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Brunch Italian Style
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| Brunch is an English word resulting from the combination of breakfast and lunch, and is the typically-American Sunday morning breakfast; but recent years have seen it beginning to take hold in Italy too. Generally served between 11 and 15, it is larger than a normal breakfast and combines both sweet and savoury; perfect for those who like to sleep in on Sundays without foregoing the pleasures of a meal that carries them through to the evening. |
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American brunch includes muffins, cheesecakes and bacon with eggs, orange juice, tea, coffee, milk, cereals and plenty of fruit. Italian style brunch, on the other hand, particularly of the home-grown variety, focuses more on homemade cakes and savoury tarts. It can therefore include all kinds of biscuits, apple strudel, fruit tart and doughnuts, sponge cake, plain or filled cornetti, cheese focaccia bread, cheese and vegetable tarts and asparagus omelette. Not to mention butter, yogurt, honey, muesli, jams, crackers, fruit juice and fruit salad.
Drinks should include milk, tea, American coffee (instant) and cocoa. The great thing about brunch is being able to have a large meal without having to worry about the order of the courses. Dishes are chosen according to taste, alternating savoury and sweet. To give your brunch a more American feel, try making room for plenty of eggs, whether boiled, fried, scrambled with or without bacon.
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The brunch ritual is increasingly popular in Italy, above all in the north. There are more and more venues that propose this American-style breakfast on a Sunday morning, which is often revised and corrected to bring it in line with Italian tradition.
In Milan, of the many venues that offer it, we recommend trying brunch at the Cantina della Vetra restaurant which offers a more traditional menu with first and second courses (via Pio IV, tel. 02.89403843, 35 Euros) and that of the bar Le Biciclette which is more typically American, with eggs as the centre piece (via Torti, tel. 02.8394177; 25 Euros).
In Bologna, too, it is increasingly easy to find venues serving brunch from 11 to 4pm. At the Bravo Caffè (Via Mascarella, tel. 051.266112, 25 Euros) brunch is served from 1pm to 4 pm. Diners are greeted by a table laden with delicacies, both sweet and savoury: yogurt, cornetti, rice salad, chicken curry, strudel and cornflakes. The Poco Loco (Via Mezzofanti, tel. 051.392002, 30 Euros) has opted for Italian-style brunch. On entering is a buffet groaning with meat, fish and deli meats. Pasta is present and changes its guise each week along with the homemade desserts, of which the coffee mousse and tiramisu are particularly worthy of note.
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