Program 345: Italy's Decadent Desserts; Respecting the Pasta; Food Markets of Paris

Italian food expert Fred Plotkin delves into the local dessert specialties of Italy, and tells us where you can find the best gelato in the entire country. A guide from Sicily advises us how not to upset the "food police" when eating your pasta. Also, we'll get an overview of the dozens of neighborhood food markets you can shop at in Paris.

• Fred Plotkin, author of "Italy for the Gourmet Traveler"   (Kyle Cathie Ltd. Publishers)
• Tour guide Alfio Di Mauro, based in Sicily
• Marjorie R. Williams. co-author of "Markets of Paris (second edition)" (The Little Bookroom)

• Fred Plotkin's guide to regional food specialties in Italy is called "Italy for the Gourmet Traveler" and covers the food you can encounter in 504 towns in Italy. The sixth edition of the book is scheduled to be released by March 2014, and will include an e-book version with video entries from Fred. 
• Fred says his favorite city in all of Italy for eating is Siracusa, on Sicily.  He recommends the gelato in nearby Noto as the best in the world.   For baked goods, he recommends Trieste, in the northeast corner of Italy.
• Fred recommends "The Italian Baker" by Carol Field for making authentic Italian recipes at home.   
• There’s an interview with Alfio Di Mauro in the tour section of our website.
• The guide "Markets of Paris" is co-authored by Dixon Long and Marjorie R. Williams, and published by The Little Bookroom.
• Marjorie R Williams has regularly-updated blog entries about markets in Paris.
• Wikipedia has an interactive map of the arrondissements of Paris. 
• The rue Mouffetard open air food market in Paris is discussed on Trip Advisor. 

Stuck in Marrakesh

Open the unknown tangine

Eat uncertainty.

— Diana Turner, New Orleans  

Red volcanic rocks

Heat ham and cheese sandwiches,

Snowy crater shines

— Matt Harmon, Charleston, West Virginia

A jumble of arms

At a circular table.

Grandma wants the head!

Beyond the surface,

See what we long to see - our

Own moveable feast.

— Jenny Bright, Greenville, Wisconsin