Italian Food is a Family Affair

If you are looking to get lucky by obtaining your Italian neighbor's fine pasta sauce recipe you better think again, as Italian food is a family affair. There are very few things that will slip out of the lips of an Italian cook, when it comes to recipes or food preparations. The Italians take their food very seriously, and this means that they are more than willing to sit on a recipe and its ingredients for however long it takes to keep it out of prying eyes. The Italians pride themselves of family recipes, and they do not want you meddling in their recipe books.

The Neighbor Has Different Sauce

When it comes to anything to do with the culinary circuit, Italian food is a family affair. Two neighbors side by side from the same region in Italy can actually have pasta sauces that are so totally different that you would mistake the two sauces as regional differences not household mixes. This is because each family has its own thing, and they are not willing to share what they are doing to make each sauce unique. This is great for those that get to experiment with the different family recipes, yet it is very hard to please everyone that is looking to experience as much as possible. There are many subtle differences that can be picked out of sauces from different families, and when you live among this type of setting you will have no problems picking out the extra or hidden ingredient.

Global Yet Still Secret

Everywhere you go today you are going to find small fine Italian restaurants. Whether they are a chain or a small one spot family affair, the food from this eatery is closed off to the public as far as the recipe is concerned. You will not find an open book on how food is prepared from the Italians, as they see no reason to share with anyone outside of their family. This is nothing to take offence over, rather it is something to admire as you can clearly see that their cooking is very important to them. Taking the time to see what the full is all about will clearly demonstrate to you why Italian food is a family affair. Keeping it in the family, allows for many possibilities when it comes to marketing.

Pride Not Competition

Italian food is a family affair, and this means that it has nothing to do with competition between families; it actually has everything to do with pride. These families have lived off of these recipes for centuries, and each generation has added a little to the pot, to make it what it is today. The Italians do not look at this as a race to the best family sauce, yet don't let them fool you they would be more than happy to gloat if need be. The best food is the food that is made with appreciation for the diners. Italian food is made for the love of the food itself.

Italian Food Has Multiple Influences

When it comes to Italian food, you need to understand that it was not just the Italians that shaped the way the food tastes or looks. There is a great deal of other influences that have molded the Italian food that we know today, and if you really look hard enough you can actually see some of the other countries handy work and foot prints on the cultures of Italy. The Greeks being close and convenient neighbors have had a hand in the Italian food scene, and while they have not always gotten along throughout history the Italians and Greeks have shared many recipes and made them better. The same can be aid for the Persians as well, as Arabs moved into the regions within Italy and left their mark as well.

Sea Food Is A New Development

While the Italians have an abundance of coastlines the Italian food scene early on did not actually include seafood as a prime choice. It took the Greeks to show the Italians that seafood is plentiful and that you can actually make magnificent dishes with the likes of crustaceans and finned fish. There is a major Italian fish industry today, and it is most evident by the amount of people that you find at the local fish markets on Saturday mornings. The Greeks introduced the Italians to fish recipes with white sauces and fine pastas, and the country of Italy embraced and practically adopted this fare as its own. Today, you will find many great Italian eateries that actually use seafood as their prime meal of choice and the sales on seafood plates go through the roof.

The Grain That Changed A Culture

If you were to look at what actually changed the culture of Italy the most in regards to Italian food, it would have to be the introduction of rice by the Arabs. When the Arabs made their way to Italy, they brought with them a grain now known as rice. This was brought to Italy through Spain, and Greece and actually did quite well in Italy when it settled. The land in Italy was well equipped to grow rice in crops, as it called for low flat land that was close to great water sources. Over the years the Italians used the rice to forge some of their most well recognized recipes available today. And when you dine on Italian in a restaurant, you will notice many dishes that will be either served with rice as the main course or with the rice on the side.

There Is No Denying The Grand Scope Of The Cuisine

When it comes right down to it, there is no denying the grand scope of fine Italian food. Italian restaurants can be found in just about every major city in the world today, and this speaks volumes to the quality and appreciation of the food that the Italians enjoy on a daily basis. You will be hard pressed to find a dish in the Italian menu that will not raise an eyebrow and make you curious to try.

