Popular Italian foods

Popular Italian foods: why Italian food and culture are so closely allied. An Italian food menu comprises an Italian breakfast, pasta types and Italian dessert recipes.

This is the food Italians prefer in their daily lives. The term, popular, means arising from normal people, normal situations and ordinary life.

We often read about lasagna, tiramisu and ravioli, but these Italian specialties food don't reflect what Italians eat on an ordinary day, as these are Italian holiday traditions.

The typical Italian breakfast menu consists of a cornetto (pastry) together with a cappuccino or coffee.
You can find an Italian pastry in any bar you enter during the morning. (Remember they are fresh and baked only for the day, so you may find they have all been consumed during the late morning.)

It is not possible to talk about popular food in Italy without considering the classical "pasta al pomodoro". It's the simplest and most common dish, served in infant schools as well as in homes for the aged, just to clarify its popularity..
It's a healthy Italian recipe as it is simple and easy to digest. Pasta is made of wheat flour and water, and the tomato sauce with tomato, extra virgin olive oil, onion, garlic and salt. These are all healthy ingredients with a flavor that pleases practically everybody.

Rice is widely used as well, as it is a cereal like wheat and corn, but contains less fat. The Italian risotto probably became known due to Italian rice quality and the particular way in which it is cooked.

Northern Italian food is rich of polenta, made with cornflour. The history of Italian food tells about the poor times, when people had only cornflour with which to prepare their meals.

With regard to meat, popular Italian foods differ slightly between Italian regions. For example, around Rome porchetta is very well known (roasted pork that is eaten sliced, often with bread), as is abbacchio (baby lamb). In Sardinia porcetto (young pork) is the most known and sought after. One can easily find braciole (steaks, veal or pork) in any part of Italy.

Italians like to eat cheese after a meal. There are many wonderful cheeses in Italy, but the most popular one is Parmigiano Reggiano.

This cheese, known for its taste, as well as for its nutritional qualities, is given to babies, grated into their soup and this habit accompanies a child throughout his/her life.

Turning to Italian dessert recipes, the most popular one is probably the ice-cream called gelato in Italian. It is often mass-produced and is one of many typical Italian products. Even if it is only really remembered during the warmest seasons, Italians do eat it throughout the year. In a typical ice cream parlor, you will find home-made flavors such as pistachio, hazelnut, coffee and red fruits, just to quote a few examples.

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