Cooked

The cuisine is very marked regionally, even more than in France, due to the late unification of Italy. Each region has its recipes and specialties passed down from generation to generation.
Today, even though we are witnessing, as everywhere, the emergence of a more generic cuisine, Italians seem to remain faithful to their local cuisine, which they speak with passion.

Antipasti (Hors-d’oeuvre)
At aperitivo time, we enjoy tramezzini (Italian version of the club sandwich) and other cichetti, as we say in Veneto, in such a way that we can practically do without.
Some antipasti are based on fish and / or seafood, such as marinated octopuses, mazzancolle (prawns), fried foods, in particular calamari alla romana , scampi fritti , while others are very earthy like erbazzone reggiano , Emilia-Romagna spinach pie, fiori di zucca fritti (fried zucchini flowers) or frichè, these typical donut buns from the Aosta Valley that we eat with fromage blanc or ragged ham.

You will also find a wide range of pickled vegetables, salads, dumplings and croquettes of all kinds. And also, all kinds of sandwiches (bruschette, crostini), omelettes (frittata or torta, fairly close to the Spanish tortilla), cheeses and cold meats from the country.

The place of honor goes to pasta. You will see how the profusion of types of pasta and sauces makes it possible to eat them almost every day without getting bored.

The risotto or braised rice, is more prevalent in the north and center.

The minestre (soups), often made according to old recipes, are excellent. The best known is minestrone, based on vegetables.

The pasta al forno (baked pasta) includes cannelloni (rolled dough stuffed with ground meat, tomatoes, and béchamel sauce), lasagna unavoidable, the crespelle (crepes filled with ricotta and spinach). The polenta is also very present in the north, to accompany sausages or meat (grilled or in sauce).

The gnocchi are a cheese-based preparation (di ricotta) and potatoes (di potato).

Secondi piatti (Seconds dishes)
Veal (vitello) appears on many cards and in very varied preparations: in paupiettes (involtini), cutlet (scaloppina), tartare (crudo) or boiled. In most regions of southern Italy, beef gives way to lamb, pork, horse, even donkey (in Puglia).

The liver (fegato), tripe (trippa), pork ribs (cotoletta or braciola), lamb (agnello), rabbit (coniglio), hare (leprosy) are also often present on the cards. And of course, game in season.

Fish (pesce) is a delicacy, including on the ribs. It is generally sold by weight.
And don’t be impressed by the cards we offer you: nothing forces you to take a 1st, then a 2nd dish.

Italians don’t eat a lot of sweets after a meal. They reserve them for the afternoon. Almost
everywhere, there is the torta della nonna, the homemade cake, or the essential tiramisù, a cake made with mascarpone (thick cream) and cookies soaked in coffee and marsala, all sprinkled with cocoa.

In this matter, the worst meets the best. Another must, the panna cotta, this slightly gelatinous cream, invented in Piedmont.

How to speak of dolci without also mentioning the ice creams (gelati), so famous, or the frullato, fruit puree lengthened with milk or crushed ice? All over, gelato is back to basics: fresh fruit, PDO and / or organic ingredients, quality milk.

Pizza

Good pizze are prepared by a real pizza maker, then cooked over a wood fire.
The round tomato pizze are not the only “model” in existence. There is, for example, pizza bianca (white pizza), without tomato sauce and just as delicious, or pizza al taglio or pizza al metro (pizza cut or by the meter). These are large rectangles of pizza, cut to the desired size and paid for by weight, with a garnish of your choice.
In some bakeries, you can buy take-out pizza.

Pasta (Pasta)

Dry pasta, fresh pasta: the border between southern and northern Italy is also there. The North is renowned for making fresh egg pasta made from common wheat flour, and the South for making dry pasta made from durum wheat semolina.

Tagliatelle or flat pasta
Very different from spaghetti in their composition (eggs, common wheat flour), these ribbon doughs are pasta for the rich, handcrafted.

Short pasta

There is a wide variety, especially since the invention of industrial dry pasta, machines allowing all kinds of fantasies.
Thus, the fusilli (originating in Campania) are the result of considerable technical developments. We could also mention the farfalle (butterflies).

More traditional: penne, maccheroni, tortiglioni, giganti, bombardoni (penne rigate alone represents almost a quarter of the dry pasta market, just behind spaghetti).

The spaghetti or long pasta

They are classified according to their width:

large and flat: lasagnettes, fettucine, tagliatelle.
wider still: from pappardelle to lasagna.
long and thin: linguine, linguinette, fettucelle, and of course the spaghetti.
ultra-fine: vermicelli, capelletti or capellini, capelli d’angelo ….
the bucatini, extremely popular in Rome, bastard pasta, both hollow spaghetti and long macaroni. They are readily available for meat sauces. The largest are the ziti.

Risotto
Traditionally cooked in Piedmont, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Veneto, Friuli and Valle d’Aosta, risotto occupies a special place.

The risotto rests on an Italian rice (riso), that is to say a round rice which remains firm when cooked. There are dozens of recommendable types of rice. The best known are arborio, vialone and carnaroli.

At the origin of all risotto, there is a broth which is traditionally prepared the day before. It can be made from meat, organ meats, fish, or vegetables. The rice is first milled before being slowly cooked in this broth.

The best known is risotto alla milanese, made from vialone rice, butter, marrow, mixed meat broth, onions and saffron.

The success of Slow Fo od
Many Italian restaurants display the “slow food” sticker. This culinary movement born in the village of Bra (Piedmont) in 1986, defends the values of traditional cuisine, and in particular that of small osteries, and fights for the safeguard of local products. Like PDOs, the particularly demanding Presidio Slow Food label certifies the origin and excellence of these products.

