HISTORY

OF

Italy’s geographic location made it an ideal stopping place for traders and sailors between Europe and the Middle or Far East.

The travelers stopped in Italy, replenished their supplies, and traded goods.

Port of Venice

Naples Port

These two ports became bustling port cities and trading centers for spices and other goods on this well-traveled between the east and west.

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One country after another invaded and occupied Sicily, an Italian island in the Mediterranean.

Many of these countries left their culinary mark, but the Arabs, who ruled during middle ages, left a huge impact. They introduced pastries, ice cream, many spices, pasta, rice, raisins, honey, almonds and pine nuts and many types of stuffed vegetables dishes that still popular today.

When the Greeks occupied the southern part of Italy they introduced the people there to their sumptuous eating and drinking.

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INVADERS

Coming from the eastern Mediterranean or Asia Minor, Estruscans occupied central Italy from as early 1200 B.C. to about 100 B.C.

Their extensive culinary influenced included rye and barley as well as seasoning with garlic, onions, rosemary, and bay leaves. They planted a wide variety of fruits and vegetables like legumes, figs, pomegranates, and grapes. They also raised cows, pigs, goats, sheep, chicken, ducks and geese for food and dairy.

They also credited in introducing wine, huge banquets, and irrigation of the land of Italy.HIS

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As early as 500 B.C., the Roman Empire began in southern Italy where it slowly flourished and grew, With the city of Rome as the center of the Empire, the Romans conquered and ruled many nations until their fall in 400 A.D. Much of the foundation of the Italian Cuisine came from the Roman Empire, with significant influence from the food of Greece and Asia Minor.

Greeks planted olive trees, grapevines, and wheat in Italy. Full-flavored sauces reflect the Middle Eastern Influence.

In the time of Roman Empire, salt had great importance both in

flavoring foods and preserving. It was so

valuable that soldiers salaries were paid in salt.

In the mid-500’s, Germanic groups came into Northern Italy. They introduced Germanic culinary traits into the cuisine found in those regions.

Saracens from Northern Africa invaded Sicily around 800, they brought ,many changes.Besides peaches, dates, melons, citrus fruits, cloves, and cinnamons, they introduced rice and sugarcane.

CATHERINE

DE MEDI

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Many consider the cuisine of italy to be the most imaginative of the European Cuisines. According to Larousse Gastronomique, Italy is the mother of all European cuisines. Beginning with Catherine de’ Medici, Italian cooking played a major role in the development of the French cuisine.

In 1533 , Catherine De Medici married future king Henry II of France. Then Medici took Italian cooks with her to France,The French learned and adopted much from the Italian cuisine. The Italians introduced broccoli, peas, artichoke, sauces, fine pastries, and much more to the French during this time.For the first time , they served meals in courses. This marked the start of haute cuisine.

Later InfluencesNapoleon conquered Italy and made it part of the French Empire. The rule lasted until the latter part of the 19th century. In 1870, The regions of Italy unified into a nation.

Napoleon Bonaparte was a military general who became the first emperor of France. His drive for military expansion changed the world.

TOPOGRAPHY

Situated in the southern part of Europe, Italy is a boot shaped peninsula jutting out into the Mediterranean sea. Italy contains almost one thousand mile coastline.

Two large island lying to the south and west, Sicily and Sardinia, as well as some smaller island composed the nation of Italy.

In particular, game, pork, and lamb grace menus in homes and restaurants. Beef is consumed less often because cattle graze in pastures and flatter land, which may consider more valuable for growing crops.

The Alps

The alps, lie across the northern part of bordering France, Switzerland, and Austria.

Italy contains two mountain ranges. The Highest mountains in Europe,

The Apennine mountains

The Apennines mountains run from the north to the south through the middle of the country.

These mountains exerted a profound effect on their cookery, causing considerable differences among the regional cuisines because of the two factors:

1st, Difficult travel through the mountainous areas led to significant isolation; that isolation resulted in limited sharing between regions of both food products and recipes.

2nd, growing conditions change with the varied terrain, and those conditions determined the product of produced in each area.

In addition, Italy contains diverse climates, cooler conditions exist in the mountainous areas, where areas the coastal regions have warmer weather. The north experience the cool winters, warm summers, and average rainfall; the south has mild winters and hot, dry summers with very limited rainfall in parts of the south.

