Italian Cooking Information

Learn About Italian Cooking

Italian cuisine dates back to the days of ancient Rome, with its roots beginning in Greece. As a matter of fact, one of the first cook books was written by a Roman, Apicus by name, in the first century A.D. Italian food today is enjoyed with relish by millions of people in countries around the world.

Italian cooks are very serious about their food, using only the freshest of ingredients which are available in season. The Italian menu is typically organized seasonally for this reason. At the base of the philosophy of Italian cooking is the belief that the freshest ingredients, combined with flavors and seasoning that complement each other will always produce a superior dish. It's small wonder that Italian cooking is one of the most popular world wide.

In addition to using only ingredients which are in season, Italiancooking is regional in nature. Although, in modern times, certain dishes have 'migrated', like pizza, coming from the south to become standard fare in the north, regional cooking is still deeply ingrained in the Italian cook, where traditional dishes are prepared in the manner they have been for centuries, with fresh ingredients found in each region.

Although Italy is a relatively small country, there are no less than eighteen separate regions, each with dishes developed with ingredients found in their locale. In the north west region of Lombardy, rice figures prominently in this region's cooking, with over fifty different versions of risotto. A bit of history you may not know: butter was invented in Lombardy.

Italian Cooking Helpful Tips

While butter is used lavishly in Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna's traditional Italiancooking, olive oil is the choice in the southern regions, where olive trees are abundant.

As you might imagine, Italian cooking in the coastal regions feature seafood dishes, particularly Calabria and Sicily, famous for fresh tuna and swordfish native to their waters.

This abbreviated discussion can not hope to represent all the treasures of Italian cooking. Only in Rome will you find all regions represented in restaurants, prepared in the traditional way, which makes Rome an Italian cooking enthusiasts' dream come true.

Italian cooking brooks no shortcuts. You won't find frozen or out of season foods in the typical Italian refrigerator. Unlike in the United States, where we typically shop once a week, stocking up on produce and meats for a week's worth of menus, Italians shop daily for bread, fruit, vegetables, fish and meats as needed for the day's meals.

The Italian philosophy of freshness above all, with the artful combinations of flavors which complement rather than overwhelm and the centuries old traditions of food preparation, make Italian food a gastronomic delight. If you're only familiar with pizza and lasagna, you'll do well to find an Italian cookbook which can teach you the art of this wonderful tradition of Italian cooking. Prego!