Eat Italy - the Italian way of food - #TeamItaly

Even if Food is the most common subject when we talk about Italy, this is also a Huge subject, with a lot of nuances.

I am writing this post in reply to Steps closer to becoming an Italian by @KarenVChin

The aim of the post is to give a general introduction about Italian Food, to follow with a series of post that #TeamItaly will write about specific subject

To understand Italy we need to know what Italy is. Even if smaller than California (116,630 vs 163,696 square miles), Italy is hugely diverse. “Italy is 
 the Long Boot, with the head in Europe and the tip in Africa” just to mention what I said in my introduction post. It means different food, different climate, different tradition, even different languages. Diversity of cultures due also to a historic tradition of commerce that the Italians had. Probably the most famous Italian in China is still Marco Polo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Polo (Venice - 1254 - 1324).

But of course we have also a long series of “common” elements. The way to eat is for sure one of that.

Food is probably the most universally known element of “Italianity”.

The sequence of dishes, as explained in the video shared by @KarenVChin , is an important aspect of the “Italian way to eat” too, and need to be respected if you want to “Eat like an Italian”.

Every course should have the correct wine (do not believe in the tale regarding to not mixing red and white wines with a meal). The alcohol content should usually increase from the appetizer to the main course.

The classic Italian Meal:

Aperitivo: the aperitif is a drink that is considered a “must have”in an Italian meal for at least two reason:

  • Socialization: an aperitif can be drank in a restaurant / house where you have the meal, but is very common to drink an aperitif with friends in a bar, before going home for dinner
  • Cleansing the mouth before dinner: the aperitif doesn’t have to contain alcohol, but it must be sparkling. The action of the CO2 is to remove other taste from your tastebuds, to give you the opportunity to better enjoy the meal.

Antipasto: the appetizer is the ouverture of the dinner, and should be coherent with what will follow with the main course (usually fish or meat) but can also be neutral, e.g. based on fried battered veggies.

Small pieces that can be eaten with your hands (finger food), and shared with friends. Actually you can go in an italian restaurant, and order only appetizers, like tapas, in Spain, to share, eating a bit of everything. If you don’t know a restaurant, this can be a great way to learn how the restaurant is.

Primo Piatto: the first course (primo piatto) is a base of carbohydrates so, depending of the area you are at, the first course can be pasta (made with wheat or corn), rice (most famous is risotto) or gnocchi (made with potatoes).

Pasta can by dried or freshly made, in a lot of different shapes. Long pasta, like spaghetti, short pasta, or special plain pasta (lasagne), or stuffed pasta, like ravioli. Depending on the shape of the pasta, it will be combined with a particular kind of sauce.

Secondo Piatto: the second (main) course is usually based on protein even if we have a lot of regional variations that not include meat.

The main course is the most important part of a meal. It can be meat (on the internal area) or fish, along the coast.

The preparation can be classic (stewed, grilled, roasted) or regional, like for “Fegato alla Veneziana” (Literally translated as “Venetian Liver”, a recipe based on liver and onions, very common in Venice). Regional (local) recipe are usually the best food that you can find in the area

Contorno: The side dish is always composed of vegetables, and can be eaten raw (insalata, with lettuce, tomato, etc.) or cooked. The side dish is always served with the main course

Formaggio: (cheese) In several parts of Italy, a cheese platter is served at the end of the dinner, but cheese is also an important ingredient in lots of dishes.

We produce a huge variety of cheeses, that to simplify can be classified as:

  • “A pasta filata” - mozzarella, provolone and caciocavallo
  • “Molle” - like gorgonzola
  • “a pasta semidura” like most of the italian cheeses,
  • “a pasta dura” like parmigiano

Bread: bread is not a dish, but it is always served with an Italian meal. In a restaurant, you don’t need to order it, as it is already included in the price. In Italy, we have a huge variety of breads which I believe deserves a detailed, separate Connect post

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Dolce: The end of an Italian meal is always sweet (dolce). Italy has, together with France, a long tradition of cakes, the most famous is probably the TiramisĂč (did I tell you that TiramisĂč was invented in Treviso?). A cake is always served together with a white sparkling wine (like Prosecco).

This is the classic Italian sequence of a meal. You can skip one or more steps, but the order must be always followed. The sequence is one of the “common elements” of the Italianity.

Do Italians always eat this way?

Of course no. Stay with #TeamItaly, don’t miss the next post about the Piatto Unico

What about the content of the dish?

Until now, I just gave you a panoramic vision of the classic Italian way of eating. But the most important point is: What will you find inside your dish?

What do you know about the Classic Italian product? Again, stay with us to know the excellence of the italian food

Have you been invited for a dinner in Italy?

Do you have an Italian friend you have known around the world? If you come to Italy, for sure your friend will invite you for dinner. This is great, but please remember that there are unwritten rules to follow. Curious? A post is coming about this subject

Are you travelling in Italy as a tourist?

If so, just remember the most important rule: to search for “local recipes” when you go in a restaurant. Don’t ask for Alfredo sauce (doesn’t exist in Italy).

Let yourself be surprised by the Italian flavors. I am adding for you a partial list of my preferred restaurant. Feel free to check it

Bookmark this post for the news.

What do you know about Italian Food? What is the Italian dish that you like more? Do you have an Italian restaurant in your area?

We will be happy to look at a photo, watch a video, learn or exchange a recipe, and/or exchange our contents with you

Have a fun on Local Guides Connect

This is a collaborative post by #TeamItaly included in the #TeamChallenge proposed by @ermest. The post is part of the series about Italy: Italian culture between ancient and modern.

