Have you ever tasted the typical Italian apericena? Imagine... spring in town, the sunset, a soft breezer, your favourite cocktail bar, your group of friends, music in the background...
...order your drink, take a table and have a look at the buffet: nothing's missing! From pasta to quiches, from cheese to cured meats, from meatballs to grilled or fried veggies, from pizza to canapes, even finger food desserts are there, waiting for you... and one of the best parts is that you pay for your drink and all the food is almost for free. Nobody will ask you to leave your table to other customers, nor to stop browsing the buffet in search of your favourite delicacy.
Can you immagine a better way to spend an evening with your friends or girlfriend/boyfriend? Really, we can't! Apericena is one of the best Italian inventions ever.
Let us start from the beginning: "apericena" is an Italian compound of "aperitivo" and "cena", that is "aperitif"+"dinner". It is richer than an aperitif in food choice and quantity and less formal than a real dinner. Italian people have their apericena between 6:30 and 8:30 p.m., a bit earlier than regular dinner time (generally between 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.). It is the perfect setting for friends evening together or even dates (not very romantic ones!). We cannot say apericena are cheap, but they are certainly more economic than a regular dinner, with an extraordinary quality-price ratio! The only downside is that if you are really thirsty and need another drink, you have to pay for it: no free drink refills are allowed.
What is the origin of apericena? There are different theories. Some people say it was born in Milan in the 90s, others trace it back to a typical Piedmontese tradition called "Merenda sinoira". "Merenda" means "snack", while "sinoira" derives from "sina", meaning "dinner" in the Piedmontese dialect. It was typical of farmers during the long summer working days or during the harvest period, who - between 5:00 and 6:00 p.m. - needed refreshment in order to continue working until sunset (in summer between 8:00 and 9:00 p.m.). Usually the foods they brought were quick to eat and simple: bread, salami, cheese and omelettes, all accompanied by wine.
With the rise to the bourgeois class, this custom spread to the wealthier classes. It was a buffet, mainly eaten standing up, of various appetizers of both bourgeois and peasant origin, such as bitter-sweet meat and courgettes (carpione), anchovies in green and red sauce, veal with tuna sauce, Russian salad, etc.
Now it is time to discover all the secrets for a perfect apericena, with the help of some students from Istituto Professionale di Stato “Giuseppe Ravizza” (Secondary Vocational School for Food and Beverage Services - Novara).