Italian cuisine

Italian cuisine is a style of cooking from Italy that has been enjoyed around the world for many years. It began in Roman times and changed when new foods like potatoes and tomatoes came from the colonization of the Americas. Today, Italian food is famous everywhere, and in 2025, it was named an important part of culture by UNESCO.

Italian food has many different dishes from each region of the country, but they all share a simple style. Many recipes use just a few fresh ingredients, showing how important quality is to Italian cooking. This style has influenced many other types of food, especially in places like East Africa and the United States.

The meals often include pasta, fish, fruits, and vegetables, with cheese, cold cuts, and wine also being very important. Popular treats like gelato, tiramisu, and cassata show how Italy mixes local flavors with sweet ingredients. Italy makes more wine than any other country and has many special foods protected by EU law.

History

Italian cuisine has grown and changed over many years. Even before Italy was a united country, people in the area were making delicious foods, starting as far back as the 4th century BC during ancient Roman times. Roman cooks wrote down fancy recipes in a book.

As time went on, different cities and areas began to create their own special ways of cooking. New foods like tomatoes and potatoes came from places far away and changed what people ate. Today, each part of Italy has its own favorite dishes. For example, Milan is famous for its rice dishes, Bologna for its twisted pasta, and Naples for its pizza.

The Romans were among the first to write about food. They used many spices and grew different foods like grapes and vegetables. Later, other cultures brought new ingredients, like rice and citrus fruits, which became part of Italian meals. Through the years, Italian cooks kept finding new ways to make tasty food, using what was available around them.

Basic foods

Italian cuisine uses many different ingredients, from fruits and vegetables to grains, cheeses, meats, and fish. In northern Italy, common ingredients include fish like cod, potatoes, rice, corn, sausages, pork, and various cheeses. Pasta dishes with tomatoes are popular all over Italy, and ingredients are usually fresh and lightly seasoned.

In northern regions, you’ll find stuffed pasta and dishes like polenta and risotto. Ligurian cuisine features fish and seafood, along with basil used in pesto, nuts, and olive oil. Emilia-Romagna is known for its ham, salami, truffles, and special cheeses like Parmigiano Reggiano. Central Italy uses tomatoes, meats, fish, and pecorino cheese, while southern Italy enjoys tomatoes, peppers, olives, olive oil, garlic, and fish like anchovies and sardines. Italy also makes many types of cheese, with over 600 different kinds, many of which are protected for their quality.

Olive oil is the main fat used in Italian cooking and is the base for many sauces. Italy uses the most olive oil in the world and has many different types of olive trees. Bread is also a staple food in Italian meals, with many regional varieties.

Meats

Italian cuisine includes many types of sausages and cured meats, which are important parts of meals. Meat such as beef, pork, and poultry is used in many dishes and as ingredients for pasta sauces. Fish and seafood are also very popular, often served as a main dish or used in pasta seasonings.

Salumi

Salumi are cured meats, often made from pork and used in appetizers. They can also include beef and cooked products like mortadella.

Pasta

Italy is famous for its many kinds of pasta, which come in different shapes and sizes, such as penne, maccheroni, spaghetti, linguine, fusilli, and lasagna. There are also filled pastas like ravioli and tortellini. Pasta can be made from durum wheat flour and water (dry pasta) or from soft wheat flour and eggs (fresh pasta). It is usually cooked by boiling and served in three ways: with a sauce (pastasciutta), in broth with vegetables (minestrone), or baked after seasoning (pasta al forno).

Pizza

Pizza is a well-known Italian food, made from a flat dough base topped with tomatoes, cheese, and other ingredients like meats, olives, and vegetables, then baked at high heat. Traditional Neapolitan pizza has been recognized for its special qualities and is part of Italy’s cultural heritage. In different regions, similar dishes like focaccia, piadina, crescia, and sfincione are also enjoyed.

Regional cuisines

Each area of Italy has its own special dishes, mainly at a regional level but also at the provincial level. The differences can come from nearby countries, whether a region is close to the sea or the mountains, and local economics. Italian cuisine changes with the seasons, focusing on fresh produce.

Commonly used in desserts, you’ll find ingredients like butter and oil. Staple ingredients for first courses include wheat, corn, and rice. Popular meats for second courses are beef and lamb.

Abruzzo and Molise

Pasta, meat, and vegetables are central to the cuisine of Abruzzo and Molise. Chili peppers are typical of Abruzzo, where they are called "little devils" for their spicy heat. Due to the long history of raising sheep in Abruzzo and Molise, lamb dishes are common. Lamb meat is often paired with pasta. Mushrooms, rosemary, and garlic are also extensively used.