• Seafood• Cured hams,

sausages, and other pork products

• Veal• Game• Pasta• Olives and olive oil• Garlic and onions• Anchovies• Dried beans

• Fresh herbs:Parsley, basil, oregano, rosemary, fennel, marjoram, mint, and thyme

• Cheeses

• Tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers

All sorts of mushrooms and trufflesWine

Cooking Methods

• Sautéing• Deep-frying• Braising

• Roasting• Grilling• Spit Roasting

The most usual cooking methods for vegetables include boiling, sautéing, and baking. Vegetables and pasta are cooked until al dente, meaning “to the tooth”. This term refers to foods cooked until done but still crisp or maintaining a little “bite”

A well-known dish, ossobuco, is braised veal shanks.

Pizza, calzone, and focaccia, as well as a number of pasta dishes, are just few of the baked dishes. Fritto misto di pesce is deep-fried mixed seafood.

The cuisines of Italy are classifies into two large regions with a distinct culinary differences;

Northern Italy: more affluent, and industrial.

Southern Italy: poorer, hotter and sparsely populated

-Generally, Butter is the fat used in north -Olive oil prevails in the south

-North is known for vegetables, creamy sauces, red meats, fresh pastas, rice polenta, and potato gnocchi.

-Dried pastas, Pizza, White meats, garden spices, red sauces, and more highly seasoned foods.

-They tend to cook with wine -Southern cooks incorporate with tomatoes in many dishes.

-Prefer black pepper - Use Spicy hot pepper

NORTHERN ITALY

Strong influenced from the neighboring countries affected the cuisines of several regions in the north.

• Valle d'Aosta• Piedmont• Liguria• Lombardy

• Emilia-Romagna• Veneto• Friuli-Venezia Giulia• Trentino Alto-Adige

It consists of 8 regions in northern Italy:

The Piedmont region shares a border with France; Austria and Switzerland lie next to Trentino-Alto Adige, Veneto, and Lombardy; and Yugoslavia borders Venezia Guilia.Each of these regions exhibits strong culinary influences from their bordering countries.

Adopting culinary traits regions exhibits strong culinary influences from their neighboring countries explains the Germanic style and French influence found in Northern Italy, where sauerkraut, potato gnocchi, and au gratin dishes appear on menus.

Sauerkraut: "sour cabbage", is finely cut cabbage that has been fermented

are various thick, soft dough dumplings that may be made from semolina,

is a widespread culinary technique in food preparation in which an ingredient is topped with a browned crust, often using breadcrumbs, grated cheese, egg and/or butter.

In addition to their flavored polenta, People of piedmont consume plenty of butter, milk, cheese, beef, game, rice. Barolo wines hails from this region.

Polenta is cornmeal boiled into a porridge, and eaten directly or baked, fried or grilled.

wine produced in the northern Italian region of Piedmont. It is made from the Nebbiolo grape and is often described as one of Italy's greatest wines

Liguria borders the Mediterranean sea. Honey and wide range of produce including citrus fruits comes from this region.

A very large port on the Mediterranean, Genoa is known for seafood dishes; focaccia, a flat bread; and pesto Genovese.

is a flat oven-baked Italian bread product.

is a sauce originating in Genoa in the Liguria region of northern Italy

Veneto has a very fresh seafood. The city of Venice, the famous port city with canals and boats instead of paved streets and cars, lies in this region. The Arabs introduced the rice to Veneto and it thrives in this region. Many rice dishes, including a local variation risotto.

The broth can be derived from meat, fish, or vegetable. Many types of risotto contain butter, wine and onion. It is one of the most common ways of cooking rice in Italy.

Veneto also produces a bounty of high-quality fruits, and vegetables comparable to that of any other region in Italy. Peas, asparagus, many varieties of mushroom, pumpkin, zucchini, and radicchio, are a sampling vegetables grown here.

NAME DESCRIPTION

Risotto alla milanese

A specialy of Milan, made with beef stock, beef bone marrow, lard (instead of butter) and cheese, flavored and colored with saffron.

Risotto Al Barolo

A specialty of Piedmont, made with red wine and may include sausage meat and/or Borlotti beans

Risotto al nero di seppia

A specialty of the Veneto region, made with cuttlefish cooked with their ink-sacs intact leaving the risotto black

Risi E Bisi A Veneto spring dish that is correctly served with a spoon, not a fork; it is a soup so thick it looks like a risotto. It is made with green peas using the stock from the fresh young pods, flavored with pancetta.

