Eating and drinking in Italy - Essen und Trinken in Italien

The Italian kitchen is a country kitchen, which with the emerging wanderlust in the sixties, as one "after Italy to the sea ", has won many fans and has spread throughout Europe with a few typical dishes. However, it is much more versatile than just" spaghetti bolo "and" pizza "- regional cuisine has been preserved in the various Italian regions, which one can get to know in special restaurants and trattorias.In the city centers, providers geared towards tourists often have a fairly uniform range of products throughout Italy.

Every Italian traveler quickly comes into contact with the somewhat different customs of Italian gastronomy, which already present the traveler with initial challenges with the choice of restaurant. Here is a short summary:

Meals in the daily routine

In Italy breakfast ("Colazione") usually comes with one Caffè or Cappucino and one Cornetto or brioche lean

During the lunch break, the snack between meals ("Spuntino") is correspondingly sparse, with the difference that the cappuccino with the milk foam is usually only drunk before noon ... In between, people like to eat with them Panini, the Italian variant of the sandwich, a roll with cheese or a meat topping (in the Paninoteca to be found, partly also warmed up in the grill) or a piece of pizza (Pizza al taglio), a large rectangular sheet pizza is cut into rectangles.

The main meal is dinner ("Cena" or "Pranzo"), which is enjoyed in courses at least in restaurants, only the pizza is considered Piatto unico, i.e. it replaces an entire sequence of dishes.

Restaurants

• A bar can be found practically everywhere where some people come together and there is some prospect of selling drinks, here you can enjoy breakfast in the morning (Great colazione), coffee during the day and a beer, glass of wine or other alcoholic beverages in the evening. Enjoyed at the bar or at the bar table, the coffee is much cheaper than if you sit down at a table.

Usually you meet in the bar in the evening Aperitivo. It is not uncommon for snacks, starters and small dishes to be offered. Bars are often places for a short chat or for longer sociable get-togethers (mostly men, after work) - the stay is usually only a short one, the Italian bar definitely cannot be compared with the smoky nightspots and drink bars.

In small towns it is Bar tabacchi the place where you can also buy cigarettes (but not smoke!); sweets, ice cream and also postage stamps and parking tickets are often on offer.

• In the Tavola Calda, the "warm table", cold and warm snacks are offered for in-between meals, the restaurants have a kitchen, but are mostly geared towards fast catering for the guests.
• A Osteria is a restaurant that mainly serves wine and also serves smaller meals.
• What in a pizzeria is on offer is clear - since in Italy the preparation of a pizza is usually done by someone specially entrusted with it Pizzaiolo happens, not all restaurants offer pizzas. Since the pizza oven has to be heated, which is only worthwhile from a certain number - a pizza heated in the oven or even in the microwave is a "no go" in Italy - it is worthwhile to ask if you are hungry for a pizza whether it is only be baked in the evening or on the weekend. You can practically always see the pizzaiolo at work, how he prepares the dough by hand and places the fresh ingredients on top, even special requests are usually not a problem. Practically all pizzerias also offer their pizzas in the well-known boxes "across the street", you only have to wait for the ten to 15 minutes preparation time (or have a drink at the bar during this time) and then you can eat at home; In rural regions without bread delivery to the campsite, you can ask the pizzaiolo to bake some bread for breakfast the next morning.
• In Italy, there are simpler eateries with a family atmosphere than Trattoria designated; It is not uncommon for family farms in the countryside to use ingredients from their own production or from farmers in the area, and the food is correspondingly rustic. Pizzas are not always on offer, so it is worth asking if you want to stop for a pizza.
• Classically that is Ristorante An upscale eatery with a corresponding atmosphere and offer on the menu - here you often have dinner in the typical sequence of dishes. In the tourist centers, simple bars and even pizzerias and fast food outlets are increasingly being referred to as "Ristorante" in order to make it easier for tourists to find a restaurant.