Best-known is the extra virgin olive oil produced in local farms, marked by a quality level and considered one of the best in the country. Renowned wines such as Montepulciano and Trebbiano d'Abruzzo are amongst the world's finest wines. The best-known dish from Abruzzo is arrosticini, little pieces of lamb on a wooden stick and cooked on coals.

The most famous dish of Molise is cavatelli, a long shaped, handmade pasta often served with meat sauce, broccoli or mushrooms. Pizzelle waffles are a common dessert, especially around Christmas.

Aosta Valley

In the Aosta Valley, bread-thickened soups are customary as well as cheese fondue, chestnuts, potatoes, and rice. Polenta is a staple along with rye bread, smoked bacon, cured chamois meat, and game meat from the mountains and forests. Butter and cream are important in stewed, roasted, and braised dishes.

Typical regional products include fontina cheese, Vallée d'Aoste Lard d'Arnad, red wines, and an Artemisia-based liqueur.

Apulia

Apulian cuisine is characterised by the importance given to raw materials, both land and sea, with ingredients designed to enhance the basic flavours of the products used.

Apulia is a major food producer; major production includes wheat, tomatoes, courgette, broccoli, bell peppers, potatoes, spinach, aubergines, cauliflower, fennel, endive, chickpeas, lentils, beans, and cheese. Apulia is also the largest producer of olive oil in Italy. The sea offers abundant fish and seafood.

Goat and lamb are occasionally used. The region is known for pasta made from durum wheat and traditional pasta dishes featuring orecchiette-style pasta, often served with tomato sauce, potatoes, mussels or broccoli rabe. Pasta with cherry tomatoes and arugula is also popular.

Regional desserts include zeppole, doughnuts usually topped with powdered sugar and filled with custard, jelly, cannoli-style pastry cream or a butter-and-honey mixture. For Christmas, Apulians make a very traditional rose-shaped pastry called cartellate.

Among the street foods there are focaccia barese, panzerotti, and rustico.

Basilicata

The cuisine of Basilicata is mostly based on inexpensive ingredients and deeply anchored in rural traditions.

Pork is an integral part of the regional cuisine, often made into sausages or roasted on a spit. Famous dry sausages from the region are lucanica and soppressata. Wild boar, mutton, and lamb are also popular. Pasta sauces are generally based on meats or vegetables. Horseradish is often used as a spice and condiment. The region produces cheeses and olive oils. The peperone crusco is a staple of the local cuisine.

Among the traditional dishes are pasta con i peperoni cruschi, lagane e ceci, tumact me tulez, rafanata, ciaudedda, and baccalà alla lucana. Desserts include taralli dolci, calzoncelli, and others.

The most famous wine of the region is the Aglianico del Vulture; others include Matera, Terre dell'Alta Val d'Agri, and Grottino di Roccanova.

Basilicata is also known for its mineral waters which are sold widely in Italy.

Calabria

In Calabria, a history of rule under the House of Anjou and Napoleon, along with Spanish influences, affected the language and culinary skills. Seafood includes swordfish, shrimp, lobster, sea urchin, and squid. Macaroni-type pasta is widely used in regional dishes, often served with goat, beef or pork sauce, and salty ricotta cheese.

Main courses include frittuli, different varieties of spicy sausages, goat, and land snails. Melon and watermelon are traditionally served in a chilled fruit salad or wrapped in prosciutto. Calabrian wines include Greco di Bianco, Bivongi, Cirò, Dominici, Lamezia, Melissa, Pollino, Sant'Anna di Isola Capo Rizzuto, San Vito di Luzzi, Savuto, Scavigna, and Verbicaro.

Calabrese pizza has a Neapolitan-based structure with fresh tomato sauce and a cheese base, but is unique because of its spicy flavour.

Campania

Campania extensively produces tomatoes, peppers, spring onions, potatoes, artichokes, fennel, lemons, and oranges. The Gulf of Naples offers fish and seafood. Campania is one of the largest producers and consumers of pasta in Italy, especially spaghetti. In the regional cuisine, pasta is prepared in various styles that can feature tomato sauce, cheese, clams, and shellfish.

