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Food
Representative food of Italy such as
pizza, lasagna and spaghetti are
known globally and beloved
world-wide. The cuisine is a healthy
combination of vegetables, grains,
fruits, fish, cheeses and a
scattering of meats, fowl and game
usually seasoned or cooked with
olive oil. Although the term
"Italian cuisine" is used
widely, there are actually many
regional differences such as Roman,
Neapolitan, Venetian, Piedmontese,
Sardinian, Tuscan, and many more.
Incidentally, except in the south,
Italians don't relish as much garlic
in their food as many foreigners
seem to believe. Most Italian
dishes, especially those in the
north, are generally butter-based
whereas most dishes in the south are
olive-oil based.
Italians regard gastronomy as one
of the highest accomplishments of
their culture, and meals are often
savored slowly and appreciatively.
In general, lunch and dinner are the
two main meals of the day and there
is no big breakfast such as served
in the U.S. or England.
Example of Italian meals:
Colazione
(breakfast) is
usually light. Italians only drink
cappuccino (coffee and milk) with a
brioche (sweet pastry) or simply
just espresso (strong dark coffee)
to start their day with.
Pranzo (lunch) is the big
meal except in the industrialized
cities. It usually consists of
antipasto (appetizer), a primo
piatto (pasta, rice or soup), a
secondo piatto (meat or fish) with
contorno (vegetable or salad), then
frutta (fresh fruit). Lunch is
usually wrapped up with a cup of
espresso and maybe a grappa or amaro
(strong digestive liquor).
Cena (dinner) is similar
to lunch and is usually not served
until 7 pm at the earliest.
Nowadays, however, more and more
Italians tend to prefer having a
light lunch thus dinner becomes
their only major meal of the
day.
If your stomach craves for some
snack during the day, you may find
that Italian Gelato
(ice-cream) which comes in hundred
different flavors as well as Granita
(crushed ice with flavored syrup),
available at many parlors throughout
tourist centers, are brilliant
refreshments from your vigorous
sightseeing tour.
Drink
Wine
Italy is the largest wine-producing
country in the world; as far back as
800 B.C. the Etruscans were
vintners. It is said that more
soiled is used in Italy for the
cultivation of grapes than for the
growing of food. Many Italian
farmers produce wine just for their
own consumption or for their
relatives in "the big
city." However, it wasn't until
1965 that laws were enacted to
guarantee regular consistency in
wine making. Wines regulated by the
government are labeled "DOC"
(Denominazione di Origine
Controllata). If you see
"DOCG" on a label (the
"G" means garantita), that
means even better quality control.
Other Drinks
The Italian most famous drink is campari,
a bright red liquor flavored with
herbs usually served with ice cubes
and soda to subdue its quinine
bitterness. Another renowned drink
is Limoncello, a bright
yellow drink made by infusing pure
alcohol with lemon zest whose
concoction formulae had been passed
down by Italian households in the
lemon-producing region along the
Amalfi Coast for generations.
Limoncello started to be served in
restaurants in Sorrento, Naples and
Rome a mere decade ago and has
become a hit soon after that it
ranks among one of the most famous
liquors in the world today. Italians
also drink a lot of beer especially
the brands imported from Ireland and
England, and they are gulped with
mirth by the young Italian who like
to frequent pubs in big cities such
as Rome and Milan.
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Food and Drinks 
