Italy is a fine web of great natural beauty and mastery in all branches of Fine Arts like poetry, music, painting, opera, and above all awesome architecture. But possibly no other branch of Italian art is so well known and so well appreciated throughout the world as its culinary art.
Although Italian food has more to it than pastas, pizzas and lasagnas yet even the sheer variety that these three dishes allow is enough to earn a prominent place for Italian cuisine. I love food that is healthy, freshly prepared and great to taste – Italian food scores on all three aspects.
So digging a little deeper than the surface I came up with a lot of fascinating stuff which I think would be interesting to share.
Italian cuisine has always reflected its socio-political and cultural conditions. The discovery of the New World shaped a lot of what is known as Italian cuisine today with the coming of tomatoes, bell pepper, potatoes and maize, which are all integral to the cuisine. Espresso coffee also plays a major part in the national cuisine as do the regional cheeses and wines.
Although this cuisine always reflects a marked provincialism both in its ingredients and the final products yet the national character of the food is still intact. This lies in the penchant for freshness both in ingredients and seasonings. Even its desserts and drinks have this unique sunny originality.
The various influences throughout the centuries, like adjacent regions, high-profile chefs, conquerors, political turmoil along with the discovery of the New World, a genuine cuisine has evolved to what is accepted today as one of the most well loved cuisines in the world.
Italy’s love story with fresh ingredients and seasonings started in the 4 B.C. during the heydays of the Roman Empire. A Greek Sicilian named Archestratus, was the first recorded Italian food commentator and was the first to suggest that the natural flavors of a dish should not be masked by herbs, spices and other seasonings. The Romans are known to have sourced their breads and cheese from the best in the business in those days viz. the Greeks and the Sicilians. They are also known to raise goats for meat and farm herbs and seasonings.
Next posts taste the maturing of Italian food to our times! Keep cooking!
Although Italian food has more to it than pastas, pizzas and lasagnas yet even the sheer variety that these three dishes allow is enough to earn a prominent place for Italian cuisine. I love food that is healthy, freshly prepared and great to taste – Italian food scores on all three aspects.
So digging a little deeper than the surface I came up with a lot of fascinating stuff which I think would be interesting to share.
Italian cuisine has always reflected its socio-political and cultural conditions. The discovery of the New World shaped a lot of what is known as Italian cuisine today with the coming of tomatoes, bell pepper, potatoes and maize, which are all integral to the cuisine. Espresso coffee also plays a major part in the national cuisine as do the regional cheeses and wines.
Although this cuisine always reflects a marked provincialism both in its ingredients and the final products yet the national character of the food is still intact. This lies in the penchant for freshness both in ingredients and seasonings. Even its desserts and drinks have this unique sunny originality.
The various influences throughout the centuries, like adjacent regions, high-profile chefs, conquerors, political turmoil along with the discovery of the New World, a genuine cuisine has evolved to what is accepted today as one of the most well loved cuisines in the world.
Italy’s love story with fresh ingredients and seasonings started in the 4 B.C. during the heydays of the Roman Empire. A Greek Sicilian named Archestratus, was the first recorded Italian food commentator and was the first to suggest that the natural flavors of a dish should not be masked by herbs, spices and other seasonings. The Romans are known to have sourced their breads and cheese from the best in the business in those days viz. the Greeks and the Sicilians. They are also known to raise goats for meat and farm herbs and seasonings.
Next posts taste the maturing of Italian food to our times! Keep cooking!
No comments:
Post a Comment