Italy is a famous country for many things that people from all over the world attract, one of them being Italian Cuisine. The Renaissance architecture, the incredible artists, unique sceneries, the language, opera, and fashion are some of them.
Although, there is one thing that the whole world undoubtedly enjoys. That is Italian food. People find some of the best and most well-liked foods in the world in Italian cuisine, which is not surprising. Delightfulness makes Italian food so famous, and many people like to visit Italy mainly to try these delicious foods.
If you have the chance to visit this beautiful country, you will see that each region has its ingredients and recipes, which make food so special. Italian has a wide culinary variety. Surprisingly, you will always find something new to try while in the mood for Italian food.
So, let’s find the delicious Italian cuisines you must try at least once….
Italian Neapolitan pizza
Neapolitan pizza – this might be the top choice for everyone. Even though many global cuisines offer flatbreads with toppings, the pizza must rank rather high in popularity. All pizza variations, from thin crust to deep dish, have descended from Napoletana, or Neapolitan pizza. International standards must be satisfied for a food to be labeled as pizza. The name derives from Naples, the city of origin.
People have long enjoyed pizza as a popular snack or dinner because it is simple, affordable, and filling, especially in Naples where tomato sauce was first used. At the same time, Italian Queen Margherita was visiting the lively city and asked to sample the dish many of her subjects enjoyed. A local businessman gave her the now-famous combination of tomato sauce, mozzarella, and basil, and probably also invented or branded the Margherita pizza. The Margherita also features the Italian flag’s colors, whether by accident or purpose.
In Italy, there are two varieties of pizza to choose from: those made in the Neopolitan or Roman styles. Pizza made in the Neapolitan style features a thick, fluffy crust. The smaller diameter of the pizza is usually due to the dough not being stretched as much, making it more filling. Roman-style pizza has a delicately crisp, paper-thin crust. Although it has a bigger diameter, it’s usually lighter and less.
Antica Pizzeria Port’Alba and L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele are two restaurants where you can try original pizzas in Italy.
Bottarga
It should not be surprising that many Italian delicacies feature seafood prominently, given the country’s extensive coastline. Great Italian chefs describe bottarga as a type of Mediterranean caviar because it is made from fish roe. Southern Italians remove the roe from grey mullets in August and September, salt it, press it, and let it air dry for six months. As a result, you end up with a solid egg that is the color of blood oranges and amber that, when cut into slices or grated over spaghetti, bursts into a wonderfully salty, smoky, and saline aroma.
Southern Italians remove the roe from grey mullets in August and September, salt it, press it, and let it air dry for six months to make bottarga, which great Italian chefs describe as a type of Mediterranean caviar. Swordfish and tuna roe sacs are commonly used, but the type of fish used varies by area. Originally a makeshift method of preserving fish before refrigeration, bottarga has now become one of Italy’s most coveted and expensive foods, comparable to truffles. This preparation traditionally came from the country’s south, notably Sicily and Sardinia.
It is delicious when grating it over pasta or just slicing it very thinly and serving it with lemon juice and olive oil.
You can try delicious Spaghetti Con La Bottarga dishes at Italy’s Bice Milano and Trattoria Nerodiseppia restaurants.
Ribollita
This hearty soup came from Tuscany, the Italian region covered by cypress trees and never-ending rolling hills. This soup will become one of your favorite comfort foods when you try it. In Italy, peasants would reboil Ribollita daily to make it last for one more supper. The peasant cuisine in the local area originated this vegetable soup and thickened it with bread instead of meat because bread was more readily available and less expensive for centuries in the poverty-stricken Italian countryside.
Peasants traditionally made Ribollita by using leftover bread soaked in the juices of expensive feasts and adding it to a flavorful soup containing black cabbage and cannellini beans. They added daily leftovers on top to extend its shelf life.
Modern versions of this soup contain peas, celery, zucchini, and carrots, as well as a generous drizzle of olive oil and grated Parmesan when served. Tuscookany claims that a traditional dash of black pepper is necessary for a genuine Ribollita. According to the source, the soup’s consistency might change based on the ingredients, and fork use is typical when consuming it. Stranger still, after a few mouthfuls of soup, a bite of onion is usually taken.