Low-Carb Italian Food

While many people love Italian food, those that are trying to stick to a low-carb diet often shy away from it. no wonder, with many meals centering on large amounts of pasta and bread. However, if you are looking for low-carb Italian foods then there are some to be found. Many Italian meals center on fresh veggies, olive oil, and herbs and are just as delicious as pasta and pizza. Here is a look at just some of the Italian foods you can try while sticking to your low-carb diet.

Starters And Appetizers

If you are looking for low-carb Italian food, one of the first places to look for it is in the antipasto course. Antipasto, Italian for "before the meal" includes numerous starters and appetizers, but many of these foods could work as a meal on their own. One example is a tray of Italian cold cuts and cheeses. Many marinated and pickled vegetables are also low-carb. Stuffed tomatoes and peppers, deviled eggs, and salads all work well as low-carb appetizers. Just avoid any antipasto items that involve bread or pasta. You may also need to pay attention to dips and salad dressings to make sure that they are not high in carbs as well. A simple dressing made of balsamic vinegar and olive oil is low-carb and delicious.

Salads

Italian salads are another great low-carb Italian food. You will have to use caution to avoid salads that use pasta and bread, but with some careful planning you can find many delicious alternatives. You can eat Italian salad as a meal of its own or as a side dish. Consider fennel and orange salad from Sicily for a unique taste.

Grilled peppers and olives also make great additions, as do many of the Italian cheeses. Even regular vegetables can become spectacular dishes when combined with Italian herbs and seasonings. You can easily make up your own low-carb meal by serving a large quantity of vegetables with some baked or grilled fish.

Soup And Stew

Italian soups and stews are often hearty enough to eat as a meal on their own, or served alongside a fresh salad. For low-carb Italian food, look for soups that are full of fresh vegetables and avoid those that are laden with pastas. Broccoli soup is one good option, as is tomato and basil soup. For protein you can often find soups that include seafood and other meats, some unusual like rabbit. Beans, chickpeas, and lentils can also be good sources of protein, but if you are on a very low-carb diet you will want to avoid these as well.

Frittatas

If you are looking for a substitute for bread and/or a way to use up last night's vegetables, frittatas are the way to go. Frittatas are an Italian version of the omelet, and are often cut into wedges for serving. They can be flavored with any number of ingredients, including vegetables, herbs, and salami or chicken.

Dessert

When you are looking for low-carb Italian food, there is no reason to skip dessert! Fruit is a common choice, whether baked or served fresh in a salad. The popular gelato is another low-carb dessert that you can indulge in. You will find that many Italian desserts are either naturally low-carb or can be adapted to your new diet.

Authentic Italian Food and Deserts

Italy has its reputation through a lot of things, from sports cars and interior design, but for all that Italian cuisine has earned a nationally renowned. Of course, Italian national football team won the 2006 World Cup, but Italian cuisine continues to win the hearts of millions of people every day. It was observed that Italian cuisine is the most popular type of food when it comes to eating out. This is not just in Italy moderately the world at large is tending towards Italian food for diverse reasons.

The country initiating long, thin shape has a kitchen that is quite unlike anything that you will be able to find in the world. To the preponderance of the comparatively unaware public pizza and pasta happen to be the symbol of Italian cuisine. It is true that pizza in Naples is the largest consumer Italian food together with different types of pasta in the world, but the Italian cuisine goes much deeper than these two items. The cuisine of Italy is rich in foods and desserts. The amount of diversity that you will be able to find in the kitchen of the country is overwhelming. Not every region contributes only with its special foods and desserts instead have their ways of cooking the same as well. For this reason you will find many different regional varieties of pasta in Italy.

When you look at the history of the country, we see that for the greater part of it the country was divided into separate regional states. Moreover, many parts of the country were inhibited by foreigners like the French. In 1861 the county was united and the Italian cuisine we know today was first formalized. So we see that it contains a lot of foreign influences in terms of ingredients that are used and the way food is prepared.

The Toe on the map of Italy is the Calabria region. This region is famous for its delicious spicy salami. Naples is a city famous for introducing the world to pizza and mozzarella. The region is also famous for sfogliattele which is a popular dessert voice. These are basically filled Italian pastry. The areas of northern Italy, is credited with producing some of the most amazing food and dessert items that are part of the kitchen. The popular rice dish risotto originates from the Northern areas of Lombardy and Piedmont. Some of the other original elements of the area are the Parmesan cheese, tortellini, mortadella, lasagne, meat sauce and balsamic vinegar.

