Italian cuisine can be found in most countries around the world. However, very little is known about it. In most restaurants, you can find a variety of pizzas and pasta on the menu that really have very little to do with the country’s authentic dishes. In this article, we’re going to show you what Italy has to offer, which is a lot more than we think.
Let’s start with the North.
As this is one of the colder regions, it’s known for its hearty dishes with soups, stews and boiled meats, with nearly all the local dishes having a lot of butter.
In Valle d’Aosta we have the ‘fonduta’, which is made from a cheese typical from the region, the ‘fontina’. ‘Zuppa Alla Valpellinense’ is also ubiquitous in the area, and is made with meat, cabbage, dark bread and cheese.
In and around Piedmont we can highlight the ‘risotto tartufatto’ with the select white Alba truffle or the famous ‘Bagna cáuda’, a sauce made with garlic, olive oil, anchovies and butter and eaten by dipping raw or cooked vegetables in it. In the Liguria region, we have the ‘Torta pasqualina’, a giant green pie typically prepared at Easter with veg, eggs and parmesan cheese.
And returning to Piedmont, we also have the ‘Agnolotti al sugo di carne con burro o salvia’, pasta stuffed with meat from the region and served with a roast meat sauce or with butter and salvia.
Southern cuisine
In the south is where we find the ingredients that have made Italian cuisine famous all over the world, pizzas, pasta and mozzarella cheese.
In the Campania region, highlights include the world renowned margarita pizza, spaghetti alle vongole and spaghetti allo scoglio, both are made with tomatoes and clams.
The Basilicata region is famous for ‘pancotto’, a bread soup that uses ingredients like vegetables, chillies, meat, cheese, eggs and toasted bread.
In the Apulia region, one of the most popular dishes is ‘Orecchiette’, fresh pasta made without eggs and made from semolina and is served with different sauces.
‘Puddica’ is also a big hit, it’s similar to focaccia or a savoury pie and comes stuffed with onion, tomato, black olives and anchovies, although there are different recipes depending on the town or family.
In the area around Calabria we can find plenty of ‘maccaruni i’casa’, a home made pasta served with tomato sauce and pork, goat or lamb.
And naturally, we couldn’t forget about Sicilia and the ‘arancini di riso’, balls of rice stuffed with minced meat, tomato, cheese, peas and saffron.
And to finish up, Sardinia, where the highlight is ‘Astice Alla Catalana’, boiled lobster, tomato, celery and onion served with a sauce made from the lobster’s head.
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