Southern, central and northern Italian cuisine

Southern Italy

Lazio, Abruzzo, Molise, Campania, Puglia, Basilicata, Calabria, Sicily and Sardinia make up southern Italy, home to robust cucina povera (peasant cuisine) and wonderful cuisine created from whatever was available in the regions, such as sun-ripened vegetables and fruits, wheat for dried pasta, and local cheeses.

Surrounding Rome, Lazio is influenced by the unique food of its capital. Roman cuisine is not considered a delicate cuisine and mainly uses pasta, beans, artichokes, meat, and its spaghetti alla carbonara (ham, bacon, cheese, and eggs) and bucatini all’amatriciana (bacon, tomato, and Parmesan cheese), both of which include the local guanciale (cured peg meat). In rural Lazio, lamb is often used in dishes such as abbacchio (milk-fed suckling lamb).

Abruzzo and Molise are mountainous areas with strong rural culinary traditions. Molise produces fine lentils, pasta and olive oils, while saffron is grown in Abruzzi, along with the divolilli (small red chillies) that accompany so many dishes.

The cuisine of Campania and Naples is famous throughout the world with varieties of pasta dishes such as spaghetti with tomato and basil, spaghetti all vongole (clam sauce), pizza topped with fresh mozzarella and eggplant Parmesan. In addition to fresh buffalo or cow mozzarella, there is good ricotta, goat cheese and caciocavallo. Lemons are used in granita and limoncello.

Puglia has had many foreign invaders, but the food is still Italian. Orecchette is a delicious ear-shaped pastry, served locally with cime di rapa (turnip greens) and good cheeses include caciocavallo, scamorza and pecorino.

Basilicata is one of the poorest regions in Italy, but its cucina povera (peasant cuisine), dominated by pasta and vegetables, is delicious. Dishes and meats are seasoned with peperoncino (spicy varieties of chilies).

At the tip of Italy, Calabria has two coastlines, providing it with abundant seafood, particularly swordfish and tuna. Citrus grows well in that region, as do figs and olives. Peperoncino adds fire to the kitchen and there is excellent provolone and caciocavallo.

Sicilian food has long been influenced by invaders, particularly the Arabs who brought sugar. The island’s dolci (sweets), granite and gelati are still considered the best in Italy. Seafood, citrus and capers also abound to make caponata (caponata is an aubergine dish, a cooked vegetable salad made from fried chopped eggplant and celery seasoned with sweetened vinegar and capers in a sweet and sour sauce). Traditionally, the Sardinians have looked more to their inhospitable interior for food than to their once mosquito-infested coast. The food is based on suckling pig and suckling lamb, percorino, pane carsu (flat bread) and honey.

central italy

Emilia Romagna, Le Marche, Tuscany and Umbria make up central Italy. This is an area of ​​fresh pasta, great cheeses and robust wines. Emilia Romagna known as the best gastronomic region in Italy. Emilia Romagna is the homeland of homemade pasta. In Bologna, tagliatelle, lasagna and tortellini are the favorites. In Emilia, preparing pasta is a work of art.

Pork is a tradition in Emilia-Romagna cuisine. Prosciutto, the most famous of Italy’s pork products, is made in Parma. Coppa and pancetta are specialties from Piacenza in the north. The delicate meat that is often passed off as mortadella in other countries is, in fact, the famous Bologna mortadella.

Romagna has a tradition of fish dishes, brodetto, the tastiest of fish soups. Parmigiano Reggiano, the incomparable king of cheese.

Another of Emilia-Romagna’s great culinary contributions is balsamic vinegar, which has been made in Modena for centuries.

Prosciutto di Parma is produced south of Parma and is often served very thin with bread. Parmiggiano Reggiano is eaten in pieces or grated on top of a wonderful fresh egg pasta.

Le Marche is a self-sufficient area. It is known for its Adriatic seafood, used to produce local versions of the rich fish stew, brodetto. The local cuisine also takes advantage of its black and white truffles, mushrooms and fennel. Ramed dishes include porchetta (roast pork) and vincigrassi, which is a lasagna made with chicken liver and prosciutto. Pasta, particularly maccheroncini and tagliatelle, has an important tradition in the Marche. Pastificio Latini produces some of the best artisan pasta in the Marche tradition. Fungi grow in abundance in this area. Three types of truffles are also found in the Marche; the whites rival those of Alba. Marche cauliflowers are famous throughout Italy. And fruits, like apples, peaches, figs and cherries, are rich and delicious, a testament to the fertility of the soil.

