WHY DOES EVERYONE LOVE ITALIAN COOKING? BACKGROUND AND ORIGIN OF FOOD IN ITALY
Italy is a country with a rich history that, in addition to history and civilization, has amazing food and cooking and a masterpiece that is popular and famous all over the world. It is easy to say that everyone enjoys eating Italian food. Can you imagine Italy without pasta and pizza and hundreds of other types of food?
Italy is a country with a melodious language, a hundred cities, a thousand bell towers, and hundreds of dishes with thousands of recipes. Many nations have copied Italian cooking, especially American cuisine, and it has influenced many others.
BACKGROUND OF COOKING ITALIAN FOOD
Italian cuisine has developed over centuries. Historically, Italian cooking has its roots in the fourth century. Food and culture were very important in the first century, as evidenced by the cooking book (Apicius). Italian cuisine has evolved over centuries of social and political change. The origin of Italian cuisine is from Etruscan cuisine, ancient Greece and ancient Rome.
Due to the skilled cheesemakers in Sicily, the Romans employed Greek bakers to prepare their bread and imported cheese from Sicily. The Romans raised goats and planted artichokes and leeks. Pizza and spaghetti, with Neapolitan cuisine, are the most favourite foods worldwide.
THE ORIGINS AND CHANGES OF ITALIAN CUISINE
Italian cuisine is one of the sub-branches of Mediterranean cuisine and includes ingredients, recipes and cooking techniques that have been prevalent in the Italian peninsula since ancient times and have been exported to the whole world with the wave of Italian immigration.
After the European colonization of America and the acquaintance of the Europeans with potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, corn and sugar beets, significant changes occurred in Italian cooking.
WHO FIRST STUDIED FOOD IN ITALY
As early as the 4th century, a Sicilian Greek named Archestratus wrote about Italian food. As the Roman Empire developed, simplicity in cooking disappeared and gave way to a more sophisticated food culture. “De Re Coquinaria,” published in the 1st century, contained 470 recipes that used many spices and herbs.
REGIONAL DIVERSITY OF ITALIAN FOOD
Italian cuisine developed after the fall of the Western Roman Empire when cities separated from each other and established their traditions. During this time, different types of bread and pasta were made, which differed in cooking technique and preparation process. There was a divide in the country. Some important Italian cities represent the local cuisine of this country. For example, Milan (in the north of Italy) is known for its risotto, Bologna (in the middle of the country) is known for its tortellini, and Naples (in the south) is known for its pizzas and spaghetti.
Due to its regional diversity and differences in taste, Italian cuisine has become one of the world’s most popular cuisines, influenced by influences from abroad.
LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT THIS REGIONAL VARIATION
SOUTHERN ITALIAN FOOD STYLE
Southern Italy has its style, and contrary to popular belief, they don’t use tomato paste, garlic and oregano too much. The fact is that they use a precise combination of flavours and spices and create light, juicy and colourful dishes.
CENTRAL ITALIAN FOOD STYLE
The food of the central regions is lighter than the northern regions, and some like vegetarian foods.
There is less meat in the cuisine of this region, more vegetables, and fresh cheese (such as ricotta).
NORTHERN ITALIAN FOOD STYLE
The food style of different regions of northern Italy is bold and very delicious and reflects the quality of raw materials in the north and shows the abundance of blessings in that region. Every meal contains a large portion of meat due to the abundance of sheep, veal, and even game meat.
CHARACTERISTICS OF ITALIAN CUISINE
The simplicity of Italian food is what makes it so good. There are usually only two to four main ingredients in a dish. Generally, the steps of food preparation are not detailed and harsh. From the point of view of Italian chefs, the priority is the quality of the ingredients. Raw materials and foods have differences depending on the region.
Italians used forks 300 years before Europeans, probably because they needed a fork to eat pasta, which is slippery and very hot. In addition to flavour, they also love the colour of food, and it is interesting to know that the colours used in food are the colours of their country’s flag: red, white and green.
For example, Pizza Margherita was prepared for the first time in 1889 in Naples by a person named Esposito in honour of the Queen of Italy’s visit to Naples. Therefore, he tried to prepare food in the colours of the Italian flag to show his patriotism to the queen. Red tomato, white garlic, mozzarella cheese, green oregano, basil, and parsley. Exactly as simple and delicious as that.
STARVING TO EAT A WONDERFUL ITALIAN DISH?
Sabella serves authentic Italian food with fresh and daily prepared materials, which deliver the taste of Italian food in the middle of Milan. Plan your next meal by reserving a table in Sabella restaurant at 23 Barrie St, Bradford, ON L3Z 1R6 by calling us!
