Italian cuisine

Merit 12.a

History

• Prime example of the Mediterranean diet• northern and southern Italian cuisines • Northern: butter, cream, Mascarpone cheese,

risotto and fresh egg pasta • Southern: Mozzarella cheese (usually from

buffalo), olive oil and dried pasta • Dishes: appetizer (antipasto), first course (il

primo), second course (il secondo), vegetables (la verdura), cheese (il formaggio), dessert (la fruta e il dolce), coffee (caffe)

Appetizer ...

• Stimulates appetite• Served before main dishes• Usually different sorts of meat, fish, cheese or

vegetable and toast

First course ...

• Light dish• First main dish• Pasta or risotto, also soup

Second course ...

• Meat or fish, sometimes poultry• Meat: calf cutlet, pork, lamb• Fish: lobster, tuna-fish, sardine, cuttlefish(seepia)• One one’s request also green salad or different kind of

potatoes

Vegetables ...

• Important• Truffle – in woods and meadow, expensive and hard to find• Olives – 1/3 of production• Lentiles – one of the oldest• Served very simply - salad

Cheese ...

• Served usually after the second course• Made from cow, sheep and goat milk• Popular cheese sorts:Rustical(talupoeglik) cheese, blue cheese, parmesancheese, fantina (used in fondue)

Dessert ...

• Usually fruits• Special desserts are served with special events• Tirami su – quite new, but already popular.

Combination of espresso, liqueur and biscuit

Coffee ...

• Espresso – italian coffee, that is made from dark coffee beans in espresso machine. It is an art to make good espresso.

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