Italians love life and they love food
Beautiful, passionate, sensual and stylish – these are words that come to mind when you think of Italy. Italians are a people of a long history and varied culture. In Italy you will find influences from many cultures adding spice to its language, architecture, design and above all, its food.
Italian food culture is evident in every city around the world in the form of the local pizza or pasta restaurant. Italian cuisine, however, consists of so much more than what you see on American sitcoms. Spaghetti with tomato sauce, ravioli and lasagna are merely the tip of the delightful iceberg that is Italian cooking.
Italians value two things above all else: heritage and family. I know you have the theme song to The Godfather in your mind right now, but bear with me as I explain the concept of family as Italians see it. For Italians, life is a celebration. There is nothing better than a long evening meal with family and friends, to discuss the ways of the world and to enjoy fine wine, tasty food and delicious desserts. Often, an Italian family will gather at a restaurant and the adults will enjoy the evening deep into the night, while the children, unable to keep up with the festivities, fall asleep at the table. Life is about living, and when it comes to food, Italians are in no rush to let things end.
Italian cooking is known for its simplicity and flexibility. Ingredients are bought on the day, and whatever looks most fresh from the array of seasonal vegetables and other produce will be selected for the evening meal. This habit of shopping on the day means that traditional Italian food is extremely fresh and tasty. Rice, herbs, olive oil and fresh fruit and vegetables are enjoyed every day.
Regional flavours
Northern Italy and Southern Italy are very different from one another. In the North you will find the most fertile land and wealth. The South of Italy is drier and has a smaller, poorer population. This distinction between the North and South can be found in the food. Italy has twenty regions each offering its own tasty specialities.
Piedmont, on the northwestern region is famous for its rice and sparkling wines. Venice, in the northeast, is the home of seafood such as mackerel, eel, spiny lobster and other delights from the Adriatic Sea. Ligurians use fragrant herbs in their seafood dishes, whereas in Emilia-Romagna the main cooking fat is butter. This region is also the home of Parmesan cheese, rich sausages, green lasagne and Bologna’s famous mortadella, a pork sausage 18 inches in circumference.
Tuscany, to the south, is famous for simplicity in its cooking, with minimal sauces and seasonings added. The rich olive groves of the Apennine Mountains make olive oil the chief cooking fat in this region, and are home to the hard pastas like macaroni. Naples is the home of pizza with thick red tomato paste and creamy mozzarella cheese. Sicilians enjoy rich and heavy sweets to accompany the abundance of grapes, citrus fruits and olives found on this volcanic island.
Time to celebrate
Italians love holidays and festivals and every village has a patron saint whose day must be honoured. Famous events and harvests are also celebrated – and food always plays a central part in any day of joy. During Easter, Italians do not eat certain foods, but on Good Friday hot cross buns are a popular snack. Roast lamb is a traditional family meal on Easter Sunday, representing innocence. Bread is considered pure and also contributes richly to Easter celebrations. A sweet bread in the shape of a dove, la colomba pasquale, is popular. Children and adults alike enjoy hollow chocolate eggs, and Easter Monday is a time for the entire family to gather for a picnic.
Another important Italian holiday is Christmas, or Natale, and each of the twelve days of Christmas is celebrated with a unique cookie for that day. Rome itself has a famous outdoor market in Piazza Novona during the nine days leading up to Christmas. Fish markets do a roaring trade for the Christmas Eve meal where families enjoy seven different kinds of seafood: eel, salted cod, squid, and clams among other seafood dishes. Christmas Day is celebrated with tortellini in broth with panettone, a traditional Christmas cake from Milan, for dessert. New Years is a time for cleaning up and throwing out the old and lasagna is a traditional New Years Day lunch.
Food plays a massive role in Italian culture, especially around holidays and festivals, and harvest times themselves are events with dancing, music and lots of eating.
Italian Markets
Each town and village in Italy has a local market near the main square (piazza) or cathedral, where local farmers sell their produce. Vegetable stalls are bright with fresh, colourful vegetables and fruit from the region: blazing red tomatoes, green zucchinis, purple eggplants and dazzling orange carrots are artistically displayed in the summer. In spring and autumn mushrooms of every shape, size and colour abound in the markets, and above these hang bushes of fresh and dried herbs such as parsley, basil, marjoram, thyme and rosemary. Poultry such as duck, geese, chicken and turkey are also on display and depending on the region you may also find wild boar or deer.
Italian ice cream may be the best ice cream in the world. Gelato is milk-based, and granita is a light, syrupy sherbet of ice.
No morning round of shopping is done without a stop at the pasticceria, where pastries can be bought for the mid morning or afternoon snack. In Rome you can buy a sweet, rich ricotta pie, and the south is famous for chewy macaroons.
Cooking Italian
You may or may not know all the ingredients in an Italian dish that you prepare. Have some fun and try something new. Italian cooking also has specific terminology, such as:
Al dente: this literally means “to the tooth” and is the point at which pasta is properly cooked – not too hard and not too soft. The pasta must be firm and tender to the bite.
Learn about the many fine cheeses and variety of pastas that Italian cooking offers. Make cooking about fun, and enjoy your meals with your family and friends – who cares if they turn into long drawn out affairs! This is what it means to really enjoy life, when you don’t feel rushed and you can take the time to savor happy times with those you love and cherish.
