secrets of the italian table: sunday lunch

Sunday lunch is a sacred institution in southern Italy and, unless you're anywhere else in the world, by 1:30 on Sunday afternoon you'll almost always be sitting down to eat at your parents', in-laws' or grandparents' house. On Sunday the main strolling street Corso Vittorio Emanuele is blocked off, and families do exactly that. Stroll. They look at each other's outfits, the kids run around, friends meet. Someone offers you a coffee at the bar and lots of pairs of heels click down the street.

[Sunday lunch with friends]

One very important element of Sunday lunch are pasticcini, individual desserts from local bakeries that are all wrapped up in paper and tied with a ribbon. Wherever you spend Sunday lunch, it's customary and good manners to bring a little tray of pasticcini. I especially love the mini cannoli, cream-filled fruit tarts and chocolate puffs!

 [Sunday lunch with my uncles in Urbino]

[Sunday lunch in Castel del Monte for Easter]

Sitting down to Sunday lunch here in Puglia, your menu may be entirely of fish; linguine with clams or a mix of shellfish, baked fish in the oven, grilled octopus, roasted prawns or steamed mussels. Or sometimes it's meat based; orecchiette with a meaty ragu, rolls of thin-sliced veal cooked in sauce, with, of course, various side dishes like roasted potatoes, salad and sliced tomato with fresh basil.

[Sunday lunch, where the boys eat and the girls clean]

Maybe your family loves cheese, so then your second course would be cutting boards filled with all different kinds, and jams or honey to spoon on top.

[a big Sunday lunch in the country]

After that there's usually the frutta secca, or nuts course. Chestnuts (if it's wintertime) walnuts, pistachios and almonds are spread on the table and everyone gets their own cracker to open them up. Then the fruit course, and the beloved pasticcini. Are you full yet?

[Sunday lunch at Barbara's house]

Buon appetito e buona domenica! Enjoy your meal and happy Sunday!