Italian Food
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Personally, I do not know anyone who is not passionately in love with Italian food. And beyond that, I do not know anyone who knows anyone who is not passionately in love with Italian food. In other words, everyone loves Italian foods. “Buy why?” you ask.
At the core of Italian cooking lie centuries of tradition centered in kitchens, large or small, and then around dining tables. Italian food is not only about savoring the freshest seasonal natural ingredients delicately spiced to enhance but not camouflage, it is also about spending leisurely quality time with all those sharing a meal. Mealtimes for Italians of every age are pleasurable mini holidays and each morsel of food is a tiny banquet in its own right.
Throughout every rural and urban region in Italy, Italian cooks of every household, usually the women, browse through their local market stands to see what is in season and available before planning the menu for their next meal. What is more, every dish is prepared from scratch, recipes are passed down from one generation to another and children are taught to appreciate food and dining camaraderie from a very young age.
Let us take a closer look at some unique aspect to Italian food and the various traditional courses of Italian meals:
- Antipasti is the plural for antipasto and it literally means “before the meal” in Italian. Antipasti are intended to stimulate the senses before a meal and to awaken the appetite. In other words, antipasti are appetizers that are usually displayed in endless abundance, examples of which are: vegetables prepared in every way (roasted, grilled, marinated and fried); cold meats such as prosciutto and salami; cheeses (aged parmesan, goat cheese, mozzarella); olives; dips and spreads with toasted bread, crackers or sliced raw vegetables; marinated or steamed seafood (muscles, clams, shrimp, squid) salads, and more. An overwhelming majority of foreigners (non-Italians) find it impossible to choose and, therefore, ask for antipasto misto, or a mixture of everything.
- Italians love their olive oils and vinegars and no Italian kitchen can be found lacking in olive oil and vinegar in their original states as well as flavored with ingredients found in almost every garden or fresh market stand. The two methods for flavoring oils and vinegars are; cold infusion used for delicate herb or citrus flavors and hot infusion for stronger herbs such as rosemary and ground spices.
- Primi Piatti are the first courses that consist of soups, pastas, gnocchi (dumplings) or risotto (rice) dishes. Each of these can be prepared in many ways and garnished with a multitude of herbs, spices or sauces.
- Secondi Piatti are the entrees or second courses that most often consist of a meat (veal, rabbit, beef, poultry) or fish dishes and these servings are usually surprisingly small. Italian cooks know many ways to prepare these and love to vary.
- Contorni are side dishes that compliment the entrees of meats or fish and come in infinite combinations.
- Isalata are salads that seem to cleanse the palate after the entrées and before the desserts.
- Frutta are you guessed it, fruit. And fruits are served in ice water along with some side dishes of dried fruits and nuts.
- Dolci are desserts of mouthwatering sweet cakes served with freshly prepared steaming cappuccino which are fitting culminations of wonderful meals.
Have I answered your question? Do you now understand why everyone is in love with Italian food? So, a better question would be, “Why would anyone not be in love with Italian food?” And my best and shortest answer to that question is, “I cannot possibly imagine!”
Posted in Culinary Articles
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