Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Italy

"Nosrat learns how to make focaccia in the traditional way of Liguria, Italy, which means the bread must never be more than about two inches tall when it comes out of the oven. The dough is slathered in olive oil, which imparts a fruity flavor, a good crumb, and a crunchy crust. That’s followed by a tutorial in pesto, which uses fats from pine nuts, parmesan cheese, and olive oil, to form a sauce."

"Nosrat gets her lesson in olive oil from Paolo and Franco Roi, brothers and proprietors of the lauded Olio Roi company, at their olive orchard and factory."

"Lorenzo Chini, a Tuscan butcher who can traces his family’s business in the meat business to the 1600s, transforms a whole pig into a selection of salumi at his shop Macelleria Chini."

"If olive oil is Italy’s greatest fat, parmesan may be a close second. Nosrat takes in the cheese-making process at an artisanal factory and concludes her tour with a tasting of rounds that have been aged for 24, 36, and 40 months. A first taste of the youngest cheese literally brings tears to her eyes, and the flavors only get more powerful from there. Cheese-makers Mauro Montipo and Tania Barbieri, of the Consorzio Vacche Rosse, explain why parmesan made from the milk of rare red cows is so special."