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Aperitivi / Antipasti

  • coming soon

Primi Piatti

Secondi Piatti / Contorni

  • coming soon

Dolci

  • coming soon

Pizza

What to drink

Piatti Unici

  • coming soon

Food etiquette

Bookmark this post for the news.

What do you know about Italian Food? What is the Italian dish that you like more? Do you have an Italian restaurant in your area?

We will be happy to look at a photo, watch a video, learn or exchange a recipe, and/or exchange our contents with you

Have a fun on Local Guides Connect

This is a collaborative post by #TeamItaly included in the #TeamChallenge proposed by @ermest. The post is part of the series about Italy: Italian culture between ancient and modern.

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Lovely to know more about one of the most important countries with a huge culinary tradition. Actually I’m thinking of going to Italy for a month to learn Italian recipes and cooking techniques.

I’ve been to Tuscany twice and had some of the best meals of my life. In Siena I tried cinghiale for the first time in my life. Great stuff.

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I am glad that you like it, @pacomorett , and I simply love the idea of coming in Italy for learning some recipes.

Do you have already an idea about the recipes you want to learn?

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Such a great post @ErmesT , big thanks for sharing!

I love Italian cuisine, (who doesn’t?), and I really enjoyed reading it. I can’t wait to see the ‘coming soon’ posts.

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#TeamItaly is on a brainstorm right now @Petra_M

The question is: what to write first?

I know @AngelaViale is waiting for the pumpkins on her vegetable garden to be ready, for sharing with us the preparation of her traditional recipe. A preview here

My post about Gelato is work in progress, I’m continuing to work in the field to provide the best information. I am sure @TorM would like to help :slight_smile:

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Hello @ErmesT ,

Thank you for this delicious post, suddenly I felt hungry!

Speaking about Italian food is like speaking about Italy in general, so diverse and amazing!

I’m a huge fan of Italian cuisine, and I’m proud that I know most the dishes that you’ve mentioned. Furthermore, I would like to add to this incredible list, the Funghetto - fried eggplant, which is one of my favorites.

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How not to agree @BorrisS , about Melanzane al funghetto.

A crossover recipe, if I can use this term, as you can use it as a contorno (side dish), a sauce; a filling for savory pies. If you don’t like fried food, (I do) you can have also an healthy version, cooked on the oven

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@ErmesT Thank you for the blog. Love reading it, and it made me hungry :smiley:

Do you have a favorite dish?

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@ErmesT Thank you for sharing your experience with us. I like pizza. I have tried Hoisin Crispy Duck Pizza from a restaurant in Thailand, it is so gooood. :slight_smile: I would also like to try Gnocchi that is written by @davidhyno . Wish I visit Italy some days and try some more.

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Thank you for asking @Justemeline , it is so difficult to answer 


I love food, and the food that I love must be Local Food, it doesn’t matter where I am all around the world.

In any case, I can pick a few:

I love risotto (the Italian way of cooking rice), especially is made with wild vegetable, that I usually collect by myself: Fresh from the wild - Free food from Nature

I love chocolate, dark chocolate, and tiramisĂč (that is originally from my city)

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Pizza is always a great experience, @Ant_Bad_Yogi

Italians are very rigorous in what we can and what we cannot use for topping pizza, but basically Pizza is a disk of pasta topped with what you like more ( @LuigiZ will avoid to talk with me for a month, reading this :smiley: )

Last year I was invited to a “pizza gourmet” dinner where we tasted six different kind of pizza, from appetizer to a pizza cake, combined with six different type of wines

Amazing

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A mouth watering post @ErmesT . The part I enjoyed most is where you said “Every course should have the correct wine.
and especially
 The alcohol content should usually increase from the appetizer to the main course.”

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Haha @AdamGT

This is in fact the golden rule, even if most of the time is disregarded.

I can understand the reason: nobody will open a series of four / five different bottles of wines at home for a dinner, but if you are at least a group of 8-10 people, why not? During our wines meet-ups we usually have a sommelier just to coordinate the wines. Isn’t it @AlejandraMaria ?

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Yes I understand @ErmesT , it’s not practical to open many bottles at a home dinner. I find that almost regardless of the meal we usually open two, a red (for me) and a white (for her) but we also like to start off with an Aperol, for me, for her and for anyone else visiting :wink:

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Great @AdamGT

so you start with an aperitif, even if in my opinion the aperitif should be with less alcohol an possibly sparkling, to prepare (clean) your mouth.

In this way you can better appreciate the taste of the food. My preferred aperitif is Aperol spritz :slight_smile:

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Yes I have to admit my error @ErmesT as I meant to write Aperol spritz as like you, that indeed is our preferred aperitif starting point!

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Hehehe

Thanks for confirming, @AdamGT

I can imagine the faces of #TeamItaly while reading your previous reply. Just kidding, of course, wine and aperitif rules are not so strictly observed

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I like all kinds of pasta but would love to learn how to make them from scratch. Freshly made pasta and different sauces, my ragu bolognese is pretty good also my carbonara has had good reviews. (I use bacon because it’s almost impossible to find guanciale in MĂ©xico).

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Hi @pacomorett

Beacon is fine, if you cannot find Guanciale.

Making pasta is nice, but of course it depends of which kind of pasta you want to start with.

There is pasta that you can make completely with your hand, like orecchiette, cavatelli and triidd, flat pasta that you can make with a pasta board and a mattarello, and pasta that need a pasta machine, manually operated

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