urmaniac13
Executive Chef
- Joined
- Sep 7, 2005
- Messages
- 4,764
Ciao again!! As I have mentioned a few times, living in Italy I came to realise there are some big gaps between the Italian cuisine which are actually made in Italy and what are believed as "Italian foods" outside the country. For those who are interested I would like to "introduce" some of the differences and misinterpretations. I would like to remind you all that I don't intend to be a smart a$$ or dis any of the "foreign versions", as some of them are quite good in their own rights, it is just that some of the stuff you have long believed to be "the Italian gourmet" are not really Italian at all!!
Firstly, a few example of general practice in Italian kitchens... many of the recipes are surprisingly simple with relatively few ingredients. They focus more on freshness and the quality, and make sure you can enjoy the flavour of the each item to the full extent. When they cook pasta, they never rinse it after being cooked. When you use enough water, the pasta shouldn't be sticky. Each servings of pasta is much smaller than that of foreign measure, because the pasta is only "primi", the first course, there are the "secondi", other plates to follow. In proper dinner, there are usually 5 courses, antipasti(appetizer), primi(first course, pasta, risotto etc) then secondi (fish or meat), contorni (vegetable side dishes) then either fruit or dessert. In everyday supper/tea, it is often shortened to primi-secondi-fruits/dessert. On to a little more particular aspects...
-Some of the plates that are prominent in so many Italian restaurants, like "Fettucini Alfredo", "Caesar's Salad", "Chicken parmesan", "Pasta Primavera", "Tetrazzini", and, oh "Italian salad dressing" are purely foreign invention, here in Italy they would have no idea what they could possibly be!!
-"Garlic Bread" that so many folks eat with pasta and pizza... for appetizers they eat "Bruschetta" (toasted crusty bread, smeared with garlic and then topped with chopped fresh tomatoes), or "Crostini" (again toasted crusty bread, with variety of toppings), but "Garlic bread" as eaten everywhere else is utterly unknown in Italy, you would get a bemused look if you requested it here!!
-"Spaghetti Meatballs".... Many folks do like Ragu, bolognese sauce, or meat sauce, but throwing "meatballs" (or polpetti) into spaghetti is not a very appealing idea to the Italians, as "spaghetti" is considered as the first course, and "meatballs" are considered a part of "second course", the two just don't mix like this...
-"Peperoni Pizza".... if you order this in Italy you will get a pizza with bell pepper on it. As in Italian bell peppers are called "peperoni". In some cases they do use some spicy version of "SALAME" on pizza, but greasy salami are not particularly the most popular choice here.
-"Marinara Sauce"... They do exist, but they are sauces with seafood, as "marinara" indicates something to deal with ocean. "Marinara sauce" as you guys know is simply referred to "Sugo pomodoro" (Tomato sauce), or just simply "Sugo".
"Manicotti" only means tubes used in constructions etc. (i.e. sewer pipe) Nobody here would associate this word with anything edible. The tubed pasta filled with spinach and ricotta cheese is also called "Canelloni", just like the meat version.
-"Biscotti", those crunchy biscuits with nuts are called "Cantuccini", one of Tuscan specialty. If you say Biscotti, it means any and all tipe of biscuits / cookies.
Just a few curious facts and "food for thought" for the day... I hope some of you find it interesting!!
Firstly, a few example of general practice in Italian kitchens... many of the recipes are surprisingly simple with relatively few ingredients. They focus more on freshness and the quality, and make sure you can enjoy the flavour of the each item to the full extent. When they cook pasta, they never rinse it after being cooked. When you use enough water, the pasta shouldn't be sticky. Each servings of pasta is much smaller than that of foreign measure, because the pasta is only "primi", the first course, there are the "secondi", other plates to follow. In proper dinner, there are usually 5 courses, antipasti(appetizer), primi(first course, pasta, risotto etc) then secondi (fish or meat), contorni (vegetable side dishes) then either fruit or dessert. In everyday supper/tea, it is often shortened to primi-secondi-fruits/dessert. On to a little more particular aspects...
-Some of the plates that are prominent in so many Italian restaurants, like "Fettucini Alfredo", "Caesar's Salad", "Chicken parmesan", "Pasta Primavera", "Tetrazzini", and, oh "Italian salad dressing" are purely foreign invention, here in Italy they would have no idea what they could possibly be!!
-"Garlic Bread" that so many folks eat with pasta and pizza... for appetizers they eat "Bruschetta" (toasted crusty bread, smeared with garlic and then topped with chopped fresh tomatoes), or "Crostini" (again toasted crusty bread, with variety of toppings), but "Garlic bread" as eaten everywhere else is utterly unknown in Italy, you would get a bemused look if you requested it here!!
-"Spaghetti Meatballs".... Many folks do like Ragu, bolognese sauce, or meat sauce, but throwing "meatballs" (or polpetti) into spaghetti is not a very appealing idea to the Italians, as "spaghetti" is considered as the first course, and "meatballs" are considered a part of "second course", the two just don't mix like this...
-"Peperoni Pizza".... if you order this in Italy you will get a pizza with bell pepper on it. As in Italian bell peppers are called "peperoni". In some cases they do use some spicy version of "SALAME" on pizza, but greasy salami are not particularly the most popular choice here.
-"Marinara Sauce"... They do exist, but they are sauces with seafood, as "marinara" indicates something to deal with ocean. "Marinara sauce" as you guys know is simply referred to "Sugo pomodoro" (Tomato sauce), or just simply "Sugo".
"Manicotti" only means tubes used in constructions etc. (i.e. sewer pipe) Nobody here would associate this word with anything edible. The tubed pasta filled with spinach and ricotta cheese is also called "Canelloni", just like the meat version.
-"Biscotti", those crunchy biscuits with nuts are called "Cantuccini", one of Tuscan specialty. If you say Biscotti, it means any and all tipe of biscuits / cookies.
Just a few curious facts and "food for thought" for the day... I hope some of you find it interesting!!