10 Famous Foods from Italy

1. Pizza      

The modern day pizza's birthplace was Naples, Italy. The original and most popular variety is Margherita, which has only tomato, mozzarella, and basil. These colors represent the Italian flag colors and legend says this pizza was served to Queen Margherita of Savoy. Pizza was a peasant food, yet the Queen loved it and continued to enjoy it despite the backlash she received from others in the royal circle. The pizza was later named after her and is a popular pizza variety served around the world. If you have a chance to sample a Margherita pizza, Naples is definitely the place -- with tomatoes grown in the volcanic ash of nearby Pompeii, the taste is spectacular and unlike pizza I have tried anywhere else in Italy or around the world.

2. Gelato 

Gelato is Italy's version of ice cream. It contains many of the same ingredients as other frozen dairy desserts, but has a lower butterfat and sugar content. It is made and frozen in small batches versus the process of making most commercial ice creams in the United States. It lacks the amount of "air" seen in ice cream, giving it a more intense flavor. Another difference is how long it can keep -- gelato only stays fresh for a couple days.

Gelato dates back to ancient Roman and Egyptian frozen desserts made from ice and snow. It later appeared in Florence and the Florentine cook, Bernardo Buontalenti, is the one who is credited with creating modern ice cream in 1565. Gelato itself did not become popular until the 1900's after the first mobile gelato cart was created.

3. Tiramisu

Tiramisu is a popular dessert found on nearly every Italian restaurant menu in the United States. It is made of biscuits soaked in coffee with layers of whipped mascarpone and egg yolks. It also contains cocoa and liquor flavors.

There is quite a bit of debate as to where and when Tiramisu originated, but it comes from Italy. Many people believe it is more of a recent creation (early 1980s), while others believe it was earlier. There is also debate as to where in Italy it originated as well. Thankfully, everyone can agree this is one of the best desserts to come out of Italy!

4. Risotto

Risotto originated in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. Risotto dishes are made with short-grain rice and include a broth that creates a creamy final product. Producing a good risotto is not often that easy and an improperly cooked one can resemble a crunchy rice soup.

Risottos are often found in fine Italian or even gourmet French restaurants around the world. If you want to learn to make risotto at home, look to chefs like Mario Batali, who are considered masters of Italian risotto dishes.

5. Mortadella

Mortadella originated in Bologna and is a large sausage made from finely ground pork sausage that is heat-cured. It also has small cubes of pork fat incorporated in it. Mortadella is spiced and sold in a variety of ways -- popular varieties include olives, pistachios, pepper, and jalapenos. When you are shopping in the local markets or delis in Italy, be sure to pick some up as the taste is incredible.

6. Spumoni

Spumoni is a molded Italian ice cream dessert. It has different layers of color and flavor and contains nuts and candied fruits. Spumoni is believed to have originated in Naples, Italy. Traditional spumoni is often hard to find in some restaurants outside of Italy, but you can often get spumoni ice cream at your local grocery store. While not quite the same, at least it is something to satiate the craving until your next trip to Italy!

Trivia tidbit -- this popular dessert is so beloved in North America that there are even two National Spumoni Days! The United States celebrates it on August 21 and Canada celebrates it on November 13.

7. Mozzarella

Not surprisingly, this versatile and gourmet cheese came from Italy. Good mozzarella is the key to many Italian dishes and of course the Caprese salad. Mozzarella is actually the term for several different kinds of cheese made by spinning and cutting. These include:

- Mozzarella di Bufala (buffalo mozzarella) - made from water buffalo milk
- Mozzarella fior di latte - made from fresh cow's milk (may or may not be pasteurized)
- Low-moisture Mozzarella - made from whole or part skim milk
- Smoked Mozzarella

The name comes from the Campania region of Italy where mozza means "cut". As with the pizza, if you are in Naples, be sure to try the Caprese salad as well with the fresh buffalo mozzarella and Pompeii-grown tomatoes!

8. Cannoli 

This is one of my personal favorites -- cannoli from Sicily. If you have never seen one, they are small pastry tubes filled with a sweet, creamy cheese filling. Many places in the United States will serve them with chocolate chips inside and a light dusting of powdered sugar on top.

Cannoli originated in the Palermo region of Sicily and were traditionally prepared during Carnevale, eventually becoming a regular part of Italian cuisine and eventually found worldwide. Cities with "Little Italy" districts are great places to pick up authentic cannoli when you can't get back to Italy quick enough!

9. Spaghetti

Despite what many think, pasta did not originate in Italy. The Chinese have the hold on the first known pastas, however, Italy did invent the ever popular pasta we call spaghetti. It is believed to have originated in Southern Italy, back in the 12th century. It wasn't until the 19th century when commercial pasta factories came on the scene, enabling Italy to mass produce spaghetti and other pastas.

