Interview with Matteo Covacci

Matteo,where to find the best Italian pizza in Lithuania?

There are a couple of really good places in Vilnius that make a great pizza. Pizza verde and Uzupio pizzeria would be considered really good in Italy too! When I feel like I want to change and have something a bit different I then order from Pizzelle and Detroito seses. Living in Vilnius I can only speak about this city but I am sure there are many more good pizza places out there. If I were in another city I would go for Jurgis ir Drakonas. They make a really good pizza too! I am now thinking of getting a small pizza oven myself and start offering private pizza parties. I think it would be a real luxury to have an Italian chef baking a real pizza in your living room and so I want to offer this service too!

What's your favorite pasta place in Lithuania?

In the past years I focused a lot on fresh handmade pasta and I studied really a lot about it. What I do is very different from running a restaurant day-by-day as I work on small batches and prepare almost tailor-made ravioli for my guests. In restaurants it is very hard to get this level of precision and commitment but there is one place that is making pasta with soul and is restaurant LeTravi in Uzupis. I know that I can always go there when I want a great dish of pasta and in general good food and a cool atmosphere.

What's your favorite Italian dish that is not so well known to us?

I am not a sweet tooth in general but I love a Piemontese dessert called Bunet. It is something between a panna cotta and a creme brulee but it is made with bitter cocoa, amaretto, eggs and a touch of liquor. It is really hard to find it anywhere outside Piemonte but it tasted so delicious that I sometimes make it for my private dinners just so I can have a portion for myself!

What do Lithuanians always do wrong when cooking Italian food? We already know about ketchup and sauces on pizza, forget it.... is there anything else?

In general I think when it comes to cooking Italian dishes, Lithuanians are quite respectful of our traditions. We have so many youtube channels and tv shows about italian cooking that show foreign how we cook in Italy and I see that everyone is really trying to do things the proper way. Of course Lithuanians are adapting the recipes to their taste and even but this is totally normal. Even using local ingredients has an effect on the final taste and everything has an involuntary "Lithuanian twist". In general I don't see huge mistakes and even though putting sauces on pizza is now considered "a mistake" by the majority, I think Lithuanians like to do it anyway because that pizza is not "Italian pizza" but the lithuanian version of it and there is nothing wrong about it.

What are must-have ingredients in Italian cuisine?

Tomato sauce, extra virgin olive oil and aromatic Mediterranean herbs. They add the extra kick to almost any Italian dish!

Matteo,where to find the best Italian pizza in Lithuania?

What do you love and hate about Italian cuisine?

I love its simplicity. Italian cuisine is based on the ingredients more than the cooking process. We worked really hard on our products (like Prosciutto crudo, selected tomatoes or Parmigiano) and this is the reason why it is really simple to cook something delicious with just a couple of things put together. What I cannot stand in Italian cuisine is the fact that we have a very radicate culinary tradition and it is very hard to innovate without having strong critics that all they do is repeat that "we always did like that" and there is no reason for changing recipes. They don't understand that what they call tradition is most likely 60-70 years old!

What do you love and hate about Italian cuisine?

What's your favorite Italian restaurant in Vilnius?

I think LeTravi has a great Italian vibe and also good ,honest food. It is a true osteria, with amazing natural wines too!

I have a feeling this is the only true italian restaurant in the city and this is why I started organizing an Italian gastronomic event and dinner. There is always a craving for true Italian food and it is so hard to find someone that can cook this way that it has started to becomes a luxury.

Do you have any tips that could make us, potato and bread lovers, cook Italian dishes better?

No big tips, just buy the best ingredients and treat them with respect. Give yourself time (the most important ingredient when cooking) and enjoy the company both when cooking and while eating. Learn on books and travel to Italy once in a while to refresh the taste buds memory.

What's must do/try when traveling in Italy?

Live like a local. Find a nonna and ask her to invite you to Sunday lunch! Bring a bottle of wine and some pastry and enjoy!

What do tourists always do in Italy, but they shouldn't?

Eat food that they already know or that they already heard about. There is so much more to eat in Italy than pizza and spaghetti alla carbonara! Be wild, you might even try something you dislike but that's part of the fun part too!