So where do I begin with this one. Well to start off there is no better food on this planet than Italian food. Other than the amazing meals my host family makes me, there are so many great food options to choose from. Of course you have the the pizza, pasta, cheese and prosciutto which Italy is famous for but you also have other options that you can try out like Italian hot cocoa, which comes in so many different flavors and is so rich and thick you need do use a spoon to drink it, or Frittelle in the Piazza del Campo, or a million other treats local to Siena. So along with our wine tasting at the end of orientation, IES has been giving us opportunities to take a peek inside how this magnificent food is made. A few weeks ago we woke up early on a Friday, our day off from classes, to go to an Italian bakery. Inside the kitchen we were able to see how they made crostate, ricciarelli (which they gave us dough to try at home), panna cotta and other types of sweets. We also got to see how they made frittelle (sweet rice ball snacks that are a specialty around Carnevale) and pizza dough. Since they make their bread fresh every day, they start around midnight the night before and since we obviously didn't get there that early they showed us where they make it and explained the process. We also had a cooking lesson with IES for dinner this week. We made zucchini lasagna, bruschetta, pollo con patate and tiramisu. It was so much fun cooking together and we were all so full afterwards.
Jessica Heymach
<p>Jessica Heymach is a junior at Lehigh University with a double major in International Relations and Sociology and Anthropology. She cannot be happier to be studying abroad in Siena, Italy this spring. Jessica is from Long Island, New York and loves adventures, whether it is hiking in the Adirondacks or scuba diving in Maui. She has a passion for photography and art. Traveling has always been her dream, and she cannot wait to explore and experience as many cultures as possible.</p>
