Italian Food and Regional Specialties--il Mio Amore!!!

Nestled in the southern most tip of Europe with centralized Rome as its daunting capitol, Italy’s cuisine magnifies simple healthy elegance that is so awesomely desired by those around the world that Italian food can easily be found in every country. An Olive Garden and Dominos in every town, high end corporate Italian like Carrabba’s and Maggiano’s, and the local fineries are found in almost every small town of the United States and can misguide most American’s ideas of Italian food. This can be said to be the influence of Italian immigration in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, or from the appearance of US soldiers in Italy during WWII who carried it back to the states. It could also be that Italian cuisine is so creative and so individual and so…well just so phenomenally delicious that there is no wonder that the world has caught on. Pasta, garlic, olive oil, tomatoes, pesto, balsamic vinegar, red wine, the list continues and each so endemically Italian.

Americans might feel an association with the Italians because we do share some things in common in terms of our culinary specialties. Italians are famous for taking foreign foods and perfecting them to such a point that everyone assumes they were the original creators. Pasta and tomatoes, two Italian favorites, originated from China and Latin America respectively, but the Italians adapted them and made them their own, just as Americans have taken pizza and run to great and far corners. Another way that America and Italy are similar is that we are always looking for a reason to shut down a street. Festivals and great celebrations are the primary reason for street closings in Italy, whereas in America, well there are sometimes other reasons. Festivals for polenta or the wine harvest shut down cities to villages to celebrate with food and wine in abundance. The Italians knew what a commodity they had, relishing in the fruits of a good harvest, festivals were a celebration of culinary delight.

Italian food is characterized by an abundant use of wholesome and fresh ingredients like olive oil vegetables and fruit. So much so that hey have a general rule that all ingredients have to be consumed by the end of the day to ensure freshness. All these foods basil, prosciutto, risotto, balsamic vinegar, parmigiano reggiano, and wine are all indigenous foods of Italy. Each have gone abroad and have been changed to compliment other local specialties.

A variety of popular dishes around the world originate from Italy. Their infamous dishes range from the basic spaghetti, bread, and pasta to more original dishes such as Jota a stew of beans with bacon and Risi e Bisi, which is rice with young peas. Favorite Italian dishes can, and often do, include fish, meat, cheese, and wine. Another unique Italian dish that is commonly eaten on special occasions is marinated eel which is bite-size pieces eel deep fried and seasoned with salt and pepper marinated, after being fried, in a garlic, balsamic vinegar, and sugar sauce. There are many unique and special dishes all across Italy and the type of dish is usually locally specific. The varying climates of Italy allow for one dish to be unique to one region while being completely common in another.

Regions in Italy

Italy is divided into twenty provinces that are so diverse that each have a culinary or wine specialty. Italy has been taken over by so many foreign invaders and assimilated with many that they conquer and that has allowed the local areas to maintain their cultural heritage. Although they worked as individual city states until unifying in the nineteenth century, it created the unique autonomy of their culinary range. Also, the variety of climates in the country allow for each region to create an individuality in their produce.

Abruzzo: This is a small region just under the calf of Italy on the eastern coast. It is most famous for a festival called Panarda that features local specialties like smoked herring in milk, cheeses like scamorza and cacciacavallo, sweet breads, beef, and beans. Abruzzo was not originally known for its wine, but became a formidable wine growing region in the 1950’s when grapes were imported from the Tuscan region.

Apulia: Apulia makes up the heel of Southern Italy. Their diet is heavy in pasta and bread, figs are grown in abundance, and local dishes feature an abundance of seafood like oysters and lobster in truffle oil. They are also famous for their fish soup which they trace back before the ancient Romans to the Greeks. It is also one of the most important sources of olive oil production. Apulia produces the most wine in all of Italy, and many also believe it is the strongest wine available in the country.

Basilicata: Many historians believe that this region located on the foot arch of Southern Italy is the ‘birthplace of pasta’ and trace it back to Horace’s’ writings. They are also known for their cheese, lucianian pecorino, and produce elaborate sausages, well seasoned and hot sauces, ginger, hot pimentos, and olive oil. Some say that Basilicata has the best red wine in southern Italy.

Calabria: Located on the toe of the boot of Southern Italy, Calabria is known for their simple and healthy dishes, and it is widely thought that this is because the weather is so hot. Pasta is in most dishes, mixed with other foods or light soups. Vegetables are served regularly with spicy sauces, eggplant is used constantly and in a wide variety of forms, seafood is very important, and they are known for a special snail sauce. The area of Sila in Calabria is known for its prized mushrooms, porcino silano. They are also known for a cheese called buttino, which is cacioavallo provolone with a butter center. This region is not so known for their wine because of the extreme heat.

Campania: Located Italy’s upper ankle on the western coast, Campania is often thought of as the ‘birthplace of pizza’ and specializes in alla Napolitana and Margherita pizza. Of course, along with this, they are renown for their mozzarella and provolone cheeses. Campania traces its strain of grapes to the Greeks and also produces Strega, one of Italy’s most popular liquors.