In Florence’s trattorie, a hearty stew is sometimes ordered as a starter instead of pasta.
Trattoria La Casalinga, Trattoria Le Mossacce, Trattoria Da Ruggero, and Trattoria Mario. These restaurants in Italy will give you the real taste of Ribollita soup.
Italian Fiorentina Steak
People recognize a beef steak from Florence, known as bistecca Fiorentina, as one of Tuscany’s traditional foods despite its straightforward appearance. There are, therefore, particular standards for the kind and preparation of the meat. Great Italian Chefs allow only the Chianina breed of cattle, known for its lean meat, to produce steak.
The T-bone steak comprises both filet and sirloin slices, offering a variety of textures to the dish. It’s important to note that unless you’re extremely hungry, you’re better off sharing because each plate of bistecca Fiorentina weighs a few pounds and must be about two inches thick.
Trattoria dall’Oste is the place where you can have the best Fiorentina Steakon in Florence, Italy.
Osso Buco alla Milanese
One of the more well-known beef dishes in Italian cuisine is osso buco. It’s not surprising that the dish is more commonly known by its Italian moniker instead of its English translation “bone with a hole”. Of course, the delicate part is the bone marrow that fills the wound. Purists will agree that the traditional recipe, which originates from Milan, is the only one that may be made.
The beef is first browned and then slowly simmered with tomato, white wine, stock, onion, celery, and carrot sauté. When the dish is ready, top it with a gremolada consisting of minced parsley, garlic, lemon zest, and a hint of anchovy. With the aid of a uniquely long, narrow fork, the delectable marrow is all accessible. You can serve the dish over risotto alla Milanese, which is often made with bone marrow broth, or it can be a satisfying and healthy meal on its own.
Trattoria Milanese, Risoelatte, Settembrini 18 , and L’Immagine are some of the restaurants that you can try Osso Buco alla Milanese in Italy.
Risotto alla Milanese
Risotto is undoubtedly a well-liked option among rice-based dishes, and it comes in countless varieties, including the Milanese-inspired risotto alla Milanese. Rice grows well in northern Italy, making it the ideal for regional recipes. Because of a few strands of saffron that give the meal a beautiful yellow hue and enticing scents, risotto alla Milanese stands out from other rice dishes.
People recorded the precise recipe for Risotto alla Milanese in the 1800s, which involves toasting rice in butter with onions and cooking it slowly in stock. They added wine to the dish to provide some acidity and balance its richness. Risotto alla Milanese is a popular version of the rice dish and commonly served with other regional meals.
Try best Risotto alla Milanese at Osteria Conchetta, La Locanda Del Gatto Rosso, Trattoria Da Abele in Itlay.
Polenta
Northern Italians used to consume polenta as their main starch until pasta replaced it recently. Originally produced from whatever starches were available, including acorns and buckwheat, this corn mush is identical to the grits eaten in the southern states of America. People in northern Italy recently replaced polenta, their main starch, with pasta.
Polenta is the ideal complement to a variety of meats, especially stewed meats. It is perhaps one of the most comforting foods you can eat when the weather gets chilly in cities like Milan, Turin, and Venice while lacking the variety of shapes and textures that pasta has. Look for it as a mush or packed into shaky cooked fritters. With the subsequent dish, you shouldn’t forget about it either.
PolentOne, Trattoria da Ornella, Osteria da Nando, Trattoria Omens, and Ristorante Lalimentari are some of the restaurants in Italy where you can have delicious Polenta.
Italian Vitello Tonnato
Piedmont’s vitello tonnato is one of the most well-known meals from the north of Italy. Although the ingredient pairings may seem odd, we assure you that they somehow work. People use white wine to marinade and cook thin veal pieces and then coat the meat in a creamy sauce of tuna, anchovy, and caper and usually serve it cold. There are other ways to make the dish; likely you may even add homemade mayonnaise to the sauce.
Trattoria Trippa, Tre Galline, L’Acino, and ristorante Villa Crespi will give the best experience of a dish of Vitello Tonnato.
