What foods do they eat in Italy?

Answer 1

A common Italian meal consist of two servings : pasta followed by meat.

The two main servings can be preceded by an appetizer. Common appetizers are Salame or Prosciutto (pork meat), fresh Mozarella cheese (lately buffalo mozzarella), or various fried appetizers like "Supplì" (fried balls of rice).

There are literally hundreds of kinds of pasta (spaghetti, maccheroni, penne, tagliatelle, fettuccine ...) and even more different sauces. Most sauces are based on tomatoes (sugo), many of them on cream, while others are made out of eggs (like Carbonara in central Italy) or are mainly based on meat. Many sauces include small pieces of meat, mostly bacon, but some of them are mostly or entirely based on meat, (like "Gricia" or "Ragù").

There are also many pasta sauces based on fish. Rice is commonly considered as pasta.

Olive oil (extravergine d'oliva) and fresh basil are almost always used in Italian pasta sauces.

The second serving is usually beef or pork. In restaurants meat is commonly grilled with real wood embers.

Also fish is consumed a lot in Italy (obviously, being the country a peninsula).

After lunch is common to have espresso coffee served, eventually preceded by a dessert. Typical Italian desserts are "Tiramisu", "Baba" (which is mildly alcoholic), and a number of cakes.

A completely different kind of meal is the one based on Pizza, it's extremely rare to eat Pizza preceded of followed by pasta or meat. A common pizza meal is composed, obviously, of pizza, eventually preceded by an appetizer or followed by a dessert.

Italian Pizza is extremely different from American pizza. It is usually extremely thin, like 2/4 millimeters, and much simpler. The most common pizza is called "Margherita", which consists of tomato and mozzarella cheese. In Italy there is no pizza with fruits, which seems to be common in northern Europe.

Pizza is almost always cooked in ovens burning real wood.

Pizza is also consumed in another form, called "Pizza al taglio", commonly in bistrots, which is a bit thicker (up to 1/2 centimeters), and single squared slices are served.

"Pizza al taglio" is commonly cooked in electric ovens.

Pizza in general is commonly considered a cheaper meal.

While Italian food is considered "Junk food" in the US, there are great differences between Italian food in Italy and abroad. Pasta and pizza that you can eat in Italy are by far less caloric.

Due to lifestyle changes in Italy in last decades, a complete meal (appetizer + pasta + meat + dessert + coffee) is not an everyday habit. Usually an Italian have a quick lunch, composed of one or two servings, like appetizer + pasta or pizza + coffee or meat only etc.. However during special meals, like during a marriage, a single lunch can last for 3 to 4 hours with 2 or 3 different servings of pasta followed by meat and fish servings.

Answer 2

A common Italian meal consist of two servings : pasta followed by meat.

The two main servings can be preceded by an appetizer. Common appetizers are Salame or Prosciutto (pork meat), fresh Mozarella cheese (lately buffalo mozzarella), or various fried appetizers like "Supplì" (fried balls of rice).

There are literally hundreds of kinds of pasta (spaghetti, maccheroni, penne, tagliatelle, fettuccine ...) and even more different sauces. Most sauces are based on tomatoes (sugo), many of them on cream, while others are made out of eggs (like Carbonara in central Italy) or are mainly based on meat. Many sauces include small pieces of meat, mostly bacon, but some of them are mostly or entirely based on meat, (like "Gricia" or "Ragù").

There are also many pasta sauces based on fish. Rice is commonly considered as pasta.

Olive oil (extravergine d'oliva) and fresh basil are almost always used in Italian pasta sauces.

The second serving is usually beef or pork. In restaurants meat is commonly grilled with real wood embers.

Also fish is consumed a lot in Italy (obviously, being the country a peninsula).

After lunch is common to have espresso coffee served, eventually preceded by a dessert. Typical Italian desserts are "Tiramisu", "Baba" (which is mildly alcoholic), and a number of cakes.

A completely different kind of meal is the one based on pizza, it's extremely rare to eat pizza preceded of followed by pasta or meat. A common pizza meal is composed, obviously, of pizza, eventually preceded by an appetizer or followed by a dessert.

Italian Pizza is extremely different from American pizza. It is usually extremely thin, like 2/4 millimeters, and much simpler. The most common pizza is called "Margherita", which consists of tomato and mozzarella cheese. In Italy there is no pizza with fruits, which seems to be common in northern Europe.

Pizza is almost always cooked in ovens burning real wood.

Pizza is also consumed in another form, called "Pizza al taglio", commonly in bistrots, which is a bit thicker (up to 1/2 centimeters), and single squared slices are served.

"Pizza al taglio" is commonly cooked in electric ovens.

Pizza in general is commonly considered a cheaper meal.

While Italian food is considered "Junk food" in the US, there are great differences between Italian food in Italy and abroad. Pasta and pizza that you can eat in Italy are by far less caloric.

Due to lifestyle changes in Italy in last decades, a complete meal (appetizer + pasta + meat + dessert + coffee) is not an everyday habit. Usually an Italian have a quick lunch, composed of one or two servings, like appetizer + pasta or pizza + coffee or meat only etc.. However during special meals, like during a marriage, a single lunch can last for 3 to 4 hours with 2 or 3 different servings of pasta followed by meat and fish servings.