Neapolitan cuisine has ancient historical roots enriched over the centuries by the influence of different cultures. Spaghetti alla puttanesca is a popular dish made with olives, tomatoes, anchovies, capers, chili peppers, and garlic. The region is well known for its mozzarella production that is used in a variety of dishes, including parmigiana di melanzane. Desserts include struffoli, pastiera, sfogliatelle, torta caprese, and rum baba.

Originating in Neapolitan cuisine, pizza has become popular worldwide. Pizza is an oven-baked, flat, disc-shaped bread typically topped with a tomato sauce, cheese, and various toppings.

Since Naples was the capital of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies, its cuisine took much from the culinary traditions of all the Campania region. Famous regional wines are Aglianico, Fiano, Falanghina, Lacryma Christi, Coda di Volpe dei Campi Flegrei, and Greco di Tufo.

Emilia-Romagna

Emilia-Romagna is especially known for its egg and filled pasta made with soft wheat flour. The Romagna subregion is renowned for pasta dishes such as cappelletti, garganelli, strozzapreti, sfoglia lorda, and tortelli alla lastra as well as cheeses such as squacquerone. Piadina is also a specialty of the subregion.

Bologna and Modena are notable for pasta dishes such as tortellini, tortelloni, lasagna, gramigna, and tagliatelle. The celebrated balsamic vinegar is made only in the Emilian cities of Modena and Reggio Emilia.

Emilian cuisine consists of the cooking traditions and practices of the Italian region of Emilia. In the Emilia subregion, except Piacenza, which is heavily influenced by the cuisines of Lombardy, rice is eaten to a lesser extent than the rest of northern Italy. Polenta, a maize-based side dish, is common in both Emilia and Romagna.

Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano cheeses are produced in Reggio Emilia and Piacenza, respectively.

Although the Adriatic coast is a major fishing area, the region is more famous for its meat products, especially pork-based, that include cold cuts such as prosciutto di Parma, culatello, and salame Felino; Piacenza's pancetta, coppa, and salami; mortadella Bologna and salame rosa; zampone, cotechino, and cappello del prete; and Ferrara's salama da sugo. Piacenza is also known for some dishes prepared with horse and donkey meat. Regional desserts include zuppa inglese, panpepato, tenerina and torta degli addobbi.

Friuli-Venezia Giulia

The cuisine of Friuli-Venezia Giulia can vary depending on the territory, as certain areas are home to German and Slovene minorities whose local cuisine conserves greater Austro-Hungarian influences. Udine and Pordenone, in the western part of the region, are known for their traditional prosciutto di San Daniele, Montasio cheese, cjarsons stuffed pasta, and frico. Other typical dishes are pitina, game meat, and various types of gnocchi and polenta.

Typical dishes in the eastern provinces of Gorizia and Trieste include brovada, Jota, local variations of goulash, apple strudel, pinza, and presnitz. Pork can be spicy and is often prepared over an open hearth. Collio Goriziano, Friuli Isonzo, Colli Orientali del Friuli, and Ramandolo are well-known regional wines.

Seafood from the Adriatic is also used in this area, mainly prepared according to Istrian and Venetian recipes.

Tiramisu is a dessert linked to both Venetian and Friulian traditions.

Lazio

It features fresh, seasonal and simply prepared ingredients from Roman Campagna. These include peas, globe artichokes and fava beans, shellfish, milk-fed lamb and goat, and cheeses such as pecorino romano and ricotta. Olive oil is used mostly to dress raw vegetables, while strutto and fat from prosciutto are preferred for frying. The most popular sweets in Rome are small individual pastries called pasticcini Special dishes are often reserved for different days of the week.

Pasta dishes based on the use of guanciale are often found in Lazio, such as carbonara pasta and amatriciana pasta. Another pasta dish of the region is arrabbiata, with spicy tomato sauce. The regional cuisine widely use offal, resulting in dishes such as the entrail-based rigatoni with pajata sauce and coda alla vaccinara. Abbacchio is a meat dish based on lamb.

Iconic of Lazio is cheese made from ewes' milk, porchetta, and Frascati white wine. The influence of the ancient Jewish community can be noticed in the Roman cuisine's traditional carciofi alla giudia.

Liguria

Ligurian cuisine uses ingredients linked both to local production, and to imports from areas with which the Ligurians have had frequent trade. Liguria is known for herbs and vegetables as well as seafood in its cuisine. Savory pies are popular, mixing greens and artichokes along with cheeses, milk curds, and eggs. Onions and olive oil are used. Due to a lack of land suitable for wheat, the Ligurians use chickpeas in farinata and polenta-like panissa. The former is served plain or topped with onions, artichokes, sausages, cheese or young anchovies. Farinata is typically cooked in a wood-fired oven, similar to southern pizzas. Fresh fish also features heavily in Ligurian cuisine. Baccalà is a prominent source of protein in coastal regions.

