Some trends are almost impossible to miss. But here is one we didn’t see coming — Italian cuisine. George Bernard Shaw once said, “There is no love sincerer than the love for food.” And no country testifies this more than Italy. India’s Italian connection doesn’t just end with Sonia Gandhi. Italian food is now the rage in Kochi. With more people travelling abroad and becoming more adventurous with respect to exploring new cuisine, and the rise in disposable income, Italian food has carved a niche for itself in the hearts and stomachs of Keralites. Italian ingredients like balsamic vinegar and pasta crowd many a Kochi kitchen shelf now. With books like ‘Italian Khana’ by Ritu Dalmiya easily available at stores, it is simpler to make yummy Italian food at home. Kochi has been seeing a boom in the number of Italian joints for the past two years, which makes people familiar with the vast variety of Italian dishes. Benedict P J, manager, Pizza Hut, Gold Souk, says, “Italian pizzas and pastas are among the most popular dishes. Pan pizza is now the hot favourite of youngsters.”There is Napoli pizza, Pompeii pizza, Quattro stagioni and Margarita pizza (with just cheese and sauce on it) that Kochi folks are delving into. It’s not just pizzas that stand out among Italian dishes. Pastas like spaghetti, macaroni, ravioli, penne, cannaloni and lasagna sheets are popular, too. Another reason why people prefer Italian food is its wide range of vegetarian options, thanks to the many meatless fasts of the Catholic church.Italy is also well-known for its coffee, which is arguably the best in the world. ‘Cafe @ Cochin’ at Panampilly Nagar offers the best of Italian coffee. Lavazza, the essence that adds taste to their coffee, is imported from Italy. “We have a whole range of pastas and pizzas as well. Our cakes are also in demand. We mostly see the college-going crowd here. Our ambience is that of a lounge where they can hang out with friends,” says Anthony Sebastian, owner the food joint. If it’s Italian desserts that you want, turn to Itty’s, Panampilly Nagar. A beautifully constructed bamboo structure which sways gently as you walk, Itty’s offers Italian ice-cream, better known as gelato, which is lower in fat-content than the usual ice-cream. Be sure to try out tiramisu cakes (‘Tiramisu’ means ‘pick me up’ in Italian). A layered combination of coffee, zabagilone cream and chocolate, this one is something the sweet toothed will not give a miss.Besides these outlets, there is quite a wide variety of restaurants to choose from. ‘14 Avenue’ in Panampilly Nagar offers a full range of Italian dishes. Another preferred destination is ‘24 Carat’ at Gold Souk. ‘Four Seasons’ at Fort Kochi and ‘Cornucopia’ near Ravipuram are also favourite Italian haunts. Of course, international pizzerias ‘Pizza Hut’ and ‘Dominos’ are great alternatives, too.A reason for the growing popularity of Italian food could be its similarity with the Indian cuisine. If you haven’t yet tried Italian food, now is the time to start, what with the number of options available. After all, as the age-old Spanish proverb goes, the belly rules the mind!
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