Italian Food and Regional Foods
in Italy regarding
Culture and History
There is no such thing
as Italian food, rather there are regional foods found in Italy which
reflect the Italian history and culture of the regions. However, many
people are unaware of this until they travel to Italy and wonder why
they are eating food in Sicily packed with heat and chilies. It all
comes down to history which helped shape the Italian food culture.
They eat the dainty food of famous chefs with the same pleasure with
which they devour gross peasant dishes, mostly composed of garlic and
tomatoes, or fisherman's octopus and shrimps, fried in heavily scented
olive oil on a little deserted beach."
~ Luigi Barzini, The Italians (1964)
If you have a
meal with Italians you will be amazed at how passionate they are about
their food and what they are about to eat. At restaurants in Italy they
don't just order off the menu and are satisfied, there is always a long
discussion with the waiter or waitress in what has gone into the dish,
where the ingredients have come from and how it will be prepared. Only
after all questions have been asked to their satisfaction will they
order. And then even after that, general discussion usually follows as
to whether they may have seen it done better. Of course, as far as they
are concerned, no one really cooks as well as their mama and nonna
(grandmother).
Eating is not just a
meal to an Italian, he is participating in a gastronomic ritual based
on centuries of history and culture. It is not a hurried affair, it is
one to be enjoyed. But lunch time is 1:30 and can stretch well into the
later afternoon. Wine is only consumed with meals, never any other
time, and the time is enjoyed with family and friends.
And when they order they work their way steadily through the menu
starting with the antipasti (starter), followed by the primo pasti
(first course, usually pasta, rice or gnocchi), the secondi pasti
(second course, usually a meat dish), and finally dolci (dessert).
And try cooking for Italian friends! It is a daunting experience! I
soon learned that serving up an Italian dish that wasn't from the
region just wasn't acceptable; it had to be a local dish. And as for
food from another country...I once made a Berry Crumble for a street
party, and a Pear and Chocolate Upside-down Cake. Only the brave went
for the Berry Crumble, and I had a lot of positive comments from those
who were adventurous enough. But for the rest, they almost recoiled in
horror at the alien food being offered to them, and declined very
politely.
So why are Italians so
proud of their local dishes? Well up until 1861 Italy was a collection
of independent states, each with its own laws, customs, dialects and
traditions. As a result, no one region offers the same traditional
food. Instead you will find specialty dishes coming out of each region
which is unique to that part of Italy. And it can even be more specific
than that, where even a particular town or village can be famous for a
signature dish or product. So we have pizzas from Naples, Balsamic
Vinegar from Modena, Parma Ham from Parma, and Torte di Ricotta from
Rome.
The geographical areas of the country, its diverse climatic conditions
and soil has also shaped Italian food and its cooking. For the
dairy-farming northern parts of Italy, they use cream and butter in
their cooking rather than those from the south who rely on olive oil.
Even the shape of the pasta is different! In northern Italy, they have
traditionally made flat pasta with eggs and butter. In the south the
prefer tubular pasta and use herbs and spices extensively.

Having travelled the length and breadth of
Italy, I can honestly say, that only once did we come across a bad
meal. It was in Montepulciano, our second visit, where we were trying
to find a restaurant we had visited some years before.
Despite all efforts, we ended up in a little restaurant with few
tables, and thought we would be onto a winner. Instead our record of
having a gastronomic bonanza at every place we had ever eaten finally
came to an end.
However, 99.9% of the time Italian food offered in
restaurants throughout Italy is honest, simplistic and delicious no
matter where you go.
However, don't fall into the tourist trap of paying over the top prices
for restaurants on famous piazzas, especially in places like Venice,
Sienna, and even Arezzo. Look for those restaurants away from the
touristy areas. Firstly, they won't have the tourist menus plastered
all over the windows, so the food will be better and secondly, you will
get authentic Italian food.
But here is a bit of friendly advice, despite thinking ourselves very
clever in doing just that, on our first trip to Venice we found a
restaurant away from St. Mark's Square and settled down to a reasonable
meal. We ordered cokes and a beer. When we got the bill we were
horrified at the price, why was it so expensive when the food was so
cheap? Because each coke and beer had cost more than each plate of
food, and the prices of the cokes weren't on the menu!!!
And the third influence on Italian food has been as a result of
invaders and conquerors who brought their food to the shores of Italy
and some of it was taken on board and developed into what it is today.
However, having said all of that, there are some top dishes in Italy
that you really should look out for when travelling this magical
country. We have listed them as our
Top
10 authentic Italian Dishes to taste on
your trip to Italy.
REGIONAL ITALIAN FOOD: Southern Italy
So why do they
prefer chilies in their food down south? Well, For centuries Sicily was
conquered by many super-powers at the time; the Greeks, Romans, Arabs,
Normans, Angevins, Hapsburgs, Bourbons they all came, conquered and
influenced the Sicilian food in some way. But no more so than the Arabs
who really left their stamp with the introduction of spices and
aromatic herbs, they brought eggplants, oranges and lemons, couscous
and used dried fruit in their cooking, especially raisins.
Today Sicily is famous for lots of dishes that have been influenced by
these invaders. A classic Sicilian dish in the province of Trapani, is
couscous cooked with the broth of the local fish to give it a seafood
flavor. This is just one example, but there are many others.