Hilly districts use chestnuts as a source of carbohydrates. Ligurian pastas include corzetti, pansoti, piccagge, trenette, boiled beans and potatoes, and trofie. Many Ligurians emigrated to Argentina in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, influencing Argentinian cuisine. Pesto, sauce made from basil and other herbs, is uniquely Ligurian, and frequently accompanies Ligurian pastas.

Lombardy

Due to the different historical events of its provinces and the variety of its territory, Lombard cuisine has a very varied culinary tradition. First courses in Lombard cuisine range from risotto, to soups and stuffed pasta, in broth or not. Main courses offer a variegated choice of meat or fish dishes of the tradition of the many lakes and rivers of Lombardy.

In general, the cuisine of the various provinces of Lombardy can be united by the prevalence of rice and stuffed pasta over dry pasta, butter instead of olive oil for cooking, prolonged cooking, the widespread use of pork, milk and derivatives, egg-based preparations, and the consumption of polenta that is common to all of northern Italy.

Rice dishes are very popular in this region, often found in soups as well as risotto. The best-known version is risotto alla milanese, flavoured with saffron.

Other regional specialties include cotoletta alla milanese, cassoeula, mostarda, Valtellina's bresaola, pizzoccheri, agnolotti pavesi, casoncelli, and tortelli di zucca. Common in the whole Insubria area are bruscitti, originating from Alto Milanese, which consist in a braised meat dish cut very thin and cooked in wine and fennel seeds. Regional cheeses include Grana Padano, Gorgonzola, crescenza, robiola, and Taleggio. Polenta is common across the region. Regional desserts include the famous panettone.

Marche

On the coast of Marche, fish and seafood are produced. Inland, wild and domestic pigs are used for sausages and prosciuttos. These prosciuttos are not thinly sliced, but cut into bite-sized chunks. Suckling pig, chicken, and fish are often stuffed with rosemary or fennel fronds and garlic before being roasted or placed on the spit.

Ascoli, Marche's southernmost province, is well known for olive all'ascolana, stoned olives stuffed with several minced meats, egg, and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, then fried. Another well-known Marche product are the maccheroncini di Campofilone, from little town of Campofilone, a type of hand-made pasta made only of hard grain flour and eggs, cut so thin that melts in one's mouth.

Piedmont

Piedmontese cuisine is partly influenced by French cuisine; this is demonstrated in particular by the importance of appetisers. Between the Alps and the Po Valley, featuring a large number of different ecosystems, the Piedmont region offers a refined and varied cuisine. As a point of union between traditional Italian and French cuisine, Piedmont is the Italian region with the largest number of cheeses with protected geographical status and wines under DOC. It is also the region where both the Slow Food association and the most prestigious school of Italian cooking, the University of Gastronomic Sciences, were founded.

Piedmont is a region where gathering nuts, mushrooms, and cardoons, as well as hunting and fishing, are commonplace. Truffles, garlic, seasonal vegetables, cheese, and rice feature in the cuisine. Wines from the Nebbiolo grape such as Barolo and Barbaresco are produced as well as wines from the Barbera grape, fine sparkling wines, and the sweet, lightly sparkling, Moscato d'Asti. The region is also famous for its Vermouth and Ratafia production.

Castelmagno is a prized cheese of the region. Piedmont is also famous for the quality of its Carrù beef, hence the tradition of eating raw meat seasoned with garlic oil, lemon, and salt; carpaccio; brasato al vino, wine stew made from marinated beef; and boiled beef served with various sauces.

The food most typical of the Piedmont tradition are agnolotti, paniscia, taglierini, bagna càuda, and bicerin. Piedmont is one of the Italian capitals of pastry and chocolate in particular, with products such as Nutella, gianduiotto, and marron glacé that are famous worldwide.

Sardinia

The cuisine of Sardinia is characterised by its own variety and by the fact of having been enriched through a number of interactions with the other Mediterranean cultures while retaining its own identity.

Suckling pig and wild boar are roasted on the spit or boiled in stews of beans and vegetables, thickened with bread. Herbs such as mint and myrtle are widely used in the regional cuisine. Sardinia also has many special types of bread, made dry, which keeps longer than high-moisture breads. Malloreddus is a typical pasta of the region.

