As you all have seen, Italian food here has been amazing...we've eaten a large variety of regional foods with different families. But we don't eat with a family every night, so I've had the opportunity to cook a little at our flat.
The pastor's wife here, Cristina, has taken me to several different shops each week. Here's a sampling of my selections on a normal trip.
Croissants €1
scamorza cheese €2.5
prosciutto €1.4
fresh mozzarella €1.5
fresh pasta €2
fresh ravioli €2
can of tomatoes €.7
eggs €1.5
nectarines €1.75
peppers €1.5
bananas €.45
avocado €.5
lettuce €1
Total €18.80
Italian grocery stores look pretty similar to the US. But what I love about shopping in Italy is that even the chain grocery stores have really great delis and bakeries...the best! So you can be confident buying meats, cheeses and breads. Also, the eggs are all fresh and local. My parents' have egg-laying chickens, and these eggs looked just like them -- chicken crap covered, none the same shape or size.
I tried to get produce more from the market than the grocery store, but we weren't around on the first two Tuesdays - which is the only day its open.
There was a local bakery, about a 3 minute walk from our flat, so some days I would walk over there in the morning and make a few selections for the next few days. Usually two normal sized loaves or rolls would cost € .75
For milk, we went to a local latteria (latte = milk) and purchased fresh, local milk in refillable liter bottles. It was so strong and rich. YUM. €1
In all, we spent about €20 ($30 or so) a week on groceries for breakfast, lunch and about 2 dinners.
2 comments:
You have no idea how much I'm enjoying your posts! Thank you so much for showing us what it's like. You're doing exactly what I hope to do when we're out there, so I hope you won't get tired when I post pretty much the same thing!
YUM!!!! i'm craving some fresh mozzarella. delicious! we just moved back to the states from ukraine (not quite the same as where you are) but i do miss the pureness of the food - buying ingredients rather than pre-cooked meals that are chock full of preservatives.
what a great adventure! i look forward to reading more:)
Post a Comment