![]() ![]() When Boffa’s ancestors developed the family recipe, Barolo Chinato was commonly drunk for headache, stomachache and other ailments, not just as a digestif. ![]() Eamonn Quigley, chief of gastroenterology and hepatology at Houston Methodist Hospital, told Wine Spectator that it’s “quite likely that they will have effects,” though it’s unclear what exactly those might be.įederica Boffa, fifth-generation president of Pio Cesare, which makes a benchmark version of Barolo Chinato, told Wine Spectator that while past generations believed in Chinato’s medicinal properties, people now put less stock in the libation’s curative potential. While few studies have been done on the medicinal value of the bitter, herbaceous compounds found in various digestifs, Dr. Wormwood and gentian, other staples of traditional medicine, are other common players. Some, including Barolo Chinato, depend on cinchona, a bark that contains quinine, the antimalarial compound that gives tonic water its astringent kick. While few would dispute that digestifs make a delicious postprandial ritual, some inquisitive gourmands might wonder: Do they actually aid digestion, or make it more comfortable?ĭigestif recipes vary widely-many are closely guarded secrets-but most involve bitter flavors. Barolo Chinato, the great digestivo of Piedmont, starts with a base of Barolo wine, to which an alcohol infusion of herbs, spices and other ingredients (as well as a modest amount of sugar) is added. Grappa is a brandy (usually clear, though some versions are aged in oak) made by distilling grape pomace. Some, including the French Chartreuse and Italy’s wide range of amari, are liqueurs, meaning a base spirit is infused with herbs, roots, fruits, barks and more before the addition of sugar. ![]() Q: Do digestifs such as Barolo Chinato, grappa and amaro actually aid digestion? -Rafa, MilanĪ: Digestifs are alcoholic beverages traditionally consumed after a meal to promote comfortable digestion. ![]()
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