History Of Italian Food

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

Italian food is world famous, and the most popular are pizza and pasta, which are known around the world. Italian recipes are characterized by a skillful combination of herbs and spices, and their cuisine dates back to ancient Roman times.

Historians believe that the history of Italian cuisine began sometime in the 8th century BC, when the Greeks colonized Sicily and Magna Grecia, a region in northern Italy.

Italian food in the mountains is a mixture of French cuisine and mountain specialties. The strong aroma of garlic is used, which is also borrowed from France.

One of the most popular Italian dishes is white truffles, called "trifola d'Alba", and in Liguria, located in northern Italy, seafood delicacies are common, but again with a French flavor.

History of Italian cuisine - Magna Greece

The Italians believe that their nutritious and delicious cuisine is borrowed from the Greeks. Dishes were usually prepared with chickpeas, lupins, dried figs, pickled olives, salted and dried fish, and pork.

At celebrations, such as weddings and various festivals, a variety of things were prepared. Some dishes from Magna Grecia included sweetened meats made with almonds and walnuts, copper sauces, soups and meat in vinegar. The lavish feast was associated with Roman aristocrats.

History of Italian cuisine - The Middle Ages

Italy was invaded by barbarians in 5 BC. Their cuisine was quite different from Italian and consisted of stuffed pastries, roasted magpies and meat.

Barbarian cuisine had a great influence on Italian. In the early 1000 BC. fresh fruits and vegetables were included in their diet. This period is known as the rise of Italian culinary art.

History of Italian cuisine - Pizza

The history of Italian cuisine will not be complete if we do not mention pizza. It was a popular dish in ancient Rome, ancient Egypt and Babylon.

Many historical evidences reveal that she was liked by the ancient historians Cato the Elder and Herodotus. It used to be prepared on a hot stone, and later consumed with vegetables and stewed meat. Sometimes the pizza was sprinkled with herbs and spices.

In Latin pizza is "pinsa", which means flat bread. In the Middle Ages, people began to prepare it with various spices mixed with olive oil. It can certainly be said that during this period the pizza acquired a new look and taste. Finally, with the introduction of buffalo cheese called mozzarella, Italian pizza became famous not only in its country but also around the world.

The ancient Romans usually ate something light twice a day and ate steadily once. Fasting was broken with olives, milk, eggs and wine.

Fruit and cold dishes were usually present at lunch, and the heaviest was dinner, which consisted of seafood, bread, sweetened and ordinary meats, and wine. Fresh and dried fruits were served for dessert.