day 23

 

       wussp everybody and welcome to a world where every bite is a 

celebration, and each dish tells a story.

New day New food New country (Italy)

1-Pizza

Number one on our list of the best traditional foods in Italy has to be pizza. Everyone knows what pizza is, it needs no introduction, but what you probably know as pizza isn’t quite the same as in Italy. Pizza has been around the Italian Peninsula for centuries, but it was in 1889 when Queen Margherita of Savoy visited the city of Naples that the famous pizza Margherita was born. The story goes that the queen was tired of French cuisine and that she summoned Raffaele Esposito, a well-known pizza-maker, to create an original pizza for her. Queen Margherita approved of the pizza consisting of tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil. Immediately after this, Raffaele Esposito named his pizza the Margherita and asked the Queen for her royal approval.

In Italy, pizza is fresh, simple, and of a decent size, making each ingredient stand out on its own. There are two types of Italian pizza: Neapolitan pizza “pizza Napoletana”, which is thicker and smaller, also known as Naples-style pizza, and Roman pizza “pizza Romana”, which originates from Rome and is thinner, crispier, and larger.

2-Pasta

The perfect example of the beauty of simplicity… the simple combination of eggs, flour, water, olive oil, and salt gives us more than 400 styles of pasta! Some of the most popular types of pasta are fettuccine, spaghetti, penne, and tagliatelle. Each region in Italy has its own signature style: Tuscany houses the best pappardelle and Rome the fettuccine. Pasta may be prepared in a variety of ways: creamy, with pesto, with fresh tomato sauce, or even stuffed. But certainly, one of the most popular pasta dishes in Italy, especially in Rome, is Spaghetti a la Carbonara made with guanciale, egg, pecorino cheese, and black pepper.

3-Arancini

Arancini are fried rice balls. There are two main types: Roman and Sicilian. Both are filled with ragu or tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and Arborio rice, used to make risotto. The difference is that the Sicillian arancino recipes typically add beef and peas. Those are common fillings, but you can also find arancini filled with other vegetables. Arancini are coated in breadcrumbs and deep fried giving them a golden and crispy outside, which is how they got their name “Arancini”, which means little orange. They are served with a side of marinara sauce and are one of the best Italian treats found in all kinds of establishments around Italy including market stalls, pubs and bars, and fine dining restaurants. A locals favorite!

4-Focaccia

Italian dough is so good that it needed a special bread to homage it. Focaccia is an oven-baked Italian bread in between flatbread and pizza. Depending on the region, it may look different, it may have different ingredients and toppings, and even a different name. In the Tuscan area it is known as schiacciata, in Basilicata, strazzata, and crescia in Umbria. It is typically a bread with herb toppings and olive oil. Perfect for a starter or just as an afternoon snack.

5-Italian Cheese

There’s so much in the Italian cheese culture that it needs its own list. Cheese has been around the Italian Peninsula for centuries. Ancient Romans created a vast variety of cheeses and experimented with them by smoking, melting, and aging them, giving us the basis of many famous cheeses found today. Strong, soft, creamy, grained, sweet, or salty, how can anyone say no to a good piece of cheese? As is common with every Italian food, each region has mastered a specific type of cheese, but all are equally good. Locals say the best mozzarella is sold in Southern Naples, it is a fresh kind of cheese made with buffalo milk. Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is found in Parma in the region of Emilia-Romagna. Parmesan cheese, also known as the “King of Cheeses”, is worldwide famous and its magic is that it goes well with everything. Gorgonzola is the Italian blue cheese from the Gorgonzola region, one of the greatest strong cheeses and one of the most beloved in Italy. Grana Padano, Pecorino, and mascarpone cheese are also on the list of the best Italian cheeses.

Thank you for joining me on this delicious journey. Until our next culinary

adventure.