Also baked are carasau bread, civraxu bread, coccoi a pitzus, a highly decorative bread, and pistocu bread, made with flour and water only, originally meant for herders, but often served at home with tomatoes, basil, oregano, garlic, and a strong cheese. Rock lobster, scampi, squid, tuna, and sardines are the predominant seafoods.

Casu marzu is a sheep's cheese produced in Sardinia.

Sicily

Sicilian cuisine shows traces of all cultures that have existed on the island of Sicily over the last two millennia. Although its cuisine has much in common with Italian cuisine, Sicilian food also has Greek, Spanish, Jewish, Maghrebi, and Arab influences. The Sicilian cook Mithaecus, born during 5th century BC, is credited with having brought knowledge of Sicilian gastronomy to Greece: his cookbook was the first in Greek, therefore he was the earliest cookbook author in any language whose name is known.

Sicily shows traces of all the cultures which established themselves on the island over the last two millennia. Although its cuisine undoubtedly has a predominantly Italian base, Sicilian food also has Spanish, Greek, and Arab influences. The ancient Romans introduced lavish dishes based on goose. The Byzantines favoured sweet and sour flavours and the Arabs brought sugar, citrus, rice, spinach, and saffron. The Normans and Hohenstaufens had a fondness for meat dishes. The Spanish introduced items from the New World including chocolate, maize, turkey, and tomatoes. Sicilian cuisine not only reflects a mix of historical influences, but also embodies traditions that have been preserved through the use of local ingredients and age-old techniques, particularly in dishes such as arancini and cassata.

Much of the island's cuisine encourages the use of fresh vegetables such as aubergine, peppers, and tomatoes, as well as fish such as tuna, seabream, sea bass, swordfish, and cuttlefish. In Trapani, in the extreme western corner of the island, North African influences are clear in the use of various couscous based dishes, usually combined with fish. Mint is used extensively in cooking unlike the rest of Italy.

Traditional specialties from Sicily include arancini, pasta alla Norma, caponata, pani câ meusa, and a host of desserts and sweets such as cannoli, granita, and cassata.

Typical of Sicily is Marsala, a red, fortified wine similar to Port and largely exported.

Trentino-Alto Adige

The cuisine of South Tyrol—the northern half of the Trentino-Alto Adige region—combines culinary influences from Italy and the Mediterranean with a strong alpine regional and Austrian influence. Before the Council of Trent in the middle of the 16th century, the region was known for the simplicity of its peasant cuisine. When the prelates of the Catholic Church established there, they brought the art of fine cooking with them. Later, also influences from the Republic of Venice and the Austrian Habsburg Empire came in.

The most renowned local product is traditional speck juniper-flavoured prosciutto which, as speck Alto Adige, is regulated by the European Union under the PGI status. Goulash, knödel, apple strudel, kaiserschmarrn, krapfen, rösti, spätzle, and rye bread are regular dishes, along with potatoes, dumpling, homemade sauerkraut, and lard. Since the 20th century the cuisine has come under the influence of other Italian regions, so that various pizza and pasta dishes have become staples. This fusion has led to the creation of dishes such as pasta with speck cream sauce and baked apple rings. The territory of Bolzano is also reputed for its Müller-Thurgau white wines.

The cuisine of the Trentino subregion leans more towards Veneto. It is influenced by its geographical position which ranges from isolated Alpine valleys to the southern prealpine lakes. The cuisine is characterised by its peasant dishes and especially the wide presence of soups. Trentino produces various types of sausages, polenta, yogurt, cheese, gnocchi, buckwheat, potato cake, funnel cake, and freshwater fish. Typical dishes from Trentino include zuppa d'orzo, canederli, strangolapreti, smacafam, panada, brö brusà, tortel di patate and risotto with Teroldego. Trentino's protected products include its Non Valley apples.

Tuscany

Tuscan cuisine is celebrated for its simplicity and focus on fresh, high-quality ingredients such as olive oil, legumes, and meats. Simplicity is central to the this cuisine.

Some of Tuscany's classic dishes are rooted in cucina povera, a cuisine that emphasises seasonal ingredients and straightforward flavours over complex sauces and spices. One example is ribollita, a notable soup whose name literally means 'reboiled'. Ribollita was originally made by reheating (i.e. reboiling) the leftover minestrone or vegetable soup from the previous day. There are many variations, but ingredients often include leftover bread, cannellini beans, and inexpensive vegetables such as carrot, cabbage, beans, silverbeet, cavolo nero, onion, and olive oil.

