The basics of Italian cuisine
The capital of Emilia-Romagna, Bologna, is also the capital of Italian cuisine. In the heart of the region of origin of parmesan and ham of Parma, is cultivated a refined culinary art.
Delicatessen is king: pancetta, coppa, bresaola and raw hams ... pasta Stuffed with ricotta and basil, polenta, based on corn flour, accompanies some dishes of meat.
An Italian meal sometimes starts with a antipasto (hors d'oeuvre), consisting of charcuterie served with melon, vegetables pan-fried or grilled, zucchini, aubergines, fried zucchini flowers, tomatoes confit, artichokes, beans, cucumbers, peppers ... or tomatoes or artichokes in the Mozzarella. The truth Mozzarella, with buffalo milk, is from Campania and is subject to an AOC.
By the sea, we enjoy the salads of octopus. The bruschetta remains the favorite hors d'oeuvre of the Italians: a slice of toasted bread, rubbed with garlic, on which we have small cherry tomatoes quartered, salted and served with a drizzle of olive oil and leaves of fresh basil ... simple and delicious! The pizza cut in rectangle is eaten in out of work or in the day, in case of small hollow.
The primo piatto consists only of pasta or risotto. There is a wide variety of pastafresh or dried, served with tomato sauces and vegetables (mushrooms, eggplants, peppers, olives). The pasta are sometimes stuffed with ricotta or meat, or with cream and basil or with vegetables... Near the coast, we serve pasta with mussels or shells
The secondo piatto is a dish made from meat or fish : some specialties known in France are often reinterpreted, such as the cutlets in the Milanese (cutlets with us), the carpaccio, the Venetian liver, osso bucco, the saltimbocca alla romana. The fish is rather served marinated in carpaccio or grilled, the gamberi (large shrimp) are also grilled, squid or scampi are fried ...
The desserts favorite Italians are rather desserts: cold sabayon (zabaione) with marsala, zuppa inglese (sponge cake with confectioner's custard, candied fruit and meringue top), tiramisù and panna cotta ... The delicious Italian ice creams are consumed throughout the day.
Italian vineyards are very famous in the world, difficult to name them all, among the most famous, we advise you to taste Chianti, Lambrusco, Valpolicella, Montepulciano. The desserts are accompanied by Marsala or Asti spumante.
Our advice
Do you know the granita, sicilian sorbet made from crushed ice? Delicious and refreshing, it comes in lemon, coffee, strawberry or any other fruit. To serve with a straw and a brioche.
