Italian Cuisine Recipes Food Cooking International Guide
Italian Cuisine With Regional Variations
By Patricia Gorginas
Italian cuisine is everywhere. There are Italian restaurants
serving pizza, pasta and other food based on Italian recipes.
One should not forget their wines and desserts. The Italian gourmet
food has certain attributes, where the type of food varies by
region. Different regions of Italy are known for different types
of dishes.
Cities located along the coast are well known for their seafood
dishes. If the region has plenty of olive groves, then olives
play a big role in the regional cuisine. Some regions of Italy
are famous for their cream sauces and other regions are known
for their tomato sauces.
When looking at Italian gourmet cuisine, it is best understood
by looking at regional specialties and knowing Italian cuisine
is based on local traditions and local ingredients.
Local Specialties Vary By Region
There is more to Italian cuisine, than pasta and pizza. When
you visit an Italian restaurant and look at the menu, you will
see it contains a variety of different dishes, desserts and beverages.
Different Italian regions are influenced by different histories,
with a different specialty cuisine depending on the dominant local
ingredients. For example, you can review your options with Roman
cuisine and see it is dominated by offal and Pecorino, which is
a cheese made from sheep milk. Simple food, like white beans and
meat dominate the cuisine of Tuscany. Their range of spices include
parsley, basil and thyme.
Pastries And Mozzarella Cheese In Naples
Lasagna and tortellini is the food of Emilia-Romagna. While pastries
and mozzarella cheese dominate the local cuisine in Naples. The
island of Sardinia is known for its saffron and fennel spiced
seafood and meat dishes. Calabria is famous for its salami.
Abruzzo's cuisine relies on chili peppers. The cuisine from the
island of Sicily relies heavily on fish including tuna and swordfish.
Sardinian cuisine features lamb. Specific types of rice are grown
in Piedmont and Lombardy. As a result, these areas are popular
for their rice dishes.
Northern And Southern Italian Cuisine
The food in Italy changes when looking at North and South regions.
Northern Italian cuisine relies on unsalted butter, Parmigiano
cheese, polenta, and creams. In northern Italy, fresh pasta is
generally preferred over dried pasta. Meats tend to include veal,
beef and pork.
Southern Italian cuisine is known for its use of products based
on tomatoes, mozzarella and olive oil. The South Italian food,
dried pasta is used in place of egg pasta. Lamb and kid are the
preferred meat.
A Traditional Italian Menu
When you are at an Italian restaurant, you will notice a traditional
Italian meal is served with specific courses, in a certain order.
Each course is served on a separate plate. With a traditional
Italian menu, L'antipasto is the appetizer. The term means "before
the meal."
Next is Antipasto which includes hot and cold dishes. Il Primo
is the first course, with all hot dishes and may include pasta,
polenta and or soup. Il secondo is the second course, this is
the main course and may include dishes with beef, poultry, game,
seafood or veal.
Now For The Main Course
Il contorno is the side dish and is served after the main courses,
and includes mixed salads and vegetables, all washed down with
an Italian wine. Il dolce is dessert and could include gelato,
tiramisu or zabaglione.
If you see all these items on a menu in an Italian restaurant,
you know will be eating from the traditional Italian cuisine.
About the Author:
Patricia Gorginas has written a number of articles on cooking, recipes and food including
Quick and Easy Dinner Recipes,
Italian Cooking,
Dinner Party Ideas,
Chocolate Cake,
Muffin Baskets,
Cheese Recipes,
Food And Wine,
Boost Your Metabolism,
Italian Food,
French Food.
Keep a lookout for more of her articles on this website.
Did You Know?
Do certain schools specialize in different areas of the culinary
world?
There are schools that do specialize in certain
cuisines but you would typically find these specialized schools
overseas. The culinary schools in the United States tend to teach
a broad spectrum since culinary palates are so diverse here.
Should you wish to study French cuisine
exclusively it would be best to attend a school in France where
you can learn from the masters of the trade.
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