italian recipes

To a certain extent there is really no such thing as Italian cuisine in the way that one usually understands national cuisines. Each area has its own proud specialties, primarily at Regional level, but also even at Provincial level. Italian cuisine is not only highly regionalised, it is very seasonal. The high priority placed on the use of fresh, seasonal produce distinguishes the cuisine of Italy from the imitations available in most other countries.

Regional differences

Roman cuisine, for example, uses a lot of pecorino (sheep's cheese) and offal (called frattaje in Rome), while Tuscan cooking features white beans, meat, and unsalted bread. Pizza also varies across the county, the crusts of pizzas in Rome are thin as crackers, while Neapolitan and Sicilian pizza is thicker. The influence of Northern Italian cuisine can be seen in French and German cuisines. Piemonte and Lombardia each grow their own different kind of rices, which are used to make risotto. The North of Italy is the home of polenta. Emilia-Romagna is known for lasagna and tortellini (stuffed pasta), mortadella, prosciutto, and parmigiano. Naples (Napoli) is the home of pizza, mozzarella and pastries (babà, sfogliatelle). Calabria's cuisine uses a lot of hot pepper for its distinctive salami (that are common, in several varieties, in about all the Country) and uses capsicum. Sicily is the home of gelato (ice cream) and granita but its cuisine also has many influences from Arab cuisine (lemon, pistachio) and also includes fish (tuna, swordfish). Sardinia is famous for lamb and pecorino. Every province (sub-division of a Region) has proper desserts and many other recipe.

Northern versus Southern Italian cooking

As a general rule, northern and southern Italian cuisines are differentiated primarily by the cooking fat and style of pasta commonly used. Northern Italian cuisine (other than on the coast) favors butter, cream, polenta, Mascarpone, Grana Padano, and Parmigiano cheeses, risotto and fresh egg pasta, while Southern Italian cuisine tends toward Mozzarella, Caciocavallo and Pecorino cheeses, olive oil and dried pasta. Southern Italian cuisine also makes greater use of the ubiquitous tomato. Wines of great renown are produced especially in northern Italy (such as Piedmont's Asti Spumante) but also in southern Italy (just to name one, Marsala).

Traditional menu structure

A traditional Italian menu consists of:

1. L'antipasto - hot and cold appetizers
2. Il primo ("First Course"), usually consists of a hot dish like pasta, risotto, gnocchi, polenta or soup. There are usually abundant vegetarian options.
3. Il secondo ("Second Course"), the main dish, usually fish or meat (Pasta is never the main course in a traditional menu). Traditionally veal is the most commonly used meat, at least in the north, though beef has become more popular since World War II and wild game is very popular, particularly in Tuscany.
4. Il contorno ("Side Dish") may consist of a salad or vegetables. A traditional menu features salad after the main course.
5. Il dolce ("Dessert")
6. Il caffè ("Coffee") (espresso)
7. Liquors/liqueurs (grappa, amaro, limoncello) sometimes referred to as ammazzacaffè ("Coffee killer")

One notable and often surprising aspect of an Italian meal, especially if eaten in an Italian home, is that the primo, or first course, is usually the more filling dish, providing most of the meal's carbohydrates, and will consist of either risotto or pasta (both being excellent sources). The secondo, or second course, which in French or British cuisine really is the main course, is often scant in comparison. The exception to this tends to be in Tuscany, where a traditional menu would see soup served as a primo and a hefty meat dish as the secondo.

Regional cuisines

• Abruzzese cuisine
• Calabrese cuisine
• Campana cuisine
• Emiliana cuisine
• Laziale cuisine
• Ligurian cuisine
• Lombard cuisine
• Marchigiana cuisine
• Molisana cuisine
• Piedmontese cuisine
• Pugliese cuisine
• Romagnola cuisine
• Salentina cuisine
• Sardinian cuisine
• Sicilian cuisine
• Tuscan cuisine
• Umbra cuisine
• Valdostana cuisine
• Veneta cuisine
• Friuli-Venezia Giulia cuisine
• Sudtiroler cuisine

See also

• List of Italian dishes
• Food of Southern Puglia
• Italian American cuisine
• Il cucchiaio d'argento, a popular Italian general reference cookbook
• Il talismano della felicità by Ada Boni, another popular Italian reference cookbook
• Pellegrino Artusi

External links

• Guide to the Culinary Regions of Italy
• The Italian Cook
• Olio2go - Information about Italian Olive Oil
• Authentic Italian cuisine explained by an experienced chef

Recipes

• Italian recipes
• Italian Recipe Database
• Complete Recipes: Italian
• MangiareBene.net, an Italian recipe archive
• BellaOnline Italian Food Recipes
• Italian Food Recipes: illustrated recipes from Italy
• Anna Maria Open kitchen: Traditional Italian recipes illustrated step-by-step