Italian cuisine emphasizes simplicity and quality of ingredients. These are the most important foundations of every Italian dish. “Cucina povera” is a concept explaining these, translating into “poverty kitchen”; therefore cooking in poverty and focusing on minimizing waste. Culture and therefore cuisine in Italy may differ across the country. South and north are 2 completely different regions, with different geography, demography, climate and culture which results in completely different food as well. Although, across Italy, food is deeply connected to family, tradition and daily routine, not just special occasions.
Ingredients
An absolute core of Italian cuisine will always be: wheat (pasta, bread), olive oil and tomatoes. These products are an absolute must have in every Italian household. Other popular vegetables would be zucchini, eggplant or artichokes. Historically, meats were being substituted by beans, lentils or chickpeas. That can still be seen today. For meats, most popular ones would be cured meats like prosciutto, pancetta or guanciale. Very flavourful meats, that can also stay fresh for a very long time. Obviously, we cannot forget about cheeses; both hard and soft ones. They are also an inseparable part of Italian man’s life. Italians rather avoid heavy spices and stick to fresh herbs they can grow themselves like rosemary, oregano or basil. Besides all of this, it is really important to take the time of the year into consideration when cooking a certain dish. Seasonality makes Italian dishes special.
Dishes
Pasta al Ragu
To cook pasta al ragu, patience is the most important ingredient. It’s a slow cooked beef sauce made with red wine, ground beef, stock, “soffritto” (onion, carrot, celery) and tomatoes (mostly tomato paste). You need loads of time and patience. To make this dish as it should be, layering of flavours and extracting maximum taste is super important.
Risotto
Another dish based on the cook’s patience. Made out of wine, rice and stock. Rice is basically cooking itself in these 2 liquids. Afterwards, it is enriched with butter and parmesan, making it super creamy and sticky. It smells amazing as well. All kinds of additional ingredients can be used, like mushrooms, guanciale, and some green vegetables. There are really a lot of versions of risottos, also depending on the region.
Melanzane alla parmigiana
The dish is a bit faster than 2 previous ones, and still very simple in terms of ingredients. It is basically baked aubergine in tomato sauce, covered in loads of parmeggiano. Very common, daily food in many Italian homes. Healthy, quick and fun to eat. Fully based on most common ingredients in the country.
Dessert
Tiramisu
Tiramisu is a dessert based on ladyfingers soaked in a mixture of coffee and amaretto, covered with mascarpone-eggs-sugar cream mix. Dessert is topped with cocoa. It is an absolute classic in Italy, both in restaurants, but also on a table in the family home. Probably one of more popular desserts around the whole world.
Lasagna alla Bolognese
Lasagna for Italians is more than just a dish. It is the whole process being much more meaningful than just cooking. It has strong cultural and family significance, often requiring cooperation from many people. It is usually meant for Sundays or other important holidays. It is made with layers of flat pasta, bolognese sauce and bechamel sauce topped with cheese. These may vary based on region, but the idea of layers stays the same.