Emilia Romagna: Located on the underside of the knee joint on the eastern coast, Emilia Romagna claims to have the best Italian cuisine of all the regions of Italy. The city of Bologna is known as ‘the fat’, Parma is the home for parmegiano and parmegiano regiano cheeses, and Modena is a center for balsamic vinaigrette and ham. The entire region is known for its tortellini, tagliatelle, and lasagna. Emilia Romagna has a festival called Sangiovese that features Biso, a boiled sangiovese wine, and varieties of bruschetta.

Friuli-Venezia Giulia: This region is located on the upper thigh of Northern Italy on the east coast. They are known for their goulash, prosciutto, breaded spider crab, strudel and Brovada (Friulan Sauerkraut), showing the German influence on cooking. They are a big wine region featuring Pinot Grigio and Pinot Bianco.

Lazio: On the western coast at the shin of Italy, Lazio features simple country dishes like Porchetta a spit roasted suckling pig, and Colle Picchioni a milk fed lamb, and tripe dish. They have an abundance of artichokes, thus they have a lot of artichoke dishes; and many cheeses like sharp pecorino romano. There is lots of wine production and trace it back to the ancient Romans settling in the Setine area of Lazio.

Liguria: Below the kneecap on the western coast, Liguria is known for its olive trees and flowers, particularly carnations, on their hills, as opposed to grapes, the typical Italian landscape. They are also known for pesto, a combination of parmesan cheese, olive oil, and pine nuts, and claim to be the creators of ravioli.

Lombardy: Landlocked and in the middle of the northern most border of Italy, Lombardy cuisine almost always features polenta or rice, and have a saffron flavored rice reminiscent of Spanish influence. They produce gorgonzola cheese, and a grana cheese similar to parmesan cheese. Lombardy features the nebbiolo grape and produces a sparkling red wine and a red wine.

Marche: Nestled on the eastern coast and forms the calf of Italy, Marche is best known for their truffle sauce, breaded olives stuffed with meat and truffles and then fried or baked. Their local specialty is roast pig with fennel and other spices. Their wine region is known for verdicchio, a strong wine that is an aged sweet cooking wine.

Molise: A very small region just above Southern Italy’s Achilles heel features an abundance of pasta and potato dishes. Their local specialty is capuzelle e patane, lamb brains and spices, and Ripalimosani is known in the region as the Molise capitol of bread. The Molise region is not known for their wine production.

Piedmont: One of Italy’s most well known regions located in the northwest of Italy Piedmont is often thought to have two cuisines, one for the rural highlands and one for the urban low lands and cities. The highlands have more of a local taste featuring heartier meals like fondue; rice and polenta are so widely used that they have a celebration for it each year. The low lands and cities are more heavily influenced by Lombard and French cooking, and feature the ‘home of breadsticks’ in Turin. Alba is known for its white truffle. The Piedmont uses the nebbiolo grape producing Barolo, a famous Italian wine, and the most common local grape is the Barbera grape.

Sardinia: This island to the west of Italy and north of Sicily is known for its dairy farming, and is the only region in Europe to have the DOP on three cheeses. They are also known for battarga, a caviar dish, and also for their eel dishes, muggine a native fish, and a paper thin bread called pave carasau. Sardinia traces its wine all the way back to the Phoenicians and Spanish influencs.

Sicily: Known as the island that Italy’s mainland boot is kicking, Sicily is famous for its abundance of fruits, vegetables, olives, and fish in their cuisine. Swordfish, sardines, tuna, and anchovies are in the majority of seafood dishes. Sicily produces 291 million gallons of wine each year and is second only to the Apulia region. Marsala is their most famous wine and production started on it in the eighteenth century due to Great Britain’s demand for marsala.

Trentino-Alto Adige: Trentino-Alto Adige is located in the Northeast part of Italy and heavily influenced by German cuisine. Knodel (dumplings), speck (smoked bacon) are prevelant in the northern areas, and polenta and gnocchi are popular in the south. They also have a lot of hearty german bread, strudel, and vienesse pastries. On the second day of October the locals of Trentino-Alto Adige celebrate a grape harvest festival that features pinot grigio and chardonnay.

Tuscany: One of Italy’s most famous regions just below the knee on the western coast, Tuscany features an abundance of grilled meats such as wild game, legumes, and farro, a cereal grain seen in thick soups and pies. They are prized for their olive oil, seafood, and farvolli, which are large reef crabs. Their major wine export and specialty is chianti.

Umbria: Between the calf and the shin, Umbria is completely landlocked. They have a reputation for meat, especially beef and pork, and cardoons (a cousin of artichoke), and the infamous black truffle. Their wine dates back to the Etruscans, before the ancient Romans, and they produce Orvieto and a Red Riserva.

Valle D’Aosta: Located on the northern top of Italy, it is the smallest region and is completely landlocked. Polenta and soups are widely used, and valpellinentze is a local specialty dish that is a combination of soup and fondue. They are also known for their fontina cheese, honey, and spiced trout. Valle D’Aosta uses the nebbiolo grape, and locally uses the moscato grape.

Veneto: Just above the back of the knee on the western coast, Veneto still uses a lot of spices that date back to the medieval spice trade through Venice. Rice, risotto, and soup are featured alone or in combination in most dishes. Squid ink is a local delicacy, and pasta is not used very much because of the prevalence of rice. Veneto produces more wine than any region outside of Sicily and Apulia, and is most famous for their merlot.