackerel I want.

- Buongiorno.

- Buongiorno.

(speaking Italian)

- I'm just gonna ask
him to remove the head,

it's really important
that the bones stay in,

I don't buy for little fish.

So much flavor comes from the
bones, keeping the tails on.

Grazi mille.

Mucho grazi.

Thank you, bellisimo, thank you.

All I need now are
some shellfish,

and there's plenty
to choose from.

(speaking Italian)

I just bought some
little tiny clams

and I bought some
of the mussels.

You get the best flavor
out of the shells

out of the bones as the
tails out of the heads,

whether you like it or not.

So the more hardware
there is in this stew,

the better for the flavor.

Grazi mille.

- Thank you.

- [Nisha] There's nothing
quite like buying wonderful,

fresh ingredients and
turning them straight

into something delicious.

So I'm off to my outdoor
kitchen to do just that.

I found a spot in a
beautiful olive grove,

just outside the city
for my celebration

of the seafood of Livorno.

But in place of the
Livornese beloved tomato,

I'm going for a lighter and
more fruity note with grapes.

Goodness, I've had
some incredible food

in Livorno and I thought
about tackling that Cacciucco,

but it feels almost
blasphemous to do that.

So I'm going to show you
a really simple fish stew.

I'm going to put
my own twist on it,

but use those
gorgeous ingredients

that I bought at the market.

So we start by really
getting into Italy,

which is an extra
virgin olive oil start.

And let's be generous here,

because I'm going
to perfume that

with a number of ingredients.

Into that a little
bit of garlic,

because you want
to give this stew

a really good flavor,
some backbone.

This stage of the stew

is all about creating
a real depth of flavor,

sliced onion and fennel
work a treat with fish.

And now, just because I love
them, they look gorgeous,

I'm going to put a few
chopped green beans in.

Inspired by chef Debra,

I decided to add sage
to my own fish stew.

Sage is a real Livornese
ingredient that works so well.

And I just got this
from the garden here.

As it hits the oil,
it starts to release

its sage oils into it and
perfumes the whole thing.

Let's peck this up with one

of these fantastic
Tuscan lemons.

Shaving in the rind will release

all the fantastic aromatic
oils from the skin.

And already those
smells are incredible.

Now for my fruity twist.

It's very often with these
light stews and casseroles,

I love adding fruit to them.

And I saw these fantastic
grapes in the markets,

and I couldn't resist them.

Though, you might think
grapes are a weird thing

to put in a fish stew,
but they go so well

because what will happen
is as we cook these,

these will fill with
the juices from the fish

and the white wine,

and they become their own
little pockets of joy.

Time for the real star
of the show, the seafood.

So these are the cicale that
I bought from the market

that are these
beloved Italian prawn.

And they're just
going to go in whole,

heads, tails, shells.

So in they go.

The great thing
about this fish stew,

is you really can use
whatever seafood you like.

Shalane prawns would
be a great substitute

for the cicale.

Next, I'm going to go in
with a little baby squid.

Those delicate baby squid
won't need much cooking at all.

Just enough time to
prepare my mackerel.

Right, now, let's get
something of substance in.

I'm just going to cut those into

sort of two-three inch pieces,

right through the
bone and pop those in.

I love using mackerel, it's
one of my favorite fish,

really flavorful and
really good for you.

And of course I couldn't
make a Livornese inspired,

fish stew without a
good glug of wine,

which really brings
this dish together.

So what I'm going to do

is I'm just going to
let that poach away.

This is so simple, honestly.

After a few minutes
of gentle cooking,

the delicate mussels
and clams go in

to finish off my
symphony of seafood.

I'm going to put
the lid on that,

and let that all steam
and poach together.

Once the clams and
mussels pop open,

the dish is ready and
for a final flourish,

garnish of local rocket.

We've got a few ribbons

just to give it
that peppery note

and that lovely green edge.

Alright, let's just taste this.

Perfecto, fantastic.

This fruity fish stew,

has an incredible depth
of seafood flavor,

balanced by the sweetness

of those wonderful grapes,
light and fragrant.

Delicious.

I've had an incredible time
here by the sea in Livorno.

With this unique melting
pot of nautical history,

beautiful seafood, and the
bounty of the Tuscan landscape,

which has created unique
and historical dishes

from the seafood feast
that is Cacciucco,

to the powerful hit of ponce.

And of course those
inspiring stuffed mussels.

A hidden gem on the Tuscan
coast, not to be missed.

Really fabulous.

(Italian music)