Rome, Trastevere. Waiters prepare the restaurant, rekindling a millenary tradition
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In a nutshell, there follows a concise list of the most important
regional cuisines (of course the Italians of each region believe that their cuisine is the best):
- Naples (pizza, sfogliatelle,
pastiera, babà etc.);
- Bologna (lasagne, tortellini,
ravioli, parmesan cheese, prosciutto-ham, Modena balsamic
vinegar);
- Sicily (pasta alla Norma, pasta con sarde
e pinoli, caponata, melanzane alla parmigiana, scacciate,
cassata etc.);
- Liguria (the region of Genoa, with its very delicate natural Mediterranean ingredients and recipes, for ex. pasta
al pesto);
- Puglie (or Apulia, for its "orecchiette" pasta,
its whole wheat Altamura bread, its very imaginative
Mediterranean first courses and fish dishes).
The region
of Tuscany is famous for its steaks (bistecca alla
Fiorentina) and sweets (Saporelli and Panforte of Siena,
for ex.), the cuisine of Abruzzi for its meat dishes,
the region of Milan for its "risotto" (rice)
and the Christmas cake "Panettone", finally Calabria is renowned for its very natural products, particularly
tomatoes. The region of Piedmont is renowned for its wines, its truffles, and for its sophisticated chocolates.
Only the very best and famous Italian restaurants
have a large selection of many dishes from various regions,
including the wines, which are also different in every region.
Normal good restaurants will have regional dishes and the
most important dishes of other regions. Very simple restaurants
or "trattorie" have just a few regional dishes and
very few national ones. The solution to have an in-depth experience
of the Italian cuisine, and hence of the regional cuisines,
without facing the huge bill of the very best and famous restaurants,
is trying another type of restaurant, the specific regional
ones, having all the specialties of that region. Usually they
clearly indicate their nature, i.e. the regional cuisine they
prepare.
On the other hand, a particular feature of the Italian cuisine
is that the Italians, even the wealthy ones, like to use simpler
restaurants, and whenever possible also home-made food. Italians
have a lot of good taste, and are very sensible people. Above
all, although the Italian cuisine uses a complex array of
criteria, ingredients and millenary considerations, it privileges
simplicity in presentation and approach, unlike the French.
This is why you will always find cheap, honest "trattorie"
packed with locals, who would possibly still prefer home cooking
(mum's is traditionally considered the best!). |