If you really like pasta, you might want to consider checking out the Pasta Museum in Rome during your travels in Italy! It is the only one of its kind in the world and boasts 11 rooms with eight centuries of pasta history!

10. Parmigiano-Reggiano

Another cheese that we have Italy to thank for is Parmigiano-Reggiano, often referred to as Parmesan elsewhere in the world. It is named after the areas near where it is produced - Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, and Bologna. Much like wine and champagne laws, only cheeses produced in this region can be labeled as Parmigiano-Reggiano. Sorry, the Kraft Parmesan cheese you sprinkle over your pasta at home is not the same thing!

Fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano has an unmistakable taste that is essential in many Italian dishes and pairs extraordinarily well with numerous red wines. If you are traveling through these regions in Italy, be sure to check for any festivals where you can sample some of the local production Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses! Trust me, you will never want to buy the grated stuff in a can ever again!

Famous Italian Food

Italian food has taken the world by storm. Find out about the most famous Italian dishes that are driving people crazy around the world.

famous Italian pasta

Pasta is one of Italy's most famous food products

Danger ahead. Just reading about Italian food can lead to uncontrollable cravings for classic dishes that have attained world fame. These quintessential Italian creations reflect the desire of Italy’s cooks to rely on local flavors and simple techniques to make fresh cuisine, evocative of their region and history.

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Italian Food Products

Any good cook knows that to make the best Italian food, you have to begin with the best Italian food products. If your ravioli is rubbery or your sauce sour, chances are good it's because you didn't use top quality ingredients. Of course, the area you live in can make it difficult to find excellent Italian specialty foods, but that problem has now been solved. Now you can order authentic homemade Italian food products from Landi's Pork Store, a landmark in Brooklyn since 1928, with BrooklynPorkStore.com.

For more than 80 years, the Landi family has been famous for purveying the very best Italian food, especially their homemade sausages.

"...For more than 80 years, the Landi family has been famous for purveying the very best Italian food, especially their homemade sausages.."

 In addition to a great variety of fresh and dried sausages, Landi's also makes and sells Italian specialty foods such as chicken Scarpariello, marinated artichokes, olive salad, bracciole, manicotti and lasagna. We sell six kinds of homemade sauce. We turn out 400 pounds of homemade fresh mozzarella every week, along with Reggiano Parmigano, Locatelli Romano and sharp Provolone.

Get the Highest Quality Italian Food Products Delivered to Your Home

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American style

The Best List of Italian Foods Cooking in America

The List of Italian Foods Just Got Bigger

Do you love the rich tomato and cheeses of Italian foods? Do you crave the carbs from the pasta, bread, and the fats from the olive oils? If you do, you most likely love Italian food. And your list of Italian foods favorites is about to grow.

A List of Italian Foods

Let’s start with Antipasti. This is the food you eat before your meal, or what Americans call, the appetizer.

Italians love simple, tasty appetizers. You’ll often see them snacking on:

• Bruschetta – small pieces of toast with tomatoes, cheese and herbs.
• Capicollo – a luncheon meat that’s spicy.
• Insalata capreses – a salad
• Mozzarelline fitte – fried small mozzarellas
• Olives
• Prosciutto – a ham type of luncheon meat
• Salami
• Nervetti – beef with onions
• Italian bread with olive oil mixed with herbs
  • Breads include:
    • Bari
    • Biga
    • Buccellato
    • Casatiello
    • Ciabatta
    • Ciaccino
    • Ciriola
    • Colimba Pasquale
    • Crocche
    • Farinata

Italians will often eat their meals with soup. Some of the most popular Italian soups are:

• Acquacotta
• Bagna cauda
• Garmugia
• Minestrone
• Pasta e fagioli
• Grine Sauce
• Straciatella

There are many Italian meals. They are all satisfying to most people’s palettes. When you go to an Italian’s home or a restaurant, there’s always something that someone will love.

Pizza is one of the most popular Italian meals that almost everyone loves. Since there are many different combinations of ingredients you can place on a pizza, the kinds available are endless. Here are some of the most popular ones that Italians love.

List of Italian Foods: Pizza

Pizza marinara – tomato, oregano and garlic

Pizza siciliana – tomato, mozzarella, capperi, olive, and anchovy

Pizza pugliese – tomato, mozzarella, and onions

Pizza capricciosa – tomato, mozzarella, mushrooms, artichokes, black olives, and green olives

Pizza ai quatrro formaggi – four different cheeses

Calzones are also a favorite. This pizza dough folds together with the ingredients usually found on a pizza inside of it instead. It’s popular to see ricotta cheese inside of it instead of the shredded cheese common on regular pizza.