In classic Italian restaurants, after entering, it is best to look around for the waitress in order to be assigned a table - which is especially necessary on weekend evenings in crowded restaurants; after a positive first contact you will be served more courteously. If you want to eat, the cutlery and bread are served with the menu, that's what that stands for later Coperto or Pane with 1.50 - 2.50 € per person on the bill. Water is required "con gas" or "senza gas" and is usually served in bottles, sometimes free of charge in the carafe. Only in the traditional restaurants in the country is the choice of wine with "rosso" or "bianco", red or white house wine, almost taken away from you.

The dishes are served in courses according to the order of the dishes, if someone foregoes a course, they usually have to wait until the rest of the company has reached the next course. It is usually possible to skip one gear or the other without any problems; Also asking for a course "uno per due" (to share a portion for two) is usually unproblematic if you mean that the portions are usually just too big and you don't want to leave half of it on the plate and throw it away. Pizza leftovers are usually not reluctant to be given in a box.

The invoice is requested with "il conto, per favore". As a rule, the cellar brings the receipt to the table, you give him the amount and get the change back on a small plate; sometimes you pay directly at the cash register in the bar, especially when paying by credit card. In the case of larger companies, it is customary to roughly split the amount together; To ask for separate bills for each guest is considered impolite. The receipt, the "Scontrino", has to be taken with you in any case - sometimes the "Guardia di Finanza" carries out checks after leaving a restaurant, and in addition to the person accused of tax evasion, the guest suspected of aiding and abetting can also be prosecuted.

Sequence of dishes

During the main meal eaten in the evening in the trattoria or in the Ristorante, emphasis is still placed on adhering to the sequence of dishes according to which the menus are structured. However, you don't always have to eat your way through all the aisles, you can leave it to "Antipasti" and a "Primo" or "Secondo".

antipasti

The Appetizers In contrast to the main courses, they strongly reflect the diversity of the different local and regional kitchens. Some typical starters are on offer throughout Italy, others are only offered regionally or even only in certain restaurants; is often on the starter plate of the house "antipasti della Casa "or" del Chef "to find a cross-section of the local cuisine.

• Antipasti della Casa, the house starter plate with local (dried) meat, sausage specialties and cheese as well as a cross section of the house specialties is usually a special treat
• Antipasti all'Italiana: Dried meat, sausage specialties and various cheeses
• Antipasti del Mare: especially recommended in bars near a fishing port, where various fish, mussel, crab and squid specialties are served fresh and not straight from the glass.
• Bruschette or Crostini: Toasted bread with different toppings, for example fresh tomatoes and basil
• Calabrese: Tomato and mozzarella slices with a little olive oil and basil
• Carpaccio di Bresaola: thin slices of dried beef ham are served with olive oil, lemon juice, pepper and a little grated Parmesan
• Vitello tonnato: wafer-thin boiled veal slices with a tuna sauce
• Arancini, filled and fried rice balls

Primi

The "Primi piatti" originally served to fill you up before you turned to the more economical second course or had to do without one altogether. "Pasta", all forms of pasta, gnocchi or a rice dish, can be found all over Italy as "Primo piatto"on the menu. Polenta is more widespread in northern Italy, as is soups (" minestre "), which are mainly ordered during the cold season. It is not uncommon for Primo piatto to include some meat (for example in the sauce with pasta) but does not make the main focus.

• pasta: the number of pasta dishes is not exhausted in the plate of spaghetti bolognese; it is said that every region or almost every village has its own special pasta, the variety of shapes seems endless, as well as the types of preparation, from the tomato / meat sauce ("bolognese") to the bacon - egg - cheese mix ("carbonara"), Mussels ("allevongole") up to the simple variant "alio e olio", in which the aroma of the pasta comes into its own.
• ravioli and Tortelloni with meat or cheese filling, which are served with different sauces or simply with butter and sage.
• gnocchi made from flour, semolina and potatoes, also with different sauces
• polenta, a porridge made from corn semolina that is popular in northern Italy
• Risotto, a porridge made from soft-boiled rice that is just firm to the bite, which is also more common in northern Italy, refined with cheese, mushrooms, seafood
• Minestre, the whole variety of soup preparations

Secondi

The meat course is the "Secondo piatto", here meat or fish is usually only served with a small side dish, as" Contorni "vegetables, salad or potatoes (" Patatini ") must be ordered separately.