Risotto Alla Zucca

Made with pumpkin, nutmeg, and grated cheese

Risotto Alla Pilota

A specialty of Mantua, made with sausage, pork, and Parmesan cheese

Different variations of risotto throughout Italy

Many Rice dishes, including a local variation of risotto, prevail in the north Italy.

Serving as a major trade center linking Europe and the Middle East, Venice and the other ports of Italy experience culinary influenced from countries around the world.

Lombardy where the city of Milan is. Italy’s richest region. Nestled the Po valley and the Alpine area. It is the area where cattle for meat thrives. It’s also called the industrial capital of Italy.

A specialy of Milan, made with beef stock, beef bone marrow, lard (instead of butter) and cheese, flavored and colored with saffron

is a Milanese speciality of cross-cut veal shanks braised with vegetables, white wine and broth. It is often garnished with gremolata and traditionally served with risotto alla milanese.

From Emilia Region comes Parma Ham, Parmesan Cheese, high quality pork, and balsamic vinegar. In addition to abundant dairy cattle providing milk for cheese and utter many claim this region has the best agriculture in Italy. Emilia is also known for its love of food and fine cuisine. It is also called as the Culinary capital of Italy since the 1100’s.

is a dry-cured ham that is usually thinly sliced and served uncooked

is a type of hard cheese inspired by Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese from Parma, Italy. Its color is pale yellow; and it is popularly used as a seasoning added to dishes like spaghetti, Caesar salad and pizza.

CENTRAL ITALY• Lazio• Marche• Tuscany• Umbria

Florence, Lying in the region of Tuscany, reached its peak during the renaissance in the 15th century, when some of the greatest artists and architects of the period resided there. Tuscany lies in the heartland of Italy, and many claim Italian cooking began here. Some says the cooking of Tuscany represents the simplest of all the regional cooking, with an emphasis on it’s flavors found in fresh and high quality ingredients.

Tuscany is known for Chianti wine. CHIANTI is any wine

produced in the Chianti region, in central Tuscany,

Umbria, located in the center of Italy remains a poor area with simple, straight forward food. Black truffles,, many varieties of mushrooms, and olives proliferate in this region and appears in all sorts of dishes. Excellent olive oils comes from this region.

Pork and cured pork products, including salami, sausage, and cured ham dominates menus. Meat is often grilled or spit roasted, giving it the characteristic flavor of wood.

People in Marche, a region located in the east, eat pasta every day. More truffles comes from this region than any other area of Italy.

Bordering the Adriatic Sea, they have access to lots of seafood like, squid, shrimp, lobster, sole, and more. Each town in Marche prepared their unique version of brodetto, a fish soup.

Brudet / brodeto is a fish stew made in Dalmatia, Primorje and Istria. It consists of several types of fish, and the most important aspect of brodeto is its simplicity of preparation and the fact that it is usually prepared in a single pot.

SOUTHERN ITALY

• Abruzzo• Apulia• Basilicata

• Calabria• Campania• Molise

Naples in Campania, claims to be the home of pizza. From Naples, pizza spread throughout the regions of Italy and eventually to countries around the world.

Many other powers, including Normans and Byzantines, dominated Calabria in the past.

A poor region, the cuisine here is described as simple peasant food. Eggplant dishes, pasta, and olive oil abound. In addition to eggplant, Calabrians grow onions, peppers, tomatoes, and citrus food.

Sicily, an island just off the toe of the boot, shows culinary influences from the series of invaders, who occupied the island throughout the history. Some of those include the Greeks, Romans, Arab, Spanish, Turks, French, Germans, English, and Austrians. Sicily made several contribution to the cuisine of Italy, including a sweet and sour sauce called agro dolce, ice cream, and zabaglione, a dessert sauce containing eggs, sugar, and marsala wine.

Further west the island of Sardinia obtains very large lobsters from the sea, while sheep graze in the mountanious interior.

is a traditional sweet and sour sauce in Italian cuisine. Its name comes from "agro" (sour) and "dolce" (sweet). Agrodolce is made by reducing sour and sweet elements, traditionally vinegar and sugar.

CUISINE OF ITALY

Many attribute the excellence of Italian cooking to the fact that high-quality, fresh ingredients are combined simply.

Historically, Italy was a country of hardworking farmers who toiled long hours on their land.

