Traditional Italian Food – The Sweet Smells of Sunny Days By Kath Ibbetson At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Italian cuisine goes back a long way and it has taken many centuries for it to evolve though the earliest roots go all the way back to the fourth century BC. In addition, the Greeks, Romans, Turks and the Arabs have all had a great influence on Italian cuisine. So we see that traditional Italian food is rich in history and each region of Italy has added its own signature dish. Traditional Italian food and Italian food recipes have become staples the world over for their simple yet succulent dishes that combine robust sauces, cured meats and a variety of delectable cheeses to produce exquisite and filling dishes. From Tuscany and Lombardy to the islands of Sardinia and Sicily traditional Italian food is a flavourful expression of the rich history of the country.

For most non-Italians the Italian cuisine is restricted to the few dishes that have managed to gain world wide acclaim, namely spaghetti and pizza. People tend to assume that traditional Italian food is all pretty much alike and that there is no such variety in the Italian way of cooking. The truth however is quite the contrary as Italian cuisine in its entirety is extremely diverse, rich and varied.

The multiplicity of the recipes that you find for pasta is a great example of the extensiveness of Italian cuisine. If you ask ten different people in the same region about how to make some pasta sauce you would end up with ten different recipes. First courses like spaghetti, risotto or gnocchi are very popular as they are light and easy to prepare, and offer virtually unlimited recipes for the creative cook.

Pasta happens to be the most popular food item in Italy. Any pasta base can be accented with an unlimited number of additions including sausage, chicken, red and green peppers, mussels, clams and a wide variety of other meats and vegetables.

But Italian food doesn’t stop there. You will find antipasto (starters): Cold cuts and cheeses with fresh garden vegetables and special bread. The sweet smells of nature and sunny days of spring and summer. Superb salads, beautiful breads and sumptuous puddings, make up the rest of the gloriously fresh menus. Roast fillet of salmon wrapped in pancetta served with braised lentils, green beans & a mustard dressing; braised lamb shank served with sage potato puree in a rich tomato sauce;.Fillet of pork in a mushroom, leek, three mustard and white wine cream sauce; stuffed beef roll with Parma ham, spinach and mozzarella cheese cooked in a red wine beef stock and artichoke sauce. The list goes on. Of course there is always a vast selection of pizza and pasta specialties for every region.

Finally we should remember that Italy is the largest producer of wine in the world so naturally traditional Italian food is always accompanied with a bottle or two of vintage red or white wine. Because of Italy’s landscape scope that includes the mountainous Alps and the southern Mediterranean beaches a rich and vibrant selection of wines can be found to accompany any traditional Italian food dish.

Published At: Isnare Free Articles Directory http://www.isnare.com
Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=362895&ca=Food+and+Drinks

Important Notice DISCLAIMER: All information, content, and data in this article are sole opinions and/or findings of the individual user or organization that registered and submitted this article at Isnare.com without any fee. The article is strictly for educational or entertainment purposes only and should not be used in any way, implemented or applied without consultation from a professional. We at Isnare.com do not, in anyway, contribute or include our own findings, facts and opinions in any articles presented in this site. Publishing this article does not constitute Isnare.com's support or sponsorship for this article. Isnare.com is an article publishing service. Please read our Terms of Service for more information.