List of Italian Foods: Pasta

Pasta is the staple Italian food. Whenever you want something that’s comforting and delicious, why not turn to good old faithful pasta? There are so many different types of pasta, and so many ways to make it that’s impossible to list it all here. However, here are the most popular:

• Cappellini
• Cannelloni
• Gnocchi
• Lasagne
• Linguine
• Macaroni
• Orzo
• Offelle
• Ravioli
• Vermicelli
• Ziti

Pasta Dishes

• Baked Ziti
• Ravioli with marinara
• Linguini with clam sauce
• Carbonara
• Tortelloni alla zucca
• Trofie al peta
• Trotelloni with ricotta and spinach

While most people don’t think about rice being pasta, it’s essentially the same. Most people don’t think of rice being Italian either, but it’s a common food in Northern Italy.

It’s called risotto in Italy. Here are some of the different ways it’s made:

• Risotto al Barolo
• Risotto tonnato
• Risotto alla zucca
• Riso alla Toscana
• Risotta with saffron
• Rissoto alla marinara
• Risotto al gorgonzola

List of Italian Foods: Fish

Fish is another common type of food. You may see these fish varieties when eating at an Italian restaurant.

• Fritata di bianchetti
• Seppioline in umido
• Baccala
• Cacciucco
• Buridda
• Calamari ripieni
• Caapon Magro
• Carpaccio di pesce

List of Italian Foods: Meats

Italians love their meat, especially pork and beef. Here is a list of dishes popular in Italian households.

• Mortadella
• Osso buco
• Pancetta
• Prosciutto di Pharma
• Prosciutto cotto
• Salame
• Violino Valtell
• Vitello

Now that you have a good list of Italian foods, check out some recipes. Many of the dishes are easy to make, and there are so tasty. If you can’t find some of the special ingredients, search online, you’re bound to find a website that sells them.

Anita

     Italian Food Fiesta at Godrej Nature's Basket

 What is Italian Food?
Italian foods consists of a lot of noodles and sauces combos. Marinara suace is very popular served over noodles, meats and topped with cheese. Some noodles are... Read More »
Source: answers.ask.com

What are Some Italian Foods?

Italians are known for their pasta dishes like lasagne, fettucini, spaghetti, and manicotti. Of course there is everyone's favorite, Pizza, although the US pizz... Read More »

Source: answers.ask.com

How to Make Italian Food?

There are many types of Italian foods. The most popular is spaghetti. Cook the spaghetti noodles in boiling water for about 10 minutes or until tender. Make mea... Read More »

Source: answers.ask.com

History of Italian Food

Amazed by the diversity and deliciousness of Italian cuisine? Want to know more about how the Italian foods evolved through the ages? Read on to find out as we trace the history of Italian food.

When you dig into the history of Italian food you realize that there is much more to it than cheese dripping pizza and heaped up piles of pasta. Italy expands over a sizeable piece of southern Europe and has many different regions each having their own special cuisine and eating habits. The cooking styles and ingredients also vary from area to area. The cuisine of Italy has also been influenced with the changes that have taken place in the world through the passage of time. Today the Italian cuisine features meals that retain the pre Roman era taste along with others that are strikingly different to the traditional cuisine of Italy.

Early Origins

Tracing down the culinary history of Italy we find that it started to make its mark during the Roman Empire movement more than 2000 years ago. The Italians even have a cookbook dating back to the first century B.C which shows how important a place food had in society. The structure of Italy as a country underwent a huge change after the fall of the Roman Empire. Italy was now a body of individually governed states that had separate and distinctive identities and hence developed their own tradition. This era was the time when the cuisine of Italy started developing its diversity that we find in it today. Each region developed its own distinctive style of cooking and a formalized menu based on the local ingredients and the lifestyle of the people living there. You would find great variance in the way similar dishes are prepared in different regions.

Regional Italian Food

Tuscan beef is an item belonging to the north whereas black truffles originated in Marches. The south is credited for producing mozzarella cheese and provolone along with a rich growth of citrus fruits. There was great variance even amongst the most commonly consumed items in Italy such as the different types or breads and pastas. We find the southern part of Italy was into hard boiled spaghetti whereas the northern regions were more akin to consuming soft egg noodles. Pizza originated from Naples, tortellini from Bologna and Milan is famous for risotto.

Through the course of time however Italian cuisine has evolved into a breed of its own due to a large amount of external influences. The Italians had initially absorbed ancient Greek cookery into their culture. With Roman ships bringing back wheat, wine, fine spices and other exotic ingredients the Italians added new imports to their kitchens. The Italians got their ingredients from all across the world going even as far as China.

The coastal regions of Italy are credited for all the lovely fish and seafood recipes that we have today. Anchovies, swordfish, lobster and sardines are some of the main seafood items used in the coastal areas. Traces of Arab influence can also be found especially in the cuisine of Sicily with its spices and sweets. The origins of pasta are till date disputed as some claim it to be a product imported from China whereas others say it is Italy’s local produce which was consumed during Etruscan and Roman times. Today however Italian cuisine is extremely diverse and rich which is why it is considered one of the most unique and amazing cuisines in the world.