Another of the cuisine's simple staples is the lampredotto, made from tripe. The classic preparation of the sandwich requires boiling the tripe with carrots, celery, tomato, and salt. Then, it is served with a sauce of parsley, garlic, capers, and oil. The sandwich is held together with michetta bread.

Tuscany has a few key pastas originating from the region or used frequently in local cooking. These include tortelli, gnudi, pappardelle, orecchiette, and pici.

High-quality ingredients, specific to the region, are essential to Tuscan cooking. The region has 32 PDO and PGI quality agrifood products. These ingredients are showcased in the English chef Normal Russell's 2023 cookbook, Brutto. These include white truffles from San Miniato which begin to appear and are harvested in September and December, as well as other truffle varieties, including the Marzuolo truffle, known as Bianchetto, the prized summer black truffle.

Pork is also wildly produced in the region. The region is well-known also for its rich game meat, especially wild boar, hare, fallow deer, roe deer, and pheasant that often are used to prepare pappardelle dishes. Maiale ubriaco is another regional preparation in which pork is braised in Chianti wine and often paired with Tuscan kale. Lardo is a salume of cured fatback, served as thin slices or as a paste; a famous variety is lardo di Colonnata.

Regional desserts include cantucci, castagnaccio, pan di ramerino, panforte, ricciarelli, necci, and cavallucci.

Well-known regional wines include Brunello di Montalcino, Carmignano, Chianti, Morellino di Scansano, Parrina, Sassicaia, and Vernaccia di San Gimignano.

Umbria

Many Umbrian dishes are prepared by boiling or roasting with local olive oil and herbs. Vegetable dishes are popular in the spring and summer, while fall and winter sees meat from hunting and black truffles from Norcia. Meat dishes include the traditional wild boar sausages, pheasants, geese, pigeons, frogs, and snails.

Castelluccio is known for its lentils. Spoleto and Monteleone are known for spelt. Freshwater fish include lasca, trout, freshwater perch, grayling, eel, barbel, whitefish, and tench. Orvieto and Sagrantino di Montefalco are important regional wines.

Veneto

Venetian cuisine may be divided into three main categories, based on geography: the coastal areas, the plains, and the mountains. Each one (especially the plains) can have many local cuisines, each city with its own dishes.

Venice and many surrounding parts of Veneto are known for risotto, a dish whose ingredients can highly vary upon different areas. Fish and seafood are added in regions closer to the coast while pumpkin, asparagus, radicchio, and frog legs appear farther away from the Adriatic Sea.

Made from finely ground maize meal, polenta is a traditional, rural food typical of Veneto and most of northern Italy. It may be included in stirred dishes and baked dishes. Polenta can be served with various cheese, stockfish or meat dishes. Some polenta dishes include porcini, rapini, or other vegetables or meats, such as small songbirds in the case of the Venetian and Lombard dish polenta e osei, or sausages. In some areas of Veneto it can be also made of a particular variety of cornmeal, named biancoperla, so that the colour of polenta is white and not yellow (the so-called polenta bianca).

Beans, peas, and other legumes are seen in these areas with pasta e fagioli and risi e bisi. Venice features heavy dishes using exotic spices and sauces. Ingredients such as stockfish or simple marinated anchovies are found here as well.

Less fish and more meat is eaten away from the coast. Other typical products are sausages such as sopressa, garlic salami, Piave cheese, and Asiago cheese. High-quality vegetables are prized, such as red radicchio from Treviso and white asparagus from Bassano del Grappa. Perhaps the most popular dish of Venice is fegato alla veneziana, thinly sliced veal liver sautéed with onions.

Squid and cuttlefish are common ingredients, as is squid ink, called nero di seppia. Among the regional desserts there is the famous tiramisu, baicoli, and nougat.

The most celebrated Venetian wines include Bardolino, Prosecco, Soave, Amarone, and Valpolicella DOC wines.

Meal structure

Main article: Italian meal structure

Italian meals are similar to those in the European Mediterranean area. They usually have breakfast (colazione), lunch (pranzo), and dinner (cena), but breakfast is often lighter or sometimes skipped. People in Italy also often have snacks in the late morning and mid-afternoon, called merenda.

