| The pleasures and love of Italian cuisine are known | | | | gnocchiSecondo Piatto (Second Course) usually meat |
| the world over. Italian cookery and recipes vary from | | | | or fishContorno (Side Dish) vegetables or salad to |
| region to region, and on the whole it is very healthy | | | | accompany the meatDolci (Sweet) Fresh fruit is |
| and nutritious, using natural ingredients that are in | | | | usually eaten as the preferred optionBread is also |
| season.Most traditional and 'speciality' dishes as we | | | | usually always eaten alongside the meal.North of |
| know today, are on the whole derived from simple | | | | ItalySome original and unique types of ingredients and |
| peasant cookery, for example the Pizza, which could | | | | cooking originated from the north; Balsamic vinegar |
| be found a couple of centuries ago on the streets of | | | | (Modena), pesto (Liguria), and tortellini (Bologna) to |
| Naples being sold by street vendors to those that | | | | name but a few! Other food characteristically eaten |
| had no cooking facilities of their own at | | | | in the North is Polenta, that can be eaten in many |
| home.Although there are essential ingredients that | | | | different ways, e.g fried and even in a polenta cake. |
| every Italian kitchen should have, (including basil, garlic | | | | Dishes in the North tend to be a bit 'heavier' than |
| and olive oil!), the most important ingredients are | | | | that in the South, (think the ingredients used for |
| passion and creativity.Italians take great pride and | | | | Spaghetti Carbonara compared to the classic healthier |
| pleasure in their food, and cooking and eating habits | | | | and lighter tomato sauces of the South!)Central |
| can vary from region to region, even from village to | | | | ItalyCentral Italy is very diverse, and such regions as |
| village. Each place has their own unique dishes and | | | | Rome, Florence and have little in common. Some |
| ingredients, and even the traditional dishes that are | | | | examples to be found all around central Italy are |
| so popular all over Italy are cooked in different ways | | | | Porchetta (pig stuffed with rosemary and fennel), |
| depending which region you go to. For example, if | | | | pork, lamb, black truffles and porcini |
| you eat a lasagne from Naples, it doesn't have the | | | | mushrooms.South ItalyCharacterized by the |
| bechamel sauce as you would expect in the more | | | | abundance use of fish, aubergines, peppers, olives, |
| traditional lasagne. It also has small meatballs (or | | | | the spicy ingredient pepperoncino, and first and |
| polpette)as oppposed to mince, and also salami and | | | | foremost the tomato, which has a huge industry in |
| eggs.The different regional cooking depends on a | | | | Naples. In the Naples and Campania regions, there is |
| number of factors, not only as to what ingredients | | | | some Spanish and French influence to be found in the |
| are most abundant each region, but also historical | | | | cookery. Pizza and pasta are especially popular and |
| factors. Naples, for example, was founded by the | | | | traditional, the Pizza Margherita having been born in |
| Greeks, and this had some influence on the | | | | Naples. In Apulia, they have a diet rich in fish (mussels |
| Neapolitan way of life. Not only in the language and | | | | and oysters being a speciality)and vegetables. The |
| music, but also in the cookery.Traditional Italian | | | | orecchiette (little ears)pasta is also from Apulia.Buon |
| MenuAntipasto (Appetizer) e.g. salami, or | | | | Appetito!Juliana de Angelis is a travel writer about |
| bruschettaPrimo Piatto (First Course) usually pasta or | | | | Italy... |