I look at my
plate and don't know where to start. There's a stem of the sweetest vine
tomatoes and hearts of the crispest of chicory from the fertile slopes of Mount Vesuvius. Then, beckoning from the other end of the
plate, is a generous mound of barrata,
a kind of unset buffalo mozzarella creamy, delicate and a complete
revelation.
Vying for my
attention is more buffalo mozzarella, a slab of it smoked, some slices of meaty
salami from Sorrento
and, if all that isn't enough, a pile of tasty anchovies. This plate, laid
before me at Bacco Italia, a small restaurant in Glasgow's leafy Shawlands suburb, is an epicurean journey of enormous
proportions.
"We try to
get the best of everything," says chef and restaurateur Pepe Staiano. Pepe
speaks in a bizarre mix of Italian and Glaswegian accents - it's a struggle
to understand him. "I only arrived here six years ago," he says, as a
plate of grilled sea bass is placed in front of me, "but I have always
felt very much at home in Glasgow."
Pepe is not the only Italian
to say as much about Scotland's
famous city. It could even be suggested that England's new football coach, Fabio
Capello, took the wrong job don't forget that the Scottish national
football team is still in the market for a new manager. What is certain is that
from footballer Lou Macari to the sculptor Eduardo Paolozzi via This Life actor
Daniela Nardini and CART racing champion, Dario Franchitti, the Scots Italians have had a huge impact on
both Scotland and the UK.
"The first
wave of Italians arrived in the late 19th century from a small town in northern
Tuscany
called Barga," says Ale Nardini,
cousin to Daniela and creator of scotsitalian.com, a website dedicated to all
things "Tally" a once
pejorative Scottish colloquialism to describe an Italian that has passed into
common usage. "It does feel that there's some kind of special connection
between the Scots and Italians," he says.
We have met at
the Glasgow Central railway station cafi, Franco's,
which is a sea of
Azzurri
football flags and scarves, a living homage to football's world champions.
Franco's does a fine cappuccino but then food and drink has always been the
Scottish Italians' forte. "The Italians were very poor when they
arrived," says Ale, "but they worked hard... Many of the original
fish and chip shops and cafes in Glasgow
were Italian owned and run."
After a short
stroll around Glasgow, Ale deposits me outside Sarti, one of Glasgow's
legendary Italian eateries. "The family started out as wholesale suppliers
to the Italian community," says co-owner Sandro Sarti, as a plate of succulent charcuterie arrives.
"The family used to cycle around the back streets of Glasgow with big cans of olive oil, refilling
people's bottles," says his brother and co-owner Piero.
Whatever the brothers' forebears did, it has certainly reaped dividends. The
spread of Parma,
pancetta, salami, pastrami and mortadella grabs our
attention and the conversation dwindles to satisfied grunts. "We then set
up a deli and then got into the restaurant business almost by accident,"
says Sandro.
But things
weren't always so sweet for the Scots Italians. "When the Second World War
broke out about 1,000 Italians were interned," says Scots Italian
historian and writer, Joe Pieiri. At 89, a resident
in Scotland
since 1919, Joe has pretty much seen it all. "I was interned in Canada,"
he says. "The community suffered badly but we were soon accepted back into
the fold when the war ended." Joe's family ran the famous Savoy Cafi in central Glasgow
until it was demolished in the 1970s. "Those were pretty wild times and we
would suffer a fair amount of racism. We had to fight to gain respect."
That evening as though I needed to eat any more I head for probably the best-known and
longest established Italian restaurant in Glasgow, L'Ariosto.
It is also one of the friendliest. I settle into one of the booths and devour a
hearty plate of Tuscan sausage and spaghetti. "L'Ariosto
has been open about 40 years," says owner and chef, Giovanni Cecchetti over an after-dinner espresso. "I would say
nearly all the Italian places in Glasgow
are hands-on, family-run businesses. It makes it all bit special in these days
of chain restaurants," he says.
He's right. But,
more than anything, while the welcome is faultless the food is superlative.
Just try the Vesuvian tomatoes.
MORE
INFORMATION
For more
information on Glasgow,
its food and winter accommodation deals contact Visit Scotland
(visitscotland.com and eatscotland.com).
Sarti, 133 Wellington Street (0141-248 2228;
sarti.co.uk), 121 Bath Street
(0141-204 0440), and 42 Renfield Street (0141-572
7000).
Bacco Italia, 67-69 Kilmarnock Road,
Shawlands (0845 226 7031).
L'Ariosto, 92-94 Mitchell Street (0141-221 0971; ariosto.com).