Meal Structure in Italy

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Meal structure in Italy 1

Meal structure in Italy

Italian cuisine

 Italy portal

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[1]

Italy has its own meal structure, which in essence is the typical European one, consisting of breakfast, lunch and

dinner (there is also a mid-afternoon snack called merenda). Italians also divide a main celebration meal into several

different courses.

Daytime meal structure

Breakfast (Colazione)

A typical cup of cappuccino at breakfast.

The traditional Italian breakfast ( prima colazione) is different from

the English full breakfast. It consists of caff€ e latte (hot coffee

with milk) or coffee with bread or rolls, butter, and jam. A

cookie-like hard bread called  fette biscottate and cookies are

commonly eaten. Children drink hot chocolate, plain milk, or hot

milk with very little coffee. If breakfast is eaten in a bar (coffee

shop), it is composed of cappuccino and cornetto (frothed hot milk 

with coffee, and a pastry) or espresso and pastry. Other products

such as breakfast cereals, fruit salad (macedonia), muesli and

yogurt are becoming increasingly common as part of the meal. It is

also very common for some Italians to have a quick breakfast

snack during the middle of the morning (typically a small  panino,

or bread roll). However the traditional Italian breakfast varies by region and by season. In some regions such as

Tuscany and Umbria, in the past, people used to drink red wine (notably Chianti) in which they would dip their

biscuits.

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Meal structure in Italy 2

Lunch ( Pranzo)

An Insalata Caprese, a cold dish which might be

consumed at a lunch in Italy during the hot summer.

Lunch is traditionally regarded as the most important meal. Most

shops traditionally close down in the  pausa pranzo (lunch break)

between 13:00 and 16:00. In most schools, children are given a lunch

break when they can go home for lunch, or eat at the school

cafeteria, or eat a packed lunch. Since the introduction of fast foods,

takeaways and frozen and tinned foods, Italians tend to eat less

home-made food, but fresh food is still quite common, and most

people buy bread, milk and other foods daily. Many adults still make

their own food (e.g. tomato sauce from their own tomatoes), and

takeaways are still not very frequent. A typical Italian lunch consists

of a first course (pasta, rice or similar), a second course (meat, fish

or vegetables) and fruit.

Commuters and other workers tend to eat less at home, but instead have a quick meal in a restaurant or pizzeria.

Many foreign fast-food chains operate in Italy, especially in big cities and along motorways. Italian fast-food chainsare also prevalent, often featuring versions of local dishes, including Autogrill, which makes panini, small pizzas and

more traditional Italian meals.

Mid-afternoon snack ( Merenda)

Many children and adults have a mid-afternoon snack called merenda, generally consumed after school or in

mid-afternoon. This may include a wide variety of foods. Traditionally, merenda was similar to breakfast, and might

have consisted of a hot milky drink with bread and honey/jam or brioches; nevertheless, other foods are eaten, such

as yogurt, gelato, granita, fruit salad (or just fruit), nuts, biscuits and cookies, cake, sweets, etc.

Dinner (Cena)

Dinner is usually a light meal in Italy. For cena, people tend to have lighter food, such as soup, broth, salad, cold

meats, or the leftovers from lunch.

Formal meal structure

A traditional Italian-style antipasto.

A structure of a traditional Italian meal in its full form, usually

performed during festivities.

Aperitivo

The aperitivo opens a meal, and it is similar to an appetiser.Most people gather around standing up and have

alcoholic/non-alcoholic drinks such as wine, prosecco,

champagne or spumante. Occasionally small amounts of food are

consumed, such as olives, crisps, nuts, cheese, sauce dips, little

quiches or similar snacks.

Antipasto

The antipasto is a slightly heavier starter. It is usually cold and lighter than the first course. Examples of foods

eaten are salumi (such as salame, mortadella, prosciutto, bresaola and other

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A Lombard brasato di maiale (pork stew) is

considered a second course.

A little espresso-sized cup of dark coffee which

would be consumed after the meal.

charcuterie products), cheeses, sandwich-like foods (panino,

bruschetta, tramezzino, crostino), vegetables, cold salmon or

prawn cocktails; more elaborate dishes are occasionally

prepared.

Primo

A primo is the first course. It consists of hot food and is usually

heavier than the antipasto, but lighter than the second course.

Non-meat dishes are the staple of any  primo: examples are

risotto, pasta, soup and broth, gnocchi, polenta, crespelle,

casseroles, or lasagne.

Secondo

This course may include different meats and types of fish,

including turkey, sausage, pork, steak, stew, beef, zampone, salt

cod, stockfish, salmon, lobster, lamb, chicken, or a roast. The

 primo or the secondo may be considered more importantdepending on the locality and the situation.

Contorno

A contorno (plural contorni) (side dishes), are commonly served

alongside a secondo. These usually consist of vegetables, raw or

cooked, hot or cold. They are always served in a separate dish,

never on the same plate as the meat.

Insalata

If the contorni contained many leafy vegetables, the salad might be omitted. Otherwise, a fresh garden salad

would be served at this point.

Formaggi e frutta

An entire course is dedicated to local cheeses and fresh seasonal fruit. The cheeses will be whatever is typical

of the region (see List of Italian cheeses).

Dolce

Next follows the dolce, or dessert. Frequent dishes include tiramisu, zuppa inglese, panna cotta, cake or pie,

panettone or pandoro (the last two are mainly served at Christmas time) and the Colomba Pasquale (an Easter

cake). A gelato or a sorbetto can be eaten too. Though there are nationwide desserts, popular across Italy,

many regions and cities have local specialities. In Naples, for instance, zeppole and rum baba are popular; in

Sicily, cassata and cannoli are commonly consumed; mostarda, on the other hand, is more of a Northern dish.

Caff•

Coffee is often drunk at the end of a meal, even after the digestivo. Italians, unlike many countries, do not have

milky coffees or drinks after meals (such as cappucino or caff€ macchiato), but strong coffee such as espresso,

which is often drunk very quickly in small cups at very high temperatures.

Digestivo

The digestivo, also called ammazzacaff€ if served after the coffee, is the drink to conclude the meal. Drinks

such as grappa, amaro, limoncello or other fruit/herbal drinks are drunk.  Digestivo indicates that the drinks

served at this time are meant to ease digestion of a long meal.

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References

[1] http:/    /  en.  wikipedia.  org/  w/  index. php?title=Template:Italian_cuisine& action=edit

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Article Sources and Contributors 5

Article Sources and ContributorsMeal structure in Italy  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=598132193 Contributors: Alexander Domanda, Amatulic, Andycjp, BD2412, Bigpeteb, Brutaldeluxe, Colonies

Chris, Dia^, Edward, Ehrenkater, Enok, Excirial, Filmcom, Frietjes, Gobonobo, Herdakat, JBel, Jamesx12345, John of Reading, K6ka, LeonardoCiampa, Lesgles, Lockesdonkey, Macrakis,

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Image Sources, Licenses and ContributorsFile:Spaghetti all' arrabbiata.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Spaghetti_all'_arrabbiata.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.0 Contributors:

Giovanni JL from Singapore

File:Flag of Italy.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Flag_of_Italy.svg  License: Public Domain Contributors: Anomie

File:Cup of Coffee with foam.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Cup_of_Coffee_with_foam.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.5 Contributors:

Lotus Head from Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

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File:Antipasto al Italiana.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Antipasto_al_Italiana.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.0 Contributors:

http://flickr.com/people/globetrotter1937/ (Retouched by AM)

File:Brasato di maiale nero.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Brasato_di_maiale_nero.jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Contributors: Flickr.com user

"Blue Lotus"

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