Tuscan cuisine is recognized as one of the simplest in Italy. The best extra virgin oils are made there. Meals focus on meat, especially beef. The wines of Tuscany are exceptional, with Chianti being Italy’s most famous red. Tuscans keep the fat away and the barbecue or grill close. Meats such as veal, chicken and rabbit are usually roasted with rosemary or fennel or grilled. Most are accompanied by a slice of lemon, the Tuscan idea of ​​a sauce. Along the coast, dishes are based on fish, with eels, caught at the mouth of the Arno, a specialty found only in Tuscany. Olive oil is so present in Tuscan cuisine that it is even used in sweets, such as the local favorite castagnaccio, a cake made with chestnut flour, fennel, raisins and pine nuts. Desserts are generally as simple as other Tuscan foods. A common after-dinner treat is biscotti dipped in a glass of amber-colored Vin Santo. Siena is home to panforte (“strong bread”), a rich flat cake invented during the Crusades to sustain troops.

Tuscan wines are dominated by the local Sangiovese grape, the backbone of classic Chianti, and the full, deep Brunello.

Umbrian food is hearty and simple. It is most famous for its use of pork. It is also the home of the great pecorino cheeses. Umbrian dishes rarely contain more than four or five ingredients, and meats and vegetables are often served plain or without sauce. Meat is important to this region, and it is here that salami is at its best. Pork products, salamis, cured meats, cured meats and smoked meats appear in the hors d’oeuvre cart of all restaurants. Beef is also good, especially when it comes from cattle raised near the Tuscan border. As Umbria is landlocked, carp, pike and eel are freshwater fish that are an important part of the region’s cuisine.

Olive oil is the seasoning par excellence of the region. The pasta tends to be long and thick and is often seasoned with a zest of their world-famous black truffles, which are used liberally in everything from polenta to potatoes. Perugia, the capital of the region, is famous throughout the world for its chocolate. Perugina, creators of Baci, have their headquarters here. Desserts are usually flavored with honey, chestnuts, pine nuts, hazelnuts and almonds.

Although not much of a wine region, Umbria produces light, dry Orvieto, a favorite among princes and popes, and the wine for which the region is famous. This bountiful region also produces a fine red wine, Montefalco Rosso.

north of Italy

Piemonte, Val d’Aosta, Lombardia, Ligurian, Trentino Alto Adige, Veneto and Fruili Venezia Giulia make up Northern Italy. Piemonte, Valle d’Aosta, Lombardia and Liguria in the northwest and Trentino Alto Adige, Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia in the northeast. Shaped by the influence of its northern neighbors and the mountainous terrain. Polenta and rice are staples, and its dairy products and wines are among the best in Italy. Piemonte is home to the highly prized white Alba truffle sprinkled over melted fontina over pasta or eggs. This region also produces the best wines in Italy, Barolo and Barbaresco.

Val d’Aosta is most famous for its alpine cheeses, fontina, toma and robiola, which are central to the region’s cuisine.

Lombardy is characterized by its rich agricultural areas and has a very diverse gastronomy. Many of Italy’s finest cheeses, including Gorgonzola, Taleggio, Bel Paese, and Gran Padano, are produced here, and fresh pasta, polenta, and rice are enjoyed.

Ligurian cuisine uses many herbs in which the mountains provide abundant cooking herbs. The specialties are the focaccia and the walnut sauce.

Gastronomically, Trentino Alto Adige can be divided in two. Alto Adige to the north is Austrian Italy and the cuisine includes speck (cured ham), canederli (dumplings) and goulash (goulash is primarily a soup, which also exists as a stew, usually made from beef, onions, vegetables, spices and ground paprika). ). Trentino is more Italian, although canedirli (bread dumplings) are popular and excellent apples from this region are made into a local strudel. Polenta and breads accompany meals.

Veneto is known for its simple preparation of seafood such as moleche (soft shell crab).

Fruili Venezia Giulia is known for its proscuitto di San Daniele, an excellent sweet ham.