Did you know that Italian food is the most popular cuisine for eating out throughout the world? The fact that Italian food is extremely healthy due to the use of fresh ingredients has further raised its value. Most Italian food is very versatile since it is usually made with pastas. Pasta: When in Rome and whenever Italian food is the top choice among ethnic cuisines, according to the National Restaurant Association.
Pasta
Is opening a can of spaghetti your idea of fresh Italian pasta? Pasta, no doubt, plays a large part in most traditional Italian food , and few cultures know how to employ a tomato the way that Italians can. Italian cooking is full of marvelous single pasta dishes made with all types of vegetables and pulses. Italian food is all about combinations of delicious local flavors, a simple sauce, a sprinkling of parmesan and of course real Italian pasta. Pizza and pasta are popular the world over, and the average Italian consumes 28kg of pasta each year. When made with fresh egg pasta instead of dried lasagna noodles it can be an amazing treat for the taste buds. The Kinds of Pasta Used In the days before industrialization, dry pasta made from durum wheat, water, and a pinch of salt (spaghetti, rigatoni, and so on), was easier to make, and therefore more popular, in the South, where warmer temperatures and increased sunlight hastened the drying of the pasta.
History
Italian food encapsulates history, tradition and folklore, plus an acute and unique awareness of nature and seasonality, which truly provides 'food for thought'. "The Italian civilization of the table is a product of Italian history, and Italian history is marked by division and violence as much as it is by beauty and creativity, by barbarism as well as civilization. Each of the more than 20 regions of Italy has a different history and geography upon which their methods and ingredients of cooking are based. Food is also culture and it is important to keep traditions alive as they are part of our history.
Sauce
Sauce from a jar is just fine, but homemade always has the best taste. Italian Dishes in the North tend to be a bit 'heavier' than that in the South, think the ingredients used for Spaghetti Carbonara compared to the classic healthier and lighter tomato sauces of the South. It's hard to imagine Italian cooking without its river of tomato sauce, yet before this time, the tomato was just a weed in the Aztec corn fields. More than just pasta, seafood anchors Italian cuisine Italian food brings to mind pasta and sauces.
Simple
For hundreds of years Italian cooking has followed a very simple principle: food is best when it's cooked fresh and in season. The reason for this culinary fragmentation is simple: With the exception of the nobility and the clergy, before most Italians simply didn't travel, and as a result every town and every valley has something unique. The main benefit of Italian cuisine is its healthy balance, the basic ingredients being cooked in a simple style whilst retaining their original goodness and freshness.
Italian food is regarded today as one of the premiere cuisines in the world, famous for exquisite meals consisting of varying ingredients such as olives, balsamic vinegar and pesto. Italian food is simple, vibrant and good for you. Italian food is not just for Italians, but for everyone.
Kath Ibbetson's passion is Italian Food and she has shared this with hundreds of people. Find out more about it at FoodTheItalianWay.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kath_Ibbetson
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