But there are other areas other than Sicily which make up
this region. When we talk about Southern Italy we are talking about
Apulia, Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Molise, Sicily and
Sardinia.
In Southern Italy their food is rustic, robust and bursting with
flavours. They extensively use rosemary, basil, oregano, thyme, mint,
sage, basil and lemons in their food, along with garlic, anchovies,
sardines, octopus, olives, olive oil, capers and sun-dried tomatoes.
Most of their dishes are either meatless, or filled with
seafood, with a little lamb on occasions. In Naples the simple
thin-crust pizza topped with tomatoes, garlic, basil and anchovies is
known everywhere as the Napolitana Pizza, which is baked in open-brick
ovens and most often eaten as a snack. And Naples also claims the
invention of ice cream and ices.
They love to roast their vegetables and so you will also find roasted
red pepper, char-grilled courgettes and egg-plant on the menu, along
with marinated artichokes.
For dessert you can settle for Sicilian Cassata, Nougat,
Cannoli or Sicilian Almond Biscuits. If you like cheese, try Ricotta,
Provolone, Mozzarella from Campania, Scamorza, or Smoked Scarmorza.
REGIONAL ITALIAN FOOD: Central Italy
When we think of Central
Italy, many people immediately think of Tuscany. However, there are
many diverse areas making up this region. There is Tuscany, Le Marche,
Umbria and Lazio, with it's capital Rome.
Le Marche is a beautiful part of Italy that very few people visit,
which is a shame, as this is a totally unspoiled region, with lots of
hidden gems to visit, including the stunning renaissance town of
Urbino.
If you ever get to Ascoli Piceno, which I can also highly recommend, it
is a charming ancient town in the Le Marche region, you have to try
their signature dish; Olives Ascolana. It consists of enormous green
olives stuffed with a meat mixture, sometimes chicken livers other
times ground pork and chicken, covered with bread crumbs and
deep-fried. Delicious!
The food from these areas is also simple and rustic and always hearty.
Food here has come up through the ages and is based on peasant cooking.
It relies heavily on olive oil, rosemary, basil, garlic, tomatoes,
porcini (mushrooms), truffles, white beans, beef, lamb, pork, hams and
salamis. Fresh fish can be found in the coastal areas of this region,
but seldom offered in traditional restaurants inland.
I love the food from this area. You are never disappointed and the
flavours just pop. I have never tasted such delicious tomatoes and rock
melons as those found in this region during the height of summer. Once
you have tasted a melon or tomato here, those that you have back home
will pale by comparison.
And yet it is not difficult to understand, once you realize that the
variety of vegetables and fruits grown in Italy, and especially in
central Italy, are varieties that have been grown for generations. When
people want heirloom vegetable seeds, they get them from Italy, where
people there are eating them on a daily basis! And secondly, 80% of all
Italian food is grown organically. And, that speaks for itself!
The only thing I don't like about Tuscan food, is the fact that their
traditional bread is made without salt. This was due to many hundreds
of years ago when a salt tax was imposed and the Tuscans decided to
thumb their noses and do without!
If you do go to Tuscany order a Bistecca all Fiorentina if you see it
on the menu. Your steak will be so large it will hang off the sides of
your plate, but it will be the most tender meat you have ever tasted.
It is grilled over an open fire, served with rosemary and olive oil and
comes from the Chianina cattle that you find in the Val di Chiana; from
Arezzo down to Orvieto.
The list of famous dishes from this region are endless, but we will
give it a try. Tortellini, Spaghetti al Ragu, Cannelloni, Panzanella, a
summer salad made with stale bread, tomatoes, garlic, basil and olive
oil, Crostini, Mortadella, Prosciutto Cotta, Panforte, and anything
that contains wild boar, known as Cinghiale.
And Lazio is also famous for dishes such as Spaghetti Carbonara,
Risotto Romano, Gnocchi Romano and Saltimbocco Romano.
REGIONAL ITALIAN FOOD:
Northern Italy
As mentioned before, the
food here in this region is made more with butter and cream. And
although they have pasta, they prefer eating bread and polenta. This
region is made up of two distict areas; Northwest Italy of Aosta
Valley, Liguria, Lombardy and Piedmont. And Northeast Italy of
Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol and
Veneto.
Well-known pasta dishes of the northern region of Liguria
include Ravioli and Minestrone Soup. The rice growing Po valley gave
birth to risottos. Risotto Milanese from Lombardy is probably the most
famous. Dishes such as Bresaola, Panettone, Zabaglione, Ossobuco, and
Foccacia will be familiar to many who have travelled Northwest Italy.
Other well known products of this area is of course Parmesan cheese,
and Prosciutto ham, both from Parma. However, don't forget Gorgonzola
from the northwest.
For those travelling to Northeast Italy keep your eyes out for Polenta,
Tiramisu, Carpaccio, stuffed zucchini flowers and Risi e Bisi.
So you can see that there really isn't such a thing as Italian food.
The only unifying aspect is, that when they cook, they insist on high
quality ingredients. When we talk about Italian food we should really
be talking about Italian regional food for each offers something
totally different from their neighbours, but just as delicious!
See our other pages on
Regional Food & Wine in Italy:
I hope that you will go to our other pages and send us your
favourite
Italian
cooking recipes to share with the rest of our
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boxes.
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