• Meat dishes often come from the grill, the variety is very large here

• Arrosto: Roast vitello (beef), vitellone (veal), maiale (pork), agnello (lamb), coniglio (rabbit)
• Ossobucco: Veal knuckle
• Saltimbocca alla Romana: veal schnitzel with ham and sage
• Involtini: small meat rolls

• Fish dishes

• Pesche Spada (Swordfish) or Tonno (Tuna) are offered from the grill

Dolci

The "Dolci", the mostly indispensable dessert, almost conclude, and now the long-awaited Tirami Su is finally served.

• Tiramisu: the dessert made from ladyfingers and a cream made from mascarpone and egg, which is dusted with cocoa powder, comes from Veneto
• Panna cotta, a dessert made from cream and gelatine, which is served with fruit compote or syrup
• icespecialties, ice cream and sorbets (you would rather go to a gelateria for this)
• Crema catalana, corresponding to the French crème brûlée
• homemade cake

A meal ends with a coffee (an espresso is served as a "caffè", as already mentioned, ordering a cappuccino after a meal is unusual) and / or an alcoholic drink, a grappa or limoncello.

beverages

water

In Italy, tap water is usually drinkable; wells with non-potable water are usually labeled as such (aqua non potabile "). However, due to the chlorination in the south and in large cities, the taste takes getting used to in the summer months.
Sources outside of villages in rural areas are taken, you can fill your pet bottles or canisters at the tap of good springs, you can often see locals pulling up to a well and filling the bottles they have brought with them with the spring water, which is better than tap water tastes good.

Of course, water is available for sale everywhere

• Acqua con gas sparkling mineral water is ordered in the restaurant
• Acqua senza gas This is the name of still mineral water, and you often get a free carafe of tap water

Soft drinks

In addition to the international suppliers of sweet drinks, regional mineral water drinks with special flavors are offered as Gassosa is lemonade and as Aranciata Orange lemonade.

beer

In Italy, in addition to imported beers from major breweries, local beers are often also available.

Wine

As one Wine-growing nation the range of Italian red and white wine is simply unmanageable; the quality is very different from simple table wine to outstanding wines. In the last few decades, wine production has changed, with more and more emphasis being placed on the development of own quality wine with AOC designations and partly organic cultivation in the south of Italy and the wine is no longer exported to the north as blended wine.

Coffee variations

• who one Caffè If you order, you will be served an espresso - inexpensive (enjoyed standing up, usually a maximum of € 1) and available practically everywhere.
• the Caffè ristretto is brewed with a very small amount of water and is accordingly stronger.
• at the American coffee the espresso is stretched with hot milk so that the result corresponds to a cup of coffee that is common north of the Alps.
• a Caffè latte is a white coffee with warmed milk that is served in a bowl for breakfast, as opposed to Latte machiato, which consists of a lot of frothed milk with an espresso.
• at the known cappuccino (colloquially called cappuccio) the espresso is covered with frothed milk. Cinnamon or cocoa powder can be sprinkled over the cappucino itself, like the sugar, but the Italian cappucino is never served dusted with cocoa powder.
• the Caffè corretto is an espresso whose aroma is "corrected" with a dash of grappa.
• the Espresso macchiato is an espresso with milk foam. Unlike the cappuccino, no milk is poured in, only milk foam is added to the espresso. "Macchiato" means speckled like the cowhide.

ingredients

rice

The Risotto is a northern Italian rice dish. Medium-grain rice is important for a creamy risotto that should remain al dente (with a bite). in the Piedmont the rice varieties are specially made for this Carnarolito the cities of Biella and Vercelli grown and Arborio, which is named after the Piedmontese city of Arborio, where the main cultivation areas are located.

• 

  Risotto with nebbiolo

• 

  Carnaroli

• 

  Arborio

The flat land of Bassa Verones in Veneto south of Verona is used for agriculture. Rice has been grown in the marshland since the 15th century. The local variety is Vialone Nano Veronesewhich is particularly suitable for melty risotto dishes.

The "Cittá di Riso" Isola della Scala lies in the middle of the rice fields. The rice producers Ferron, ranch, Melotti, del Vò, Riccò and the Cooperativa La Pila run all stores in or around the city. There you can buy the local quality rice. The Fiera del Riso takes place for several weeks, here the chefs distribute around 300,000 servings of risotto to the visitors every year.

