the appetizer:
Though there are many individual regional cuisines in Italy, northern and southern Italian cuisines are primarily differentiated by the cooking fat and style of pasta commonly used. Northern Italian cuisine (other than on the coast) favors butter, cream, polenta, Mascarpone, Grana Padano, and Parmigiano cheeses, risotto and fresh egg pasta. Southern Italian cuisine tends toward Mozzarella, Caciocavallo and Pecorino cheeses, olive oil and dried pasta. Southern Italian cuisine also makes greater use of the ubiquitous tomato.
Italy
"The trouble with eating Italian food is that 5 or 6 days later you're hungry again."
—George Miller, British writer
Who would think that this small, boot-shaped country would be such a cultural leader among nations? While its current land mass consists of only 116,000 square miles, the Italian heritage and influence were once at the heart of the Roman Empire, the Holy Roman Empire, the Renaissance and other great eras of history. As they say in the restaurant business, location is everything—and this peninsula's prime position in the Mediterranean, bordered also by the Adriatic Sea and the Alps, has involved it with in virtually every European power battle, including some with the neighboring Near East and Africa.
Italy
- Backgrounder
- When To Eat
- Where To Eat
- How To Order Italian Coffee
- How To Eat Italian-Style
- About Cheap Eats in Italy and Cheap Sleeps in Italy
Italian Recipes
- Asparagus Omelet (Asparagus Frittata)
- Cornmeal Bread (Polenta)
- Fresh Pasta
- Hazelnut Dipping Cookies (Hazelnut Biscotti)
- Italian Wine Sherbet (Vin Santo Sorbet)
- Lemon Ricotta
- Marinated Mozzarella
- Creamy Mushroom Rice (Risotto al Funghi)
- Pasta and Bean Soup (Pasta e Fagioli)
- Pasta in Rich Sauce (Pasta Carbonara)
- Pasta with Sausage (Pasta alla Campidanese)
- Pizza Crust (Focaccia)
- Potato Pasta (Potato Gnocchi)
- Ricotta Cheesecake (Torta di Ricotta)
- Shrimp in Garlic Butter (Shrimp alla Griglia)
- Spaghetti with Olives and Capers (Spaghetti alla puttanesca)
- Stuffed Zucchini (Zucchini Ripiene al Prosciutto)
- Mocha Ladyfinger Cake (Tiramisu)
- Veal Scallops with Tomatoes and Basil (Veal Scaloppine)
- White Bean Salad
Pasta, Risotto & You (with recipes)
from Kate's Global Kitchen:
Italian Cookbooks
- Italian Country Cooking by Susanna Gelmetti
- Baked Asparagus
Asparagi Al Forno - Penne with Ricotta, Lemon and Basil
Penne con Ricotta, Limone e Basilico
- Baked Asparagus
- The Glorious Soups and Stews of Italy by Domenica Marchetti
- Chicken in Piquant Tomato Sauce
Pollo in Salsa Piccante - Clam Stew with Prosecco
Zuppa di Vongole al Prosecco - Sausages and Lentils in the Style of Umbria
Salsicce e Lenticchie all'Umbriana
- Chicken in Piquant Tomato Sauce
More Cookbooks
- 99% Fat-Free Italian Cooking by Barry Bluestein & Kevin Morrissey
- Betty Crocker's Italian Cooking by Antonio Cecconi
- Biba's Italy by Biba Caggiano
- Biba's Taste of Italy by Biba Caggiano
- Cooking the Roman Way by David Downie
- Cucina Ebraica by Joyce Goldstein
- David Ruggerio's Italian Kitchen
- Flavors of Italy: Emilia Romagna by Rosalba Gioffré
- Gusto Italiano by Ursula Ferrigno
- How to Cook Italian by Giuliano Hazan
- Insalate by Susan Simon
- Italian Cooking at Home by the Culinary Institute of America
- Italian Family Cooking by Father Joseph Orsini
- Italian Farmhouse Cookbook by Susan Herrmann Loomis
- Italian Festival Food by Anne Bianchi
- Italy Anywhere by Lori De Mori, Jean-Louis De Mori and Antonio Tommasi
- Little Foods of the Mediterranean by Clifford A. Wright
- Mangia by Ricardo Diaz & Nancy Jessup
- Molto Gusto: Easy Italian Cooking by Mario Batali
- Naples at Table by Arthur Schwartz
- Nick Stellino's Passione
- Saveur Cooks Authentic Italian by the Editors of Saveur Magazine
- Simple Italian Food by Mario Batali
- Sweet Sicily by Victoria Granof
- The Glorious Pasta of Italy by Domenica Marchetti
- The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen by Paula Wolfert
- The Southern Italian Table by Arthur Schwartz
- Umbria by Julia della Croce
- Pasta Sfoglia by Ron and Colleen Suhanosky
- A Tavola! by Gianni Scappin and Vincenzo Lauria
- Venezia: Food and Dreams by Tessa Kiros
Italy on Wikipedia
More country Destinations
This page modified January 2007
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