Even now, the sauce that will accompany meat course is often served on pasta a the first course.Allowing the natural flavors of the food to dominate the dish, Italians do not serve the heavy sauces so prominent in the cooking of France.

Very high-quality fruits and vegetables thrive throughout Italy, and fresh produce plays an important part in each region’s cuisine.

PROTEINWith many miles of coastline, all sorts of fish and seafood play an important role in the Italian cuisine. Many types of fish are available, including tuna, red mullet, sardines, sole, sea bass, anchovies, and eel. Shellfish, octopus, and squid are widely consumed.Anchovies function as a flavoring in sauces, as well as appearing on pizza in a myriad of other dishes.

In terms of meat, veal and pork remain the most popular. The many Italian veal dishes include ossobuco (braised veal shanks), saltimbocca (veal with a sliced of proscuitto braised in white wine), veal piccata (veal in a lemon and white wine sauce), and veal marsala (veal in a sherry sauce)

PASTAPasta spread throughout Italy, after Arabs introduced it in Sicily. The pasta and shape of pasta varies from:

Acini de pepe-

Lasagna-

Manicotti-

Farfelle-

Fusilli-

Ditalini-

In the north, pasta recipe contains egg, but pasta made in the south omits the egg. Pasta can be dried and stored, or it can be cooked fresh after the dough is rolled out and cut into the desired shape.

• Thin sauces pair best with thin pasta.

• Thick sauces pair best with think pasta.

• Chunky sauces pair best with pastas containing holes or ridges for the sauce to cling to

Guidelines for matching pasta and sauces

OTHER FOOD ITEMSAn inexpensive item, beans appear in every section of the Italian menu, including antipasti soup, pasta dishes, and entrees. Some of many varieties consumed are white kidney beans (cannellini), red kidney beans, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), and navy beans.

Slightly kidney-shaped with squarish ends, cannellini beans are from Italy and are creamy white in colour. When cooked, they have a fluffy texture and a slightly nutty, mild flavour.

It is also known as gram, or Bengal gram, garbanzo or garbanzo bean and sometimes known as Egyptian pea, ceci, cece or chana. Its seeds are high in protein.

CHEESEOver 450 types of cheeses are produced throughout Italy, and they play an important part in each region’s cuisine. While lots of cheeses appear in many regions, numerous cheeses are available only in the specific region or regions where they made.

Parmesan, Gorgonzola, and bel paesa are just few of many cheeses found in the north, and mozzarella and sharp sheep cheeses like Pecorini are prevalent in the south.

Asiago made from cow’s milk; sharp flavor; hard granular texture.

Bel Paese made from cow’s milk; yellow tender cheese with mild, slightly salty flavor; soft creamy texture.

Caciocavallo a delicate, creamy cheese for the first two or three months; after that it became sharp and spicy; provolone is a variety of caciocavallo.

Fontina made from cow’s milk; sweet, creamy with mild delicate flavor; semihard texture with a few holes; melts well.

Gorgonzola made from cow’s milk although some use goat’s milk; type of blue cheese.

Mascarpone made from cow’s milk; fresh cheese, white cream cheese made from fresh cream; buttery, delicate flavor.

Mozzarella made from the milk of cows or buffaloes; mild flavor; rubbery texture.

Parmesan made from cow’s milk; sharp, full flavor, hard granular texture, found throughout italy; eaten as is or grated and use as condiments.

Pecorini made from sheeps’s milk; sharp flavor; hard texture; found throughout much of Italy.

Provolone made from cow’s milk; aromatic; aging sharpens the flavor and firms the texture

Ricotta made from sheep’s and buffalo’s milk; fresh cheese, mild flavor, moist, unsalted cooking cheese similar to cottage cheese and texture.

Robiole made from goat’s, sheep’s, cow’s milk, or a mixture of milks; can be mild or strong in flavor; smooth, soft, and delicate texture.

Stracchino made from cow’s milk; strong and tart, full flavor; soft creamy texture that oozes from rind.

Taleggio made from cow’s milk; full flavor; smooth, soft, creamy, melt-in-your-mouth texture.

