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Vegetarian italia With abundant fresh produce and a passionate culinary history, Italy would seem a natural choice for those of the vegetarian persuasion. Thanks to a handful of pioneering establishments, vegetarianism is going gourmet in the land of and , offering a kinder, gentler, more environmentally friendly diet WORDS jessica Gliddon

The Montali Country House lies love for the freshness of its produce. This nestled in the plump heart of Italy’s Umbrian passion has given rise to groups like the countryside, flanked by rolling hills laden with organic and sustainable Slow movement trees. From the sun-dappled stone porch, – increasing interest in the vegetarian diet for birdsong echoes through the trees. On a distant its kinder environmental impact. According hill, a ruined stone castle stands between the to Italian non-profit think tank Eurispes, ten olive groves. The scene could hardly be more percent of Italians are vegetarian, making Italy quaint, hardly more Italian and hardly a better one of the most vegetarian-friendly countries setting for a gourmet country . in . Despite that, it is still a minority At this small hotel just outside Perugia, it’s all culinary pastime. about what grows in these hills. Wild animals “Italians are too traditional and run free without fear, safe from the prospect of conservative,” begins Alberto Musacchio, the becoming traditional Umbrian . This owner of Montali. “Thirty years ago everyone is because Montali is not only a guesthouse, said I was ten years ahead of my time. Things but also one of Italy’s first and most important haven’t changed. The majority of our guests vegetarian establishments. are English, Dutch and American. Half our Mushroom ; penne arrabiata; guests are vegetarian. Many people are Italy’s culinary pomodoro – Italian has scared to eat vegetarian, but they love the heritage always had a large range of vegetarian dishes. food when they try it. If you’re vegetarian in Italy’s culinary heritage involves a passionate Italy you will eat a lot of carbohydrates. The involves a secondo is always ; but still Italy is easier passionate than or France.” The climate that has made Italy vegetarian- love for the friendly has less to do with ethics than the freshness of historic economic and physical setting of the country – Italy was very poor in the past. Rich its produce soils and a have

october 2011 53 gourmet Italian Vegetarianism

Leeman’s sophisticated Milan eatery Joia was the first vegetarian establishment in Europe to please the dignified French guide, earning its first star in 1996. The restaurant’s Previous PAGE: Swiss-born founder and is an adamant The Umbrian countryside; tasty believer in bringing vegetarianism into the vegetarianism; the gourmet world. “Vegetarianism is the future,” Montali restaurant THIS PAGE: he says. “In Italy, everybody is going towards a Joia serves up more natural cuisine. Even if they eat a little bit excellent vegetarian fare; Alberto of meat, they are eating more and Musacchio and his : the diet is changing.” wife Malu Leeman’s own personal reasons for going veggie include health, ethics and “If we want to use less energy environmentalism. “Vegetarian food is more healthy,” he says. “Most importantly, I don’t we must be vegetarian, if we like to kill animals and I don’t agree with keeping animals to kill them. Here in Europe want to respect the planet we we have many places where we have an incredible amount of animals forced together. must be vegetarian.” They live a sad life. is also better for the planet because you need less always meant vegetables were plentiful and laughs. “Our cuisine is vegetarian to a higher food to nourish more people and also the style cheap, while meat was more precious. “If you standard. It is made of growing vegetables is not such a problem think of farm life, raising an animal is not easy,” vegetarian, with a typical Italian approach. for pollution. If we want to use less energy we Alberto explains. “Animals are big things to kill. A lot of vegetarian serve one big must be vegetarian, if we want to respect the Also Italy is a hot country and it’s not easy to main dish: this is what I call fusion confusion. planet we must be vegetarian.” preserve the meat. So people were inspired to I prefer to have small courses, as in traditional Interestingly, both Joia and Montali have cook more vegetables.” Italian food. You need to have three to four top been influenced by – in fact neither of Alberto, who is vegetarian for ethical quality ingredients and keep the identity of the their chefs are even Italian, with Leeman being reasons, started the Montali Hotel 25 years food. If you have truffle, you need to taste it.” Swiss and Malu being Brazilian. Montali’s first ago with his Brazilian wife Malu out of a shared Strangely enough, vegetarian preparation chef was Japanese, and Alberto has spent passion for vegetarian cuisine and a secluded is actually more time consuming than the much time in and Vietnam – similarly, life. They bought a ruined stone house in the meat variety. “Why don’t more people serve Leeman has spent much time travelling around rambling Umbrian countryside that had been vegetarian food? It’s hard work,” says Alberto. the vegetarian-friendly continent. “In Asia the abandoned for fourteen years, and used “We have four chefs, they start at 7.30 in the people live in a natural way,” says Leeman. Malu’s knowledge as a restorative architect to morning. It’s time consuming – it requires “There I understood vegetarian cuisine was fix it up. “The location was fabulous, but it was more preparation, peeling and chopping the my life and I became definitely a vegetarian. a jungle,” he says. “Now we’ve had it for more vegetables. With meat, you can just stick it in Also I studied their style of . than twenty years.” the oven. Many restaurants don’t use fresh My cuisine is a European Italian style, but I Malu is Montali’s chef, responsible for such vegetables. We are one of the few places also use and .” gastronomic creations as the sweet and tangy to use fresh ; most restaurants use Alberto makes no attempts to indoctrinate crudite di pere e melone, a pear and melon frozen. Everything in our restaurant is fresh anyone into his eating lifestyle, but he says with Italy’s exclusive Castelmagno and homemade.” that if there is a way to convert people it is , glazed with a balsamic and To cook vegetarian in a gourmet fashion not through words, but through food. Leeman . There is a divine truffle and sundried is one thing: to receive acknowledgement agrees. “To convince the people to eat less starter, and an array of interpretations from the gourmet institution of Michelin is meat, it must be very tasty,” he says. “We of perfectly executed pasta dishes. quite another. While Alberto is dismissive of work a lot on the quality of ingredients but also “There are a lot of preconceptions about approval from Michelin, Italian vegetarian the transformation of ingredients. Normally vegetarians; they expect us to be hippies gourmet restaurateur Pietro Leeman is proud vegetarian restaurants are healthy but not with long hair feeding on pulses and ,” of his star. “To get a star in vegetarian cuisine tasty. Joia is both. The style of my cuisine is

says Alberto. Montali strives to show the is more difficult,” he says. “All the gourmet Italian in taste, and an expression of my ideas. & S hutterstock.com M ontali H ouse ountry chic side of vegetarianism. “I call our cuisine tradition is based on meat, so it is difficult to I want to make people feel better, not only in he C ‘sexy vegetarian’. A few years ago a German feel the quality with vegetarian cuisine. But body, but for the mind and the spirit. This is in publication misinterpreted that and wrote Michelin is changing because people are some way the feel of . We give good energy to the cooking.” that I was ‘Alberto: the sexy vegetarian’,” he changing. We hope to get another star.” T I mages:

54 october 2011