The thin crust pizzas have originated from Rome, where they used sheep offal, as the main ingredients. Sardinia is credited with feta cheese in which Sicily has a number of delicious seafood items to his credit. Gelato ice cream and granite is a delightful semi-frozen dessert from the area as well. Everybody identifies that Italian food is some of the very best in the world. Evidently, many people have never experienced the various regional dishes that are not as common as the traditional spaghetti or lasagna. If you are looking for something truly wonderful, try some of the other regional dishes that are native to Italy the next time you visit your favorite Italian restaurant.

Healthy Italian Food

Many people love Italian food, and Italian eateries have sprung up across the country. However, if you are looking for healthy Italian food, you may want to think twice about eating. While many people consider Italian food to be healthy, the dishes served at your favorite restaurant may not be.

The Problem

Like fettuccine Alfredo? It has as much saturated fat as three pints of full fat ice cream. Eggplant parmigiana is about as healthy as eating five fried egg rolls and that appetizer of fried calamari? It has more cholesterol than an omelet made with four eggs. Healthy Italian food is hard to find in the U.S. In southern Italy, the diet used to be comprised mostly of pasta, bread, vegetables, and other healthy foods, and that part of the country had fewer cases of heart disease, cancers, and obesity. Meat and cheese are used sparingly in the south. In the north, the use of meat and cheese is more common, as it is in the United States as well, and so are the rates of heart disease and other ailments.

How Pasta Helps

Pasta helps create healthy Italian food because it cuts down on the amount of fat in the meal. If the meal is largely pasta, you will have no problem staying below the 30% of calories coming from fat. Of course this assumes that you are staying away from cream and cheese based sauces like Alfredo, and sticking to tomato sauce. Even most meat sauces are ok to eat. This is also true for saturated fat, again assuming that you stay away from the cream and cheese based sauces. So ordering an order of spaghetti with tomato sauce is much healthier than other alternatives.

Lacking Veggies

While you can easily go with lower fat entrees at Italian restaurants, finding healthy Italian foods is more difficult than that. Many entrees are very high in sodium. Another concern is the lack of vegetables at Italian restaurants. Many dishes do not come with veggies on the side, or if they do it is a small amount and drenched in butter. A salad may help, but if you go for ordinary Italian dressing you are getting a lot of fat.

Making It Healthier

Finding healthy Italian food is easier if you know what to look for. Below are some of the better food choices. However, keep in mind that an actual portion size may be much less than what the restaurant actually serves - many Italian eateries pride themselves in their mega platters. Adding extras, such as Parmesan cheese, will affect your total numbers.

o Main dishes: Go for meatless marinara or a clam sauce. Avoid creamy sauces like Alfredo. If you have meatballs, ask for tomato sauce instead of meat sauce. Watch out for the amount of oil and butter in a dish, and skip cheese toppings.

o Olive Garden: One of the most popular Italian restaurants in the country, but it can be difficult to get the exact nutrition information. Take advantage of the unlimited salad; just ask for half the dressing. Again, go for grilled dishes over fried and avoid the cheese and butter sauces.

o Appetizers: Garlic bread is one of the big problems when trying to order healthy Italian food. Order plain bread instead, skip the fried calamari, and share appetizers with the entire table.

Italian Food - Friuli Venezia Giulia

The preconceived notion that Italian food consists of about fifteen dishes found at the Italian food joints in the U.S is false. In fact, Italian food has a wide variety and varies greatly across the country. The different regional cuisines found in Italy take cues from surrounding nations and spice it up with a lit of bit of local creativity to provide the inimitable Italian cuisine. A great example of the fore-said is the cuisine from the region of Fruili-Venezia Giulia.

The region has a common border with the formerly Soviet nation of Yugoslavia, and has a lot of customs and traditions (including culinary) in common. The Italian food from this region has a strong Austrian, Hungarian, Croatian, and Slovenian influence. The beer halls in this region show the most apparent influence. Dishes such as Goulash and Viennese sausage are available here, goulash which originally was a Hungarian dish, acquired the distinct Italian taste from this area and can be found in restaurants in and outside of Italy. The dish is very popular in this area, and constitutes a thick beef stew and vegetables available locally such as red peppers and onions. It is thick and the seasoning is done with paprika, and is usually served along with pasta. Another popular dish at the local beer halls is the Bohemian hare.

