A Fine Italian Meal
Food has always played a substantial part in the Italian way of life. Sharing, enjoying, buying and preparing food are all done with a care and love that is not common in other parts of Europe. In Italy the meal is to be savored, It is a time to pause, settle downand enjoy the friendshipof one’s family and friends, and of course, some of the finest gastronomy on the planet.
A meal in an Italian restaurant for example a Trattoria habitually has four or five courses: the antipasto, the primo, the secondo, the contorno and the dulce course. Furthermore coffee and a digestive liqueur will be offered. Some meals such as Christmas, Easter and Weddings have more courses, often nine, ten or even eleven.
An Italian meal is in general served as a succession of plates. Unlike in northern Europe and other parts of the world, where separate foods are typically served on a single plate, in Italy the foods are brought individually. So for example, you might be given a plate having just a portion of meat or a bowl of salad. After that you might be given a plate with grilled vegetables (the contorno). In northern Europe and the USA those foods are served all together. As a result an Italian night out at a restaurant has more courses and far more washing-up! Italians often take an aperitivo before eating. This is a light alcoholic drink,like a white wine. It is often taken at a bar, which in turn results in being the place for people to meet before going to the restaurant.
The meal proper usually begins with a hot or cold eaten appetizer known as the antipasto.
The first course (the primo) habitually consists of something hot such as soup, risotto or pasta.
The main plate of an Italian meal is the secondo (second course). This is as a rule a cooked meat such as chicken or pork. Veal too is common.
Grilled vegetables or a salad, known as the contorno, is served individually or if requested, along with the secondo.
The secondo is followed by formaggio e frutta (cheese and fruits). Many local cheeses would be eaten with fruits of all kinds. The dolce course would follow bringing with it cakes and cookies.
And, of course as Italy is famed for the numerous diverse varieties of coffee, which is taken after the food prior to the round of liqueurs.
About Pizza
Pizza is the archetypal Italian dish. Actually it was created in Naples (Napoli) to celebrate the visit to Naples of the Italian Queen Consort Margherita of Savoy in 1889 by chef Raffaele Esposito. His first creation was named ‘Pizza Margherita’. To symbolize the white, red and green of the Italian flag he used tomato (red), mozzarella cheese (white) and basil (green). Prior to the Margherita there had been versions of food using a basic dough which was much favored by the locals.
Pasta
A further food class Italy is famed for is pasta. Pasta is a broad term for a collection of foods made from a wheat based dough and at times with vegetable flavorings and colors and eggs. Pasta comes in a huge range of shapes, sizes, lengths, textures and colors. Therefore pasta can be used in a lot of diverse ways. Some common kinds are spaghetti (thin sticks), lasagne (sheets), macaroni (small tubes) and fusilli (small swirls of pasta).
And Now - Wine
Another major part of Italian culture is wines. Italy is famous for its wine and produces and exports more wine than any other country on the planet. Vino cotto is a form of wine created in central Italy, made for personal use and not sold commercially. The wine is heated in a copper vessel until the volume is condensed to going on for half. This wine is left to age for a few years, each year a little more wine is added to make up for evaporation.
