Italian cuisine, despite the fact that it has long enjoyed popularity mainly due to the low prices of dishes and the ease of their preparation, it is finally beginning to gain the position of one of the great cuisines of the world. Diet of the inhabitants of southern Italy, distinguished by a large amount of fresh fruit, vegetables and fish. is one of the healthiest. There are few national cuisines. which can boast of such diversity, both among the ingredients, as well as cooking methods. Wine is also gaining popularity. because as part of the customer fight, the Italian industry is slowly abandoning the traditionally poor quality and becoming competitive.
BASICS OF ITALIAN CUISINE
Although the twentieth century contributed significantly to the blurring of regional differences in Italian cuisine, they did not perish without a trace. Particularly noticeable are the influences of French cuisine in Piedmont, typical Austrian flavours in Alto Adige, and in Calabria, Greek. Outside Chinese restaurants, of which there are many in every city and ubiquitous hamburger bars. Italy has managed to virtually avoid the growing influence of foreign cuisines in other countries. This was partly due to the lack of colonial legacy of Italy., but also because of a similar reason as that of the French, great attachment to the native culinary tradition. Those thirsty for exotic cuisine can only try dishes from different parts of the country. The place, where restaurants specialize in regional dishes and where different traditions clash is Milan. Rome, on the other hand, is the only city in Italy, in which there is some selection of foreign cuisines.
Because every Italian carries a heartfelt conviction, that Italian cuisine is the best in the world. and home cooking is the best edition of it, many restaurants are run by families and serve homemade dinners. Culinary experiments are not popular here, although here and there attempts are made to introduce new ones. fashionable ingredients, such as wholemeal pasta or brown rice. If, however, someone tried to ask the waiter about something like this, it would only cause surprise., and asking for a wholemeal pizza will cause a lot of cheerfulness in the kitchen. Vegetarian restaurants are also few and far between, and began to appear only recently, first — of course — in Milan.
The most striking feature of the Italian way of eating is its ritualization. Meals consisting of many dishes are celebrated so. that they seem to last indefinitely. Lunch starts with antipasto (appetizer), followed by a risotto or pasta dish, then fish or meat, cheese and finally fresh fruit and coffee. Even daily meals are a miniaturized version of a traditional feast.. Food shopping is an extremely serious matter in Italy, and department stores can't stand up to competition with traditional small shops, which are full in the center of every city. Street markets are wonderful and offer a variety of, always fresh and appetizing products. And because the Italians have not adopted these modern methods of achieving high yields, which deprive products of their natural taste, even raw tomato tastes great here.
Bread and cheese are still mostly made by small factories, and are rarely mass-produced, which affects their high quality. Bread is produced almost entirely by small bakeries, and white packed and sliced is rare. The further south, the heavier the bread becomes, more crispy and salty; however, you can also order pane senza sale (unsalted bread), which is eaten with salty hams, salami and cheese.
Cheeses are often produced in factories owned by large companies such as Ealbani, based in Milan, which sells bel Paese cheeses known everywhere, Gorgonzola and Taleggio. Cheese production also remains in the hands of farmers using traditional recipes, which is expressed in a wide variety of flavors.