The Truth About Marsala

Marsala wine has had a bad rap for the last century. Many people associate it with sauces and that's it. A few have even called it a sauce. That's wrong. This sweet , fruit dessert wine is so much more than just an ingredient in a main course.

Charlotte Druckman,a food writer and author of Stir, Sizzle,Bake : Recipes For Your Cast Iron Skillet, wrote an informative piece on this popular dessert wine in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Marsala is a  misunderstood wine. In its' native Sicily it's considered an aperitif and dessert wine where its' mixed notes of dried fruit, caramel, and nuts. According to cookbook author and importer of fine quality Italian products, Rolando Bermendi, "Marsala is still unknown in the US as a good wine. It has a bad connotation and the name has been destroyed." Another  view is from Roberta Corrodin, a Sicilian food writer and restauranteur likens the drink to olive oil. observing the low quality bottles found at the supermarket have become the standard. Maybe this feeling has something to do with the wine's beginnings. It came to America as early as 1773, thanks to English trader, John Woodhouse who docked his boat in Marsala on the island's western shore. He discovered that the wine was similar to sherry. He added brandy to extend its; shelf life along with must, the unfermented juice from whole crushed grapes. Americans and the English love the sweetness of it and it became an after dinner favorite.

By the late 1920s, Marsala lost its glam status . Knockoffs and cheap copies were in abundance. It was at this time that its' popularity took off. Ironically it was granted dispensation during  Prohibition where it was relegated to a medicine, Italian- American restaurants were also putting it on their menus, dousing chicken and veal with a mushroom based sauce. The 1980's saw it being added to the dessert of the moment tiramisu during a Northern Italian craze. Now the regional foods of Sicily and other areas of Southern Italy are being celebrated by chefs ,entrepreneurs and diners. Marsala is having a resurgence. Chef Amy Brandwein of Centralina in Washington uses the wine in a braised chicken ragu. New York eatery Don Angie  uses it  to flavor the dashi for a pink snapper crudo and to pickle the trumpet mushrooms that grace the dish. Marsala comes in three colors - ambra - amber, gold-oro and ruby - rubino. Baking calls for the sweet or dolci while savory cooking needs dry or seco. There are two recipes too. One is a spin on the classic chicken Marsala which also has cremini and shittake mushrooms while the other  is a strawberry Marsala cake. which is a vanilla scratch cake with a kick.

Try a bottle of Marsala , whether to finish a dinner or as a part of a recipe. It is a sweet interesting wine with a distinct flavor. It's worth adding to a kitchen arsenal.