Pork is the commonly used meat here. It is essential for tourists visiting this region to try the San Daniele del Friuli hams. The hams are the staple food of the locals. The entire region is well known for its sausages and bacon. In fact the local dish named jota which is unique to this area is a dish made with bacon and beans. The pork that is available here is spicy and usually comes off as a shock to the foreigners and tourists not accustomed to this fiery brand of Italian cooking. The pork is usually cooked on a open hearth. It is a part of many dishes.

A lot of other foods are specific to this area. Italian food has a sweeter side to it, an example of it being strudel. A lot of desserts here are based on flour and strudel is the most common. Another common dish that is found in this region is polenta. It constitutes boiled cornmeal and forms a part of the staple diet of this region, and can be served along with most types of Italian cuisine, including cheese and meat dishes. It is very similar to the American grit.

Another Italian staple food that deserves a mention from this region is cheese. The Montasio cheese which is famous the world over comes from this area. If you like Italian cuisine with lot of cheese in it, instead of mozzarella, then this is definitely the area for you. The last dish that requires mention is the brovada. This dish is very unique to this region, and can simply be put as turnips preserved in marc. It is certainly not a dish that most people associate with Italian cuisine, but it definitely is a dish that is very unique to Italy, due to which it forms an very important part of Italian cuisine. The next time you decide to visit a Italian restaurant, try to experiment with the different regional cuisines on offer. Branching out is the key words here.

Italian Food - Is It High or Low Calorie? You May Be Surprised - Read On

It seems lately that among the health food circles Italian food has been given a bad reputation. With the advent of Atkins many former Italian food fans have steered clear of the food because of the pasta that is being used. However, the idea that pastas going to make you fat is pretty much unfounded. A diet of Italian food, especially from the Mediterranean areas is actually very healthy and will keep you looking and feeling great as long as you know which Italian foods to eat and how to prepare them.

A great example of the fact that Italian food will not make you fat is in Sophia Loren. She told the world in her book that she grew up on spaghetti and ate it daily. She says that it is not the pasta that makes you fat; it's what you put on top of it. People who gain weight eating Italian food typically do so not because of the pasta, but because of creamy sauces like Alfredo sauce and because they eat large portions. Italian food from the Mediterranean doesn't rely on the rich, thick sauces and uses olive oil instead of butter, making it very healthy.

It all starts with the ingredients you keep. For good, healthy food you want to make sure you stock the kitchen with quality pasta, olive oil, garlic, onions, lean meat, fish, and seafood. For seasoning you will want some herbs like basil, oregano, and parsley. You'll want to stay away from a lot of cheese and perhaps only get a little Parmesan cheese to top your favorite dishes. The creamy and cheesy dishes are the ones you're going to want to stay away from in order to keep a healthy diet.

There are many different light meals you can prepare with these simple ingredients. Here is one that will start you off, an Italian food classic, pasta with tomato sauce. You can use any type of pasta you want and you might want to try livening it up with variety. Italian food is not just spaghetti noodles. Boil the pasta in water with salt. Make sure not to overcook the pasta. You want it to be firm, yet tender. The most common mistake made in making Italian food is making mushy pasta. For the sauce simply chop up some garlic, an onion, and some tomatoes. Take a tablespoon of your quality olive oil and saute both the garlic and onions until they are soft. Once that is done add the tomatoes and cook until all the ingredients are blended together well. To top it off add your favorite herbs such as parsley, oregano, or basil. Try different combinations of herbs, there is no definitive herbs for Italian food so experiment and give your sauce your own signature flavor.

You can serve this sauce, put it over your hot pasta and if you want put a little sprinkle of Parmesan on it that is ok too. This is a very simple dish that will stand on its own and you will not need to eat bread or anything else with it. This is a great example of how healthy should be, light and fresh.

You can feel free to try different variations on this recipe. Italian food is full of a variety of pastas and recipes that can keep you satisfied and healthy as long as you stay away from the heavy sauces and creams.