Traditional Italian meals often have four or five courses, especially on weekends when families and friends enjoy longer meals together. During special occasions like Christmas and New Year's Eve, meals can last for many hours. Today, full meals with many courses are saved for special events like weddings. Everyday meals usually include a first course, like pasta or risotto, and sometimes a second course, such as meat or poultry, along with a side dish and coffee. Bread is commonly placed on the table and is enjoyed with both the first and second courses. It is often used to help soak up any remaining sauce or broth, a practice known as fare la scarpetta.

Food establishments

Italy has many special places where people go to eat, each with its own job. These places usually stick to what they are known for. The country has 395 very fancy restaurants that have been given a high award called a Michelin star.

• Food establishments

The garden at an _[osteria](/wiki/Osteria)_ in [Castello Roganzuolo](/wiki/Castello_Roganzuolo), [Veneto](/wiki/Veneto), Italy

A pizzeria in [Naples](/wiki/Naples), Italy, c. 1910

Interior of a [trattoria](/wiki/Trattoria) in [Tolmezzo](/wiki/Tolmezzo), [Friuli](/wiki/Friuli), Italy

• _06.jpg)

  An agriturismo in Montepulciano, Tuscany, Italy

Drinks

Coffee

See also: Coffee in Italy

Italian coffee, called espresso, is made from a special mix of coffee beans. The beans are roasted a bit darker the farther south you go in Italy.

One common belief is that espresso has more caffeine than other coffees, but it's actually the opposite. The longer the beans are roasted, the less caffeine they have. The modern espresso machine was created in 1937 by Achille Gaggia. It uses a pump and pressure to push hot water through finely ground coffee, making a small amount of strong coffee.

At home, people use simpler coffee makers that work on the same idea. Two popular home makers are La napoletana and moka per il caffè. Espresso is usually served in small cups. There are many ways to enjoy it, like adding a bit of steamed milk to make a caffè macchiato, or making it stronger with less water, called a ristretto. Another popular drink is cappuccino, which mixes espresso with steamed milk. Caffè latte is equal parts espresso and steamed milk, like café au lait. Latte macchiato is a glass of warm milk with a bit of coffee, and caffè corretto is espresso mixed with a small amount of an alcoholic drink like grappa or brandy.

The bicerin is a special coffee drink from Turin. It's a mix of cappuccino and hot chocolate, made with coffee, drinking chocolate, and a little milk. It's thick and often has whipped cream and chocolate powder on top.

Alcoholic beverages

Wine

Main article: Italian wine

Italy makes the most wine in the world and has the most different kinds of grapes. In 1996, only a quarter of the wine made in Italy was bottled for people to buy. Most of it was used to make blends in other countries like France and Germany. Italy also makes more spirits from wine than any country in the New World. There are twenty different areas in Italy where wine is made. Italy grows hundreds of different grapes, making its wine industry very varied. Some famous red wines are Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello di Montalcino, and Amarone.

In 1963, Italy made a law called denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) to make sure wines came from certain places and were made in specific ways. Later, in 1980, they made an even higher standard called denominazione di origine controllata e garantita (DOCG) for the best wines.

In Italy, people often drink water and wine with their meals. It's very unusual to drink any other type of drink, whether it's alcoholic or not.

Beer

Main article: Beer in Italy

Italy is known for its wine, but beer, especially mass-produced pale lagers, is also common. Beer is often enjoyed with pizza and has become popular for drinking in many other situations since the 1970s. Two well-known Italian beer brands are Peroni and Moretti.

Other

Italy has many other popular alcoholic drinks. Limoncello, a lemon-flavored drink from Campania (Sorrento, Amalfi, and the Gulf of Naples), is very popular. It's usually served very cold in small glasses.

Amaro Averna is a common drink from Sicily made with herbs, often enjoyed after big meals. Mirto, a drink made from myrtle berries and leaves, is popular in Sardinia and other places. Another well-known drink is Amaro Lucano from Basilicata.

Grappa is a common drink in northern Italy, especially in the Alps and Po Valley regions. Some of the best grappas come from Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Veneto, Piedmont, and Trentino. Three famous Italian drinks are Martini, Vermouth, and Campari. Prosecco, a sparkling drink from the Veneto region, is becoming popular around the world as a cheaper option to French champagne.

Desserts

Main article: List of Italian desserts

In Italy, sweets like biscuits and candy are all grouped together. Popular traditional treats include candied fruits, torrone, and nut brittles, which people still enjoy today. Long ago, northern Italy was known for its stiff fruit pastes, so good that "Paste of Genoa" became a name for high-quality fruit preserves.

