Italian Food Specialities
Italian Food Specialities
The pleasures of healthy and nutritious Italian cuisines are well-known throughout the world. Italian food is one of the most fascinating foods the world has come across. Pizza and pasta which are popular all over the world are considered as Italian food specialties. It is one of the most varied types of cuisines. Every region in Italy has it own traditional style of cooking as well as every community and valley is famous for its own unique recipes. Every town in Italy has a distinctive way of preparing special kind of cheese and wine, sausage and local type of bread.
The most important thing about the Italian food is that it contains low fat and is free of sugar. Tomatoes, potatoes, maize, garlic, onions, spices, bell pepper and olive oil are the key ingredients of Italian food specialties. Most Italian recipes are prepared using the ingredients like Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar. There are different types of Italian cuisines and every type has its own special, unforgettable taste. Italy is best known for authentic pastas and pizzas, sausages and fish dishes. There is a great regional variation in Italy reflecting Italy’s diversity of local cuisine. Every region is known for its unique specialties.
Italian food specialties that can be found in North Italy are Costoletta alla Valdostana, fonduta, Vitello Tonnato, Grissino, Minestrone alla Milanese, Risotto alla Milanese, Fegato alla Veneziana (calf’s liver fried with onions) and Risi e Bisi (rice and peas). Some traditional products in North Italy are mortadella, lasagna, polenta, parmesan cheese, Bolognese sauce, dry cured ham and stuff pasta. The Tuscan Italian food often features white beans, meat and unsalted beans. The world-famous pizzas and mozzarellas are from Naples. It consists of pastries and sfogliatelee. Italian food also has slight taste of roman cuisine due to the use of pecorino and offal. It is special cheese made from ship’s milk and is used in their ultra thin pizzas. Salami a spicy Italian food comes from Caldaria region.
Velvety smooth olive oils, savory cured meats, world-famous cheeses and rich tomato sauces are the Italian food specialties in central regions of Italy. Beef dishes are most commonly found in this region. The hills of Umbria and Tuscan are popular for their wild boar. The central regions is famous for the stuffed pasta including the Cappelletti of Romagna and the Tortellini of Emilia, Bologna’s Mortadella, Prosciutto, Zamponi (stuffed trotter sausage) of Modena, Fagioli all’uccelletto (beans sautéed in Garlic and Sage with tomatoes), Ribollita, a thick vegetable soup and Fagioli al Fiasco with onions, oil and herbs cooked in a round bottle (fiasco) on a coal fire.
The specialties of the southern regions of Italy include the Pizza of Naples as well as numerous types of fresh and dried pasta. Rich and spicy tomato sauces and olive oil are used for preparing the food. Some of the specialties of southern regions are different types of pizzas, pastas, cheeses like Mozzarella, Canestrato, Caciocavallo and Ricotta, fruits like blood oranges, olives, tangerines, prickly pears and almonds and fish soups like Cassola and Burrida.
The Sicilian cuisine is well known for its seafood that has Arab influence because of use of pistachio and lemon. Sicily is also the home for ice cream (gelato) and granite dessert made from water, sugar and flavorings. Famous risotto comes from Veneto. It is a rich dish full of fish and other seafood. Filled with colorful diversity, Italy is an ideal destination to undertake wonderful gastronomical tours.