A dark green cucumber with some ribbing and a downy fuzz which easily rubs off. It is sweet flavoured and generally limited to southern Italy, particularly Puglia where it was developed.
Chambave is a small town in Valle d’Aosta producing a robust red wine called Chambave Rosso and Passito di Chambave, a sweet white wine made from Moscato grapes.
Chamois. A type of mountain goat found in some parts of Italy. It is normally slaughtered under 2½ years old.
A cold pudding of custard lined with sponge fingers. It is also a hot pudding and a variety of salad potato.
Apple charlotte. A dessert made from apples cooked with lemon, sugar and butter with a little cinnamon, placed in a mould lined with stale bread which has been soaked in melted butter.
Metodo Italiano. The method of refermenting sparkling wines in sealed vats and is bottled under pressure. This is used for Prosecco wines and Asti, and prodcues small, long-lasting bubbles.
Twaite shad or alose, a freshwater shad. From a family of migratory fish, the shad is a bony, tasty, oily fish similar to herring, which travels up rivers in spring and is found in deep lakes. It is famously found in Lake Como in May and June each year, when it is often dried, pressed with bay leaves, grilled and then marinated in vinegar and thyme or cured, in which case it is called missoltit or missoltini. Members of the family include Allis shad (Alosa alosa) and the smaller twaite shad or gizzard shad (Alosa fallax).