Italy is well-loved for its special gelato, a type of ice cream that many people enjoy around the world. Silver-coated almond dragées, called confetti in Italian, are often given as gifts at celebrations like weddings, baptisms, and graduations. These almonds are wrapped in a small tulle bag and sometimes come with sweet messages, a tradition that started in Italy a long time ago.

Some famous Italian desserts include:

• Panettone, a special Christmas cake
• Gelato, creamy Italian ice cream
• Panna cotta with toppings
• Tiramisu dusted with cocoa powder
• Cannoli filled with pistachios, candied fruit, and chocolate chips
• Torta mimosa
• Cassata, a marzipan cake
• Sfogliatelle filled with custard
• Zuccotto
• Crostata

Holiday cuisine

Every region in Italy has special recipes for holidays. On Festa di San Giuseppe ('Saint Joseph's Day') on March 19, people in Sicily thank Saint Joseph for helping them avoid a big problem long ago. They eat fava beans, which saved many people from going hungry, and wear red clothes and enjoy a treat called zeppole.

For Easter Sunday, families all over Italy eat lamb, called abbacchio in central Italy. A popular Easter cake is the colomba pasquale (Easter dove), often just called "Italian Easter Cake" in other countries. It is shaped like a dove and topped with almonds and pearl sugar.

On Christmas Eve, many people have a special meatless dinner called cena di magro, following old traditions. This dinner is a big, tasty meal with fish and seafood. Common cakes during Christmas are panettone and pandoro.

International

Africa

Former Italian colonies

Because Italy once ruled parts of Africa, like Ethiopia, Eritrea, Libya, and Somalia, these places use many Italian foods today.

South Africa

Many people in South Africa have Italian roots. They enjoy Italian foods such as prosciutto and cheeses, either imported or made locally. Every city has Italian restaurants and pizzerias. Olive oil production is growing, especially in the dry southwestern areas.

Europe

Croatia

Italian foods came to Croatia with people from Dalmatia and Istria, like scampi alla busara, brudet, and Istrian jota.

France

The food of Corsica in France is very similar to Italian food because Corsica was ruled by Italy for many years. The County of Nice also uses Italian styles because it was once part of Italy.

Malta

Maltese food uses many Italian ideas, along with Spanish, French, and other nearby foods.

Monaco

Monégasque food uses lots of Italian styles, especially from Lombardy, because Monaco is close to Italy.

San Marino

Sammarinese food is very much like Italian food, especially from Emilia-Romagna and Marche. San Marino makes cheese, wine, and livestock, with cheesemaking being very important.

Slovenia

Because Slovenia is close to Italy, it uses many Italian foods. Examples are njoki (like Italian gnocchi), rizota (like risotto), and zilkrofi (like ravioli).

Switzerland

The food in Ticino uses many Italian ideas, especially from Lombardy, because of old ties between the areas. Popular dishes include polenta and risotto, often with special meats like luganighe.

Pizzoccheri come from Valtellina, and are also liked in Val Poschiavo. Bruscitti is a dish from Lombardy and lower Ticino, made with beef and served with polenta or risotto alla milanese.

North and Central America

United States

Main article: Italian-American cuisine

Italian-American food comes from Italian styles but uses ingredients found in the United States. Foods from Southern Italy include pasta, tomato sauce, and olive oil. Foods from northern Italy include risotto and polenta. Pizza became popular in the United States when Italian immigrants brought it, and it grew even more after soldiers returned from World War II.

Mexico

In Mexico, torta de milanesa is a common sandwich made with bread and a fried pork or beef cutlet.

South America

Argentina

Because many people from Italy moved to Argentina, Italian foods are very common there. Examples include milanesa and sorrentinos.

Brazil

Italian food is popular in Brazil because many Italians moved there. São Paulo has its own style of pizza, different from both Italian and American kinds.

Uruguay

Many Italians moved to Uruguay, so foods like pasta, baña cauda, and torta frita are common there.

Venezuela

Venezuelan food uses some Italian ideas, like pasticho (a kind of lasagna) and Pan Chabata bread.

"Gnocchi del 29"

In some South American countries, people eat gnocchi on the 29th of each month. This comes from a story about Saint Pantaleon, who was known for helping people. The story says he shared a meal with peasants on July 29, so people remember that day with gnocchi.

Oceania

The many Italians who moved to Australia changed the country’s food. Chicken parmigiana became popular there by the 1950s. In the 1950s, the first espresso machines appeared in Sydney, and many Italian coffee houses opened in cities like Melbourne.

The Italian community in New Zealand also added Italian flavors to local foods.