Columbus, Garlic and Wine: now that’s Italian, California-style

While we feast on turkey for Thanksgiving this week-end, our friends in the US are celebrating Columbus Day. One of the oldest and most elaborate events is in San Francisco where the Ital-American community pays homage to Christopher Columbus with a week-end long celebration that includes a Grand Ball on Saturday night and a procession of floats along Columbus Street from Fisherman’s Wharf to North Beach on Sunday. My mom and I had the good fortune of ending a tour of the California Coast in San Francisco on Columbus weekend a few years ago. And although the scenery along the coast was breathtakingly beautiful, our most vivid memories were of the ‘procession’ with its floats recreating Columbus' voyage, Queen Isabella and her court and of course, no Italian procession would be complete without the statue of the patron saint and the ‘Madonna’ (the Virgin Mary).

But the best part of the parade were the people. The Italians, most of them second or third generation from the southern regions who like my family emigrated in order to find a better life, were born and bred Californians yet they were undeniably Italian. Among the bands, the rosary and the loud conversations, it was incredible to experience the liveliness of the day.

But like any Italian celebration food and wine are vital. So, as the procession winds down in North Beach it’s time to eat and drink. The narrow, winding streets in North Beach are reminiscent of some Italian cities; most of the restaurants are small and intimate and take no reservations. My mom and I were lucky - we snuck in just as the procession was ending so we managed to get a little table in a restaurant overlooking Washington Square. We enjoyed an incredible meal, simple yet hardy and the most memorable dish was the fresh baked sourdough bread smothered in locally grown roasted garlic. The flavour was sweet, smooth and buttery. I have tried to roast garlic at home but it has never tasted the same, probably because the garlic is not as fresh and supple as the California variety.

California produces the majority of garlic grown in the USA - 87% or 200,000 tons per year. Gilroy is the Garlic Capital. The small city is located in the San Francisco valley and a place full of Italian immigrants who were mostly poor farmers yet they brought with them their love for the land and their traditions. Today the area is full of garlic farms large and small and of course wineries. So although the California Coast is certainly a must for first timers, for me the ideal California vacation is a week-end of roaming around the San Francisco Valley area visiting small vineyards, buying locally made cheeses, and having picnics in some idyllic spot feasting on fresh baked bread.