Italy's amazing and vibrant cuisine

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

The national cuisine of Italy is famous for its dishes and wines. It has many features and subtleties that you can talk about endlessly.

Incredible diversity

Italian cuisine includes completely different dishes that are prepared in their own way in the southern and northern parts of the country. In addition, each province has a preferred set of products, predetermined by the climate and traditions. And, of course, each locality has its own unique speci alty. For example, in coastal cities (such as Venice), Italian cuisine is very rich in fish delicacies, as well as seafood dishes (some types of paella and risotto, fish soups, baked eel, grilled fish, shrimp with sauces). Clams are used in thick, rich stews and are eaten with lemon and butter. The combination of sardines with oil and vinegar is popular. Southern Italy is also famous for its shellfish dishes, with cuttlefish being masterfully prepared by local chefs. A distinctive feature of Milan's cuisine is offal and meat dishes, as well as a variety of risottos. In the north of the country, dishes made from whole cuts of meat are popular, the preparation of which is sometimes a real show.

Italian cuisine and its versatility

Some dishes are cooked everywhere in this country. And, although from region to region they acquire unique features and new ingredients (for example, some spices), the general principle of cooking is the same everywhere. These dishes include pizza, risotto, ravioli and lasagna. Italian cuisine has glorified them all over the world and now they are triumphantly marching through restaurants and cafes of various countries. Pizza was originally just a poor man's flatbread stuffed with the leftovers of various foods. But thanks to the love of the people, as well as the skill of the famous pizzaiolo (specialists in baking this dish), many of its varieties eventually became a gourmet's dream. Exotic components in the filling and unusual shape are combined with established traditions in the preparation of dough (it is kneaded only by hand and olive oil is added). "Neapolitana" and "Margherita" - that Italian classic, which is sometimes able to give odds to any innovation. The word "pasta" the inhabitants of the Apennine Peninsula denote dozens of types of pasta. It is sometimes quite difficult for a foreigner to distinguish between these varieties. After all, some of them have pronounced features (tortellini, farfallette), and some (penne, fettuccine) are very similar to each other.

Two pizza recipes

Prepare the dough from a glass of kefir and one egg. Add enough flour so that it falls well behind your hands. When kneading, you can pour a spoonful of olive oil. It is better to beat the egg in advance,to make the dough thicker. Put the filling of spicy tomato sauce, cheese, bell pepper and hunter's spicy sausages cut into pieces on the rolled out pizza. Bake 20 min. If you knead the dough from 1 tbsp. flour and two eggs with the addition of sour cream and mayonnaise (4 tablespoons each), then this pizza can be cooked in a pan. Fill with paprika, mushrooms and several types of cheese.

Cuisine of Italy. Recipes for broths and soups

The traditions of this country dictate the obligatory use of soup for dinner. Minestrone, the most famous of them, consists of seven types of meat and the same amount of vegetables and seasonings. It is very important for someone who is learning Italian cooking to be able to prepare a quality broth (brodo). After all, this ingredient is very important for the preparation of risotto, as well as many other dishes. Take one each of zucchini, tomato, carrot, garlic clove, onion, leek stalk and celery stalks. Fry vegetables in butter or bake in the oven. Then boil the broth for forty minutes. Pour it into the fried rice in batches, making sure that each one is completely absorbed. It is this technology that is key in the preparation of risotto.