Italian cuisine

Italy

What do they eat?

pizzapasta

Risotto

Seafood

Salami

Italian Cuisine The Italian cuisine is one of the most varied cuisines. • Italy was unified in 1861, and the Italian cuisine was reflected by the cultural

variety of the regions in Italy and by the Italian history, which was influenced from Greek, Roman, Norman and Arab civilizations. The Italian cuisine is considered as a prime example for a 'perfecto' cuisine, and is imitated all over the world.

The Roman cuisine for example usually uses sheep's cheese and organic meat , on the other hand, Tuscan cooking is using white beans and bread without salt. In Rome the pizzas are very thin like crackers, and Neapolitan and Sicilian pizzas are thicker. than their counterparts. The Northern Italian dishes are influenced by French cooking, because of the proximity of the French border. Emilia-Romagna is the number one with wheat production in italy, and is also known for their stuffed pasta. Napoli is considered as the home of pizza and mozarella.

Italian Cuisine ..continued Northern Italian cooking versus Southern Italian

cooking

The northern and southern Italian cuisines are very different, mainly because of the cooking fat and the style of pasta which is commonly used. The Northern Italian cuisine use butter, cream, Mascarpone cheese, risotto and fresh egg pasta, on the other hand, the southern Italian cuisine use Mozarella cheese from buffalo, olive oil and dried pasta. The Southern Italian cuisine use larger amounts of tomatoes

PastaPasta is a generic term for foods made from an unleavened dough of wheat or buckwheat flour and water, sometimes with other ingredients such as eggs and vegetable extracts. Pastas include varieties that are filled with other ingredients like ravioli and tortellini. The word pasta is also used to refer to dishes in which pasta products are a primary ingredient. It is usually served with sauce.

There are hundreds of different shapes of pasta with at least locally recognised names. Examples include spaghetti (thin strings), maccheroni (tubes or cylinders), fusilli (swirls), and lasagne (sheets). Gnocchi and spätzle are sometimes considered pasta.

Pasta is categorised in two basic styles: dried and fresh. Dried pasta made without eggs can be stored for up to two years under ideal conditions, while fresh pasta will keep for a few days under refrigeration. Pasta is generally cooked by boiling.

Pizza Pizza is a type of bread and dish that has existed since time immemorial in

Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine. By 997 the term had appeared in Medieval Latin, and in 16th century Naples a Galette flatbread was referred to as a pizza. The pizza was a baker's tool: a dough used to verify the temperature of the oven. A dish of the poor people, it was sold in the street and was not considered a kitchen recipe for a long time. Before the 17th century, the pizza was covered with white sauce. This was later replaced by oil, cheese, tomatoes or fish. In 1843, Alexandre Dumas, Père described the diversity of pizza toppings. In June 1889, to honour the Queen consort of Italy, Margherita of Savoy, the Neapolitan chef Raffaele Esposito created the "Pizza Margherita," a pizza garnished with tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil, to represent the colours of the Italian flag. He was the first to add cheese. The sequence through which flavoured flatbreads of the ancient and medieval Mediterranean became the dish popularized in the 20th century is not fully understood.

Seafood

Italy has thousands of miles of coast line, and lakes and rivers too. Lots of ways to prepare a fish, everything from stuffing squid to roasting swordfish.

RisottoRisotto is a class of Italian dishes of rice cooked in broth to a creamy consistency. The broth may be meat-based, fish-based, or vegetable-based; many kinds include parmesan cheese, butter, and onion. It is one of the most common ways of cooking rice in Italy.

Its origins are in northern Italy, specifically Eastern Piedmont, Western Lombardy, and the Veneto, where rice paddies are abundant. Risottos are made using short-grain rice (Italian cultivars of Oryza sativa japonica), with the stock being added gradually while the rice is stirred constantly. The cooking technique leads the rice to release its starch, giving the finished dish a creamy texture.

Risotto is normally a primo (first course), served on its own before the main course, but risotto alla milanese is often served together with ossobuco alla milanese.

Salami• Salami is cured sausage, fermented and air-dried meat, originating from

one of a variety of animals. Historically, salami has been popular among Southern European peasants because it can be stored at room temperature for periods of up to 10 years, supplementing a possibly meager or inconsistent supply of fresh meat. Varieties of salami are traditionally made in Italy, France, Hungary, Germany, Spain, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Belgium, Luxembourg, Greece, Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria.

• A traditional salame, with its typical marbled appearance, is made from one or more of the following meats:

• pork, chopped beef (particularly veal), venison, poultry (especially turkey), and horse.