REGION CHEESE

Piedmont Fontina, Robiole, Parmesan, Gorgonzola

Lombardy Gorgonzola, Taleggio, Stracchino, Bel Paesa, Mascarpone, Parmesan, Reggiano

Veneto Asiago, Grana Padano

Liguria Fiore SArdo

Emilia Parmesan, Reggiano, Grana Padano

Tuscany Fiore Sardo

Rome Pecorino Romano, Fiore Molle

Campagna Fiore Sardo

Apulia Provole di Bufala, Mozzarella, Ricotta

Sicily Pecorino Siciliano

Sardinia Pecorino Romana, Fiore Sardo

SOUPS

Soup remains an important part of the diet in Italy. Of course, soups utilize any available ingredients and function as an inexpensive, filling menu items. Italian menu features many soups.

Minestrone – Italian Vegetable soup.

Pasta e fagioli – a tomato-based soup containing pasta and beans, this appears on menus throughout the country.

Zuppa alla pavese – translate as “Pavia soup”.

Brodetto, an assortment of seafood in broth similar to the French bouillabaisse, is well known in the Marches region.

Brodo, appears frequently. Pasta, bread, vegetables, or meats are sometimes added to this clear broth.

PIZZA

A popular snack or meal throughout Italy, a whole pizza or a slice can be purchased from open-air shops or in restaurants. There are countless flavor combinations. Some of the well known ones are as follows:

• Pizza margherita – named for the first queen of Italy; topped with basil, tomato, and mozzarella, representing the green, red, and white of the Italian flag.

• Napoletana – contains tomatoes, mozzarella, anchovies, oregano, and oil

• Capricciosa – with mozzarella, tomato, mushroom, artichokes, olives, and sometimes cooked ham and/or anchovies.

• Quattro formaggi – with tomatoes and four cheeses (mozzarella and three others, which vary)

DESSERTS

Numerous street vendors and shop selling gelato (ice cream) and granita (ices) are prevalent all over Italy.

Below is a list of some of the Italian confections.

Zabaglione – custard sauce flavored with marsala; usually served over fresh fruits; the same sauce in france is flavored with thite wine instead of marsala and called sabayo.

Amaretti – the Italian version of macaroons, an almond cookie

Biscotti – a twice-baked cookie; many like to dip them in sweet wine or coffee.

Cannoli – fried pastry tube filled with a mixture of creamed cheese, candied fruits, nuts, and chocolates; from Sicily

Panforte – christmas cake, which comes from the city of Siena; containes almonds, haelnuts, cocoa, spices, and fruits.

Tiramisu – layered confection consisting of espresso- and/or liquor-soaked ladyfinger biscuits and a mascarpone cheese mixture.

Torta de ricotta – pie with a filling of sweetened ricotta cheese cantaining citron and nuts; often served aroung eastern.

AMARETTI BISCOTTI

CANNOLI PANFORTE

TIRAMISU

TORTA DI RICOTTAZABAGLIONE

GOVERNMENT REGULATION

As in other countries in European Union, the government in Italy guarantees the authenticity and quality of some of Italy’s food products. In addition to DOC, which means donominazione di origine controllata, DOCG adds “guarantee” to the “controlled place of origin”. Some of the wines, cheese, balsamic vinegar, and olive oils carry these government-sactioned acronyms on their label, ensuring the area of origin, quality and/or standard of the product.

CULINARY CAPITALS

• Many believe the city of Bologna has the richest and the best cooking in all Italy, certainly in the north

• Tuscany and the city of Florence are reputed to have the purist cooking in the country

• Naples known as the culinary capital of the south

GRADES OF OLIVE OIL

EXTRA VIRGIN – contains less than 1 percent of free acidityVIRGIN – contains less than 2 percent of free acidityREFINED OIL/REFINED OLIVE OIL – oil made oils containing higher acidity and/or inferior taste.

MEALS

A typical Italian breakfast consist of cappuccino (a coffee drink combining espresso and steamed milk) and bread. Served at the end of a meal or in the afternoon with pastry or ice cream, many italians, drink espresso, very strong coffee served in a small cup called demitasse.

The largest meal of the day is served midday. Shops close for part of the afternoon, and usually dine at home. Several small courses make up this main meal, yet incorrect generalization (outside of italy) is that main meal consist of a huge plate of pasta.

The typical first course, primo piatto, consist of soup, pasta, rice, or polenta.The second, or main course is meat, seafood, or an egg dish accompanied by vegetables perhaps saladFruit and/or cheese for dessert follow the main course.

The beverage of choice , wine, accompanies the midday and evening meals. The local wine produced in each region goes with meals in that area.