Everyone say Cheese !!

Pears are a fruit I normally associate with Autumn, but yesterday I bought some Williams pears and they were absolutely delicious. We had them for dessert with a wedge of Parmesan cheese and walnuts. My husband's grandma from Tuscany taught me this saying in Italian

Al contadino non lo far sapere,

Quanto è buono il cacio con le pere.

Ma il contadino, che sa tutto,

Quanto sono buoni i fichi con prosciutto.

Don't let the farmer be aware

Of how good cheese is with a pear,

But the farmer who is a clever man

Knows how good figs are with ham.

Cacio is commonly used to mean cheese in Tuscan dialect. It comes from the Latin word  caseum. This word is more similar to the German Kase and the English cheese. Formaggio is more like the Fremch fromage.

In Britain we say;

Apple pie without the cheese

Is like a kiss without a squeeze

The word cheese is used  by photographers the world over to make people look like they are smiling for a photo. Models say chess which is softer, or plum to give them a seductive pout . Practise in front of the mirror for fun.

Juicy Williams pears, a wedge of good cheese and some walnuts ,very happy together

Emilio-Romagna is the home of Parmiggiano Reggiano Parmesan cheese, look for the real thing.