Regional cuisines

In all regions of Italy there is still local, rooted cuisine, according to traditional recipes with local products. These dishes are often easier to find in the country than in the city. The menus of several restaurants often have to be compared in order to get something typical on the plate, but the effort is worth it. Italy tastes different everywhere, a wonderful variety of flavors. Further information can be found in the relevant regional local or area articles.

More articles on the topic:

• Eating and drinking in South Tyrol

Culinary calendar

Culinary delights are often seasonal. Fruits and vegetables are tastier when they are ripe; meat and fish are also subject to seasonal influences. Every season of the year, festivals are celebrated that have a general theme or focus on certain foods. There are also drinking and eating habits throughout the year that arose from religious traditions such as fasting times.

January

February

• The Lemon Festival in Menton has been held annually in February / March since 1930.

March

• The traditional Easter market Fiera del Giovedi Santo will be on Maundy Thursday in Como held. Easter decorations and sweet treats are offered.

April

• In the second week of April there is the wine fair Vinitaly in Verona hosted

• The second Sunday after Easter takes place in Piazza Perlasca in Teolo in Veneto the Gnoccifest Sagra del Gnocco instead of. Gnocci are made by hand by over 100 helpers and then served with many sauces and grilled meat.

May

• On the 3rd Sunday in May, in honor of the Black Madonna in Tremezzo on Lake Como the asparagus festival Festa degli asparagi nel comune di Rogaro celebrated. After the fair, a traditional asparagus dish is offered in many restaurants.

June

• The annual ham festival Aria di Festa in San Daniele del Friuli is on a weekend in late June

July

• In mid-July takes place in Clusane the traditional culinary event "Settimana della Tinca al Forno con Polenta" takes place, at which all affiliated restaurants offer their own recipe for baked tench with polenta.

August

September

• In the northern part of the Lake Como in the places Bellano, Varenna and Stazzona are the traditional chestnut festivals in September and October Castagnata celebrated. Products made from chestnuts are on offer and there is a musical and folkloric program
• The feast of the pizzocheri, Sagra dei Pizzoccheri, is celebrated in September. The buckwheat dish is cooked in the north of Lake Como and offered in simpler inns.
• The feast of the famous Beans in Lamon in Veneto is celebrated at the end of September
• in the "Cittá di Riso" Isola della Scala takes place from mid-September for several weeks Fiera del Riso instead, here the chefs distribute around 300,000 servings every year Risotto to the visitors.

October

• In South-Tirol is this Törggelen Custom, roast chestnuts are eaten and the new wine is tasted. Törggelen is invited in many inns and taverns and hearty dishes are also served.
• In Fiè allo Sciliar in South Tyrol, the hosts organize that Völser Kuchlkastl, they offer down-to-earth cuisine based on old recipes.
• In mid-October Perugia in Umbria the world famous chocolate festival Eurochocolate instead of. Around 100 companies from 15 countries offer their sweet products.
• The Eisack Valley Chestnut Weeks are from mid-October to early November in Eisack Valley held. The participating innkeepers show how versatile the chestnut can be in the kitchen.
• The third Sunday in October takes place in Teolo in Veneto the chestnut festival Sagra dei chestnuts instead of. In addition to the chestnuts, there is a huge pot of polenta, which is refined with tomatoes, beans and bacon and satisfies a large number of hungry people.

November

December

• In Nago-Torbole at the Lake garda is available on two Saturdays in December Broccolo di Torbole, a gastronomic event with free cauliflower tastings

Recipes

If you want to cook Italian dishes at home, you will find the appropriate recipes in Koch Wiki under Category: Italian_Cuisine.

Culinary events, trade fairs, etc.

• 44.51659411.410722FICO World Eataly1 Type is group designationFICO World Eataly in Bologna is a food adventure park with an area of ​​20 hectares, where 150 producers present themselves, everything revolves around Italian specialties. The name "Fico" is the abbreviation for "Fabbrica Italiana Contadina", in German, the Italian peasant production facility.