This return to “eating well” and the desire to preserve biodiversity are apolitical. The Slow Food is not against modernization provided it is at the service of taste. The idea is to respect nature and wait for the right time to appreciate a vegetable or fruit.

Drinks

Wines
It was only in the early 1960s that Italy attempted to bring order to its wine production. Thus, IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica, wine country) are a simple geographical indication. The DO C (Denominazione di Origine Controllata, the equivalent of our AOC) must comply with strict criteria. Rules that are not always to the taste of the producers.
So, it is not uncommon to see some of them break the rule to market wines sometimes of high quality under the name of table wines!
As for the prestigious DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita), granted by the President of the Republic on the advice of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, they are subject to even more restrictive regulations. These DOCGs accompany great Italian wines: barolo, brunello di Montalcino, vino nobile di Montepulciano, chianti classic.

Wines from Northern Italy
– Aosta Valley: only 0.05% of national production is produced there (in red as in white). Almost 12% of wines are entitled to the DOC (denominazione di origine controllata) valle d’Aosta, which is the only appellation of origin controlled in the region.

– Piedmont: Piedmont produces some of the most famous Italian wines. It is therefore not without reason that Unesco listed several wine-growing landscapes in the region (Langhe-Roero, Monferrato) as World Heritage in June 2014. Wines mainly produced in the terroirs of the provinces of ‘Alba and Asti, in a landscape of hills which roughly accompany the course of the Tanaro river. The barolo was born here in Piedmont.

Forty Piedmontese wines claim the DOC label.

– Lombardy: The Lombard vineyard is still relatively unknown. It represents only 3% of national production! It produces a lot of white wines, sparkling or not, but also rather light reds and rosés. Some 50% of the region’s wines are entitled to a controlled appellation.

– Veneto: more than 12% of the national harvest is produced in Veneto. Among the best known, prosecco, this sparkling white that enlivens counters at aperitivo time. It enters into the composition of the famous spritz.

As for the Valpolicella vineyard, in addition to the slight valpolicella classico, it produces other red wines with very specific production.

– Liguria: the terraced vineyards are emblematic of Liguria; they require hard manual work. Even if production remains low and these vintages are not the most renowned in Italy, there are excellent white wines. The best known is a sweet white wine from the very old vineyard clinging to the cliffs of Cinque Terre.

– Emilia-Romagna: this gastronomic region delivers great oenological richness (16% of national production) with slightly sparkling white wines of good quality like colli bolognesi classico pignoletto (rather dry) or albana di romagna (sweet and fruity ), all 2 bearers of the prestigious DOCG appellation. Also, a host of mainly red AOC wines.

Wines from Southern Italy
– Campania: what characterizes Campania wines, as in the other regions of Mezzogiorno, is the low percentage of appellations of controlled origin. 4 appellations are entitled to DOCG (including the excellent taurasi), 18 to DOC. Apart from Lacrima Christi, which belongs to the vesuvio (white or red) appellation, there are few well-known Campania wines.

– Puglia: the Puglia region is the largest producer of wine in Italy (19% of national production). The emergence of “quality” production is relatively recent and the percentage of wines under the appellation is still low. Most quality reds and rosés are made from a grape variety, negro amaro.

– Basilicata: 4 DOC only, but among them, undoubtedly one of the best wines of Italy: the aglianico del vulture, which when it is superior becomes DOCG. It is produced in the north of Basilicata, around Monte Vulture, an extinct volcano.

The other 3 DOCs are also red: the terra dell’alta val d’Agri, produced around Viggiano and lago di Pietra, south of Potenza; the matera and the grottino di Roccanova.

– Calabria: a very small production (1.5% of national production), the least important in southern Italy, and 12 DOC.
Among them, let us particularly remember the ciro, produced on small hills along the Ionian coast, north of Crotone; it exists in red, rosé and white.
We also note in the reds the savuto, the lamezia, the scavigna and among the whites the greco di bianco, characterized by its high alcohol content (not less than 17 °).

Alcohols
– Grappa: brandy of grape marc from the mountains, very well known. Many distilleries now offer it in flavored versions.

– La grolla: grappa, coffee, spices, orange peel, all on fire and drunk together in a wooden pot with several spouts.

– Vermouths: most are made from Piedmontese or Lombard wines, aromatic herbs and spices. A very ancient mountain tradition.

Coffee

No need to insist on the fame of Italian coffee! The peninsula has a record number of establishments.

Few people at the bar ask for a simple espresso: some want it ristretto (tight), lungo (long), doppio (double), or macchiato (“stained” with a drop of cold, lukewarm or hot milk).
The café au lait says: caffè latte. Not to be confused with the famous cappuccino, an espresso topped with milk foam and sprinkled – on request -, if requested, a pinch of cocoa. Unless you prefer caffè corretto, that is to say “corrected” with a small liquor.

Chocolate
The cioccolata calda (and not the cioccolato, which is the chewable chocolate) is, for some, better than the cappuccino which, in many tourist places, turns more and more into a banal café au lait. This hot chocolate made according to the rules of the art is particularly creamy, even very thick. It looks like cream (in fact, we replace the milk with fresh cream).

Water
Tap water is drinkable, it is never served in restaurants, where you are systematically billed for mineral water (1 or 2 e in general), or even now microfiltered water from a machine. Specify aqua naturale or frizzante if you want still, frizzante or mineral water if you prefer sparkling water.

Appy for an Italian Visa Singapore.