lindaf

Thanks I haven't made them yet (my 2 jars of mincemeat are coming tomorrow), but it'll be nice to offer my neighbours something different and something that hopefully they'll like.

Lorna at Vicenza

Explain that it's something we traditonally eat at Christmas. Tell them they are nice warmed up in the oven or with a bit of cream or vanilla ice cream.
I made some once and the Italians preferred them with cream ........ but maybe they just didn't like my pastry too much

Gio

Spelt flour is a flour made from an ancient, revived grain, I use it to make bread with.

indiebird

yeah me too. You can buy it a lot here so must be a popular bread ingredient. One of the things that I like about living here is that I can get fresh yeast really easily. Either at the supermarket or my local breadshop sells it too.... much better than those sachets of dried that you get in the UK now...

Gio

I still make me own bread, and have seen the Spelt flour too. It makes a cracking loaf...I use the fresh yeast and it really is bloody good stuff.

indiebird

I've brought some rye flour... thought I might trey my hand at me own sourdough...

indiebird

Salve? What does it actually mean and how polite/ inpolite is it and does it depend whereabouts in Italy you are? I've always been led to believe here that it is a bit like saying 'hello' in English so good for situations when you're not sure whether you should be formal or informal, but I do know the Southerners don't like it here as they see it as a bit snotty and aloof. However I've also been informed that it can be viewed differently in different places. Anyone got any thoughts?

Gio

Have you given it a go yet Indie...

Gio

Just a thought...as Italians so love Nutella on everything have you tried adding it to the mincemeat before you make the pies......

indiebird

yes, and it was okay but not like the sourdough I've brought in the UK... I don't think the rye flour I brought is the really dark one that makes the kind of bread like pumpernickel and maybe that's what's needed (?) It was nicer than normal white bread though, had a nice acidy tang to it which is what I love and no actual yeast was used!! Got some more starter in the fridge for when i want to give it another go...

Lorna at Vicenza

I think you have pretty much worked it out anyway Indie.

Salve is a general 'hello'. It's only impolite if you use it in a snarling way to somebody and make it sound as if you're doing them a favour by even recognising the fact that they exist.

Giving somebody salve when you have always used ciao in the past wouldn't be very nice either. It would be like going from a very smiley hi to a grunting "oh ello"

Nothing wrong at all with walking into a place, company, factory, office etc and saying salve to the person on the front desk that you have never seen before.

If in doubt it's probably easier just to stick to "buon giorno" and never run the risk of offending anybody. Nobody can take offense at that..

indiebird

Thanks Lorna, not sure if it's just me or do other peeps have problems with knowing which to use in what situation. I often forget to use the formal forms of speech in general as we don;t have that distinction in the UK but I defo have a problem with greetings. Not so bad in shops or with peeps that are friends but what about mums outside the school gates? There are people I know quite well and see everyday but we still use buon giorno, however there are others that go straight onto ciao and I tend to follow what others do first. Also I've noticed a growing number of shops that use ciao straightaway even when they don't know me.

37100

Apart from the obvious 'see what they say first' Salve is fine at the school gates and as a reply to a buongiorno from another mum. Your right, ciao is becoming more common in shops, but believe me, it doesn't go down to well round you're way with some people.

indiebird

Maybe it's cos I look so young that they still use ciao

Buon di is quite popular here too!

37100

See, you always make me smile. Bondì, is piemontese. No doubt they use it elsewhere though not here in vr.

And, just for the record. I get a ciao too.