21 Introductory Recipes for Italian Cooking (2024)

FAQs

What is just enough in Italian cooking? ›

Quanto Basta: This phrase roughly translates to “just enough.” It is used to describe how much of an ingredient should be added. It is essentially the Italian version of “to taste.”

Primo. The primo is the first course to choose from; Pasta is served first as another appetizer but not the main event. You may also see soup, rice, and even polenta on the menu.

Pizza. A list of the most iconic foods to eat in Italy wouldn't be complete without the humble pizza. Easy, cheap, and filling, pizza has long been a common snack or meal, especially in Naples where tomato sauce was first added.

Italians have a famous saying, “Dolce far Niente”, which means “the sweetness of doing nothing.” It does not refer to being lazy, it refers to the similar saying “take the time to smell the roses” and the pleasure one gets from being idle.

Tripe (trippa in Italian) is a classic dish in regional Italian cuisine made from the edible lining of the stomachs of ruminants, primarily cows. In Lombardy, tripe may also be the first part of the small intestine of a veal calf or a steer. It is a simple dish, but it requires many hours of cooking time.

A typical Italian diet consists of three meals in a day. The most common foods in the Italian diet include pasta, cheese, vegetables, olive oil, meats, and wine.

The traditional Italian meal is structured in 4 parts: antipasti (starters), primo (pasta, that includes dishes such as risotto), secondo (a meat dish, including fish), and dolce (dessert). There is also the optional contorni (sides, generally potatoes, salad, vegetables).

A: L and D stand for "Lunch" and "Dinner". Always* duplicate and separate items listed with a Lunch or Dinner price into two separate categories.

A healthy Italian breakfast might consist of some bread, butter, jam, some yogurt, and fruit. Italians also eat muesli and cereal in the mornings with yogurt or milk. A combination of dried fruit, fresh fruit, nuts, and yogurt is a healthy and popular option.

How do Italians say salad? ›

Definition: "Insalata" translates to "salad" in Italian. In Italy, salads are typically served as a separate course after the antipasto and before the main course.

Dinner (Cena)

A typical dinner at an Italian home is usually pasta, meat, and vegetables, and takes place around 8 p.m. Going out for dinner in Italy is a pretty big thing to do, or eat, for that matter: Several courses, wine, and a long time chatting and lingering are all part of the event.

Commonly known around the world as spaghetti bolognese, in its authentic form 'Ragu alla Bolognese' is recognised as the national dish of Italy. Its origin can be traced back to Imola, a town near the city of Bologna, where a recipe was first recorded in the 18th century.