Italian culture revolves around food. Ingredients need to be fresh and in season. Food is made and produce with gentle care. Italians are artisans, and all that love and effort is also found in food just like in fashion and architecture. People love Italian food for not only its unique flavors and dishes but for the reverence that food is held.
Italy says no high fructose corn syrup, no aspartame, no chemicals in food. Soda and Candy taste very different due to the lack of additives. Coca-Cola has a richer taste, and Fanta is no longer fluorescent orange. Chocolate lacks modifiers and thickeners that sometimes gives it a waxy taste to the point that even chocolate from Tutto a 99 cent, the 99 cent store, is creamy and delicious like Godiva. Maybe the European Food Authority stricter than U.S Food and Drug Administration in America. Either way, Italy is a food mecca whether it’s in Positano or Venice or Florence. Good food is always just waiting
around the corner.
San Marco Square from Guidecca
Italy boast a total of 356 Michelin starred restaurants making it only second to France. Michelin Stars are the Oscars or Academy awards of Food. Florence’s triple starred favorite is Enoteca Pinchiorri, sadly the best meals are sometimes super expensive. If budgeting isn’t an issue then download the 2018 Michelin Guide for Italy and eat your way through Italy. For those on a budget, there is still amazing food on every corner. You just need to be willing to try it. The reality is that many tourists leave Italy with experiencing the joys of authentic food experience. Some are too caught up in tourist areas like the Duomo or Piazza della signora to go seek a great experience. For some its baffling to pay for water. For others, they hope to unlock the secrets to staying thin and eating pizza and pasta all day. Italians have unique lifestyles and eating habits.
Heavy breakfast doesn’t really exist unless you are somewhere that seeks to bring something exotic to Italy. Everyday Italians usually have a cappuccino and a pastry for breakfast. Cafes are great for breakfast. The best Cappuccino is Florence is served at Ditta artigianale which has two locations. Ditta also serves a mean breakfast/ brunch that is quite pleasing to the American palate.
Breakfast in Ditta and a Cappuccino at Ditta Artigianale
Lunch is light often a Panino filled with delicious prosciutto and Mozzarella. A great place in Florence is All’ Antico Vinaio or its competition Panino Toscano. All' Antico Vinaio offers cold paninos while Panino Toscano will warm it up for you.
Italians don’t eat like Americans. Italians know when you are tourist simply by the way you eat.
To avoid any faux pas here on some tips on how to eat like an Italian:
1. Only drink water or wine with your food.
In Europe, you will always pay for water and in tourist areas you will also have to pay to use the bathroom too. Ordering a Fanta with your spaghetti al la carbonara is a crime. While Italian Fanta is refreshing so is water and even better yet water will allow you to taste the creamy egg and salty bacon that your dish was made with. Wine is the only other alternative and frequently the house wine is pretty good. White wine is best with seafood and light foods and as a good rule of thumb red wine pairs well with meat. Cocktails are best for the bar and before your meal for the same reason that a Margarita doesn't pair well with Caprese salad.
2. Don’t dip your bread in vinegar and oil.
The balsamic vinegar and olive oil which is brought to you at most restaurants is for salad and not for the bread. on that note, Oil and vinegar is most likely that only salad dressing you will find so say Ciao to Ranch. The bread like in so many other countries is a tool to eat with. In Tuscany, Bread is unsalted. You will see Italians only touch the bread once their past dish has been devoured to soak up the sauce left on the plate much like how Americans use toast to sop up the egg yolk at breakfast. If you really want something on your bread try ordering bruschetta or focaccia. bruschetta comes with finely chopped tomatoes and focaccia has oil and salt on it, mostly found fresh baked.
3. Cappuccino in the A.M, Only.
Far away from any Starbucks, Italians are serious about their coffee. Espresso is always served hot, strong and dark. A Cappuccino should only be enjoyed in the morning with a pastry of your choice. Ordering coffee in Italy can be confusing, A macchiato isn't full of milk but hot espresso with enough cream to mark it. A cappuccino is topped with foam which coats your lips. Many believe that the more foam there is the better. A latte is full of hot milk and steaming with a rich aroma of coffee. Coffee is the flavor of coffee so please don't try asking for a grande Carmel Macchiato with soy milk and extra carmel drizzle.
4. Use Condiments Sparingly
In America, we salt our food, pour ketchup on fries, want chick-fil-a sauce on our nuggets and put ranch on our pizza. Italians waiters can be seen visibly flinching when having to bring condiments that are not olive oil to the table and so places will even charge you extra to have it. When going to luxury restaurants, its is often said that if you ask for condiments with your meal you are offending the chef. In Italy, condiments represent as disrespect for the food and ingredients. Sadly to say also the same goes from extra parmesan cheese on your pasta. The Italian paradigm is very simple. No one would put mustard on the Gelato or Pasta, its completely absurd. This is the way most Italians feel about many of the condiments Americans use on their food. Why cover up something delicious?
When eating in a foreign country, it is always best to mimic the locals. In Italy, you eat slow and often. A party of nine can sit at a table for hours without anyone telling them to leave. A waiter at Trattoria Cent'ori just on the other side of the Arno said that Americans rush everything but Italians walk and drive fast to make up the time lost enjoying food. The best advice for eating anywhere is simple. In the words of Andrew Zimmern, " If it looks good eat it."
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