Prahran Market, the little market at the crossroad between South Yarra and Prahran in Melbourne, Australia, is a temple for Italian delicatessen. Every suburb in Australia revolves around a couple of shops and a market. Shopping lanes can be long or short, crowded or quiet, markets can be small or big, but the structure is always the same: people living in a particular district always gather in the shopping area for their courses, but also to meet friends and enjoy some fast food meals.
WHEN FAST FOOD IS HEALTHY – Yes, fast food meals, and to be fair we should specify that we are talking about healthy fast food meals, as in Australia the term fast food is not necessarily associated with burgers, hot dogs and chips, rather with the idea of buying something that has just been cooked or that is easy to cook at home, but healthy. This is one of the reasons why Italian food is making a difference in Prahran Market. Although there is no Italian stall, there are many shops selling Italian delicatessen.
DE CECCO, THE MOST POPULAR PASTA – The favourite brand of pasta in Prahran Market is the De Cecco one, although Barilla and Misura gluten-free are quite popular as well. There is also one little shop selling Pasta Martelli, in its beautiful yellow package, and no matter how expansive it is, Australians love it. New entries are Pastificio dei Campi, Gragnano, and Rustichella d’Abruzzo.
A PASSION FOR CHEESE AND SALAMI – Italian formaggi add a lot to the limited local variety of cheese. Parmigiano is pretty popular (Australians identify with Parmigiano both Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano), and the same can be said about Asiago, Taleggio, Gorgonzola, Mozzarella and Burrata. To be fair, it should be stressed that Prahran Market allows its customers to choose between local and imported mozzarella and burrata, although even the local ones are made by Italians with Italian machineries. When costumers ask for prosciutto, they all refer to Prosciutto San Daniele imported from Italy. Prosciutto is the only cured meat that can be imported to Australia, and even local people admit that the difference between Italian Prosciutto and its Australian version is huge (in terms of both taste and price).
PETE-N-ROSIES DELI,THE MOST FOCUSED ON HIGH QUALITY – The best shop where to find Italian products seems to be Pete-n-Rosies Deli. They sell Gorgonzola Mauri and Defendi, Espresso BellaVitano, ricotta salata Sardis, pecorino and provolone. While Prosciutto San Daniele is always available, we have been told that mortadella is harder to get. “When we find it on stock we always buy it, as our clients love it!”. Fresh food variety is somehow limited in Prahran Market, but customers heading there to buy something special often opt for Italian food. This little market is indeed famous for selling Italian biscuits (canestrelli and almond biscuits are among the most popular), plain rice Gallo or risotto mix Gli Aironi, gluten free pasta and crostini, grissini, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and also jams, preserves, torrone, little sweets and chocolate. In this season, the most popular are Cuori di Sfoglia Panealba, Cioccolatini Tartufati Oliviero and Panforte Masoni.
