The most widely recognized element of Italian food today is pasta.
Pasta is a signature of Italian food in all parts of the globe. It is
easy to store and prepare and therefore became the ambassador of
Italian food to the world. Pasta has a much older history than other
common dishes in Italian food like pizza and tomato sauce.
The other form of pasta used in Italian food is fresh pasta. All pasta
actually starts out as fresh pasta but certain pasta recipes require
that the pasta be eaten fresh and soft, not dried. Fresh pasta is often
made with slightly different ingredients than dried pasta. In the
northern parts of Italy fresh pasta is most often made with all-purpose
flour and eggs. However, the southern parts of Italy make their fresh
pasta with semolina and water. It should be noted that different
recipes can call for different variations. These different recipes give
a distinct flavor to the Italian food of different regions. Some types
of pasta are meant just to be eaten fresh, while others are meant to be
dried. There are also some types of pasta that can be fresh or dried;
it depends on what Italian food dish is being prepared.
When a variation of pasta can be either dried or fresh it is sometimes
argued that the fresh style is best. Making fresh pasta is a point of
pride for many Italian households and is reflected in the quality of
the Italian food that they prepare.
Today one only has to look at the numbers to see just how big a role
pasta plays in Italian food. Italians eat over three times as much
pasta as Americans. Their pasta consumption is over sixty pounds per
person per year. It's no wonder that pasta is considered the
cornerstone of Italian food. In fact, pasta is used so extensively in
Italian food that Italy must import most of its wheat in order to keep
up with the demand. This popularity of pasta and Italian food has
caused pasta to be mass produced. This has lead to an inferior quality
of pasta being used in American Italian food. The best pasta is still
found in Italy where they stick to the same recipes handed down through
the generations. A true Italian food lover must try some authentic
pasta made in Italy if they want to capture the authentic taste of
Italian food.
The pizza
It was in the Middle Ages that pizza began to take a form that would be
more familiar to Italian food lovers today. Pizza started out being
just as dough topped with herbs and olive oil. Once mozzarella cheese
began to be produced from Indian Water Buffalo it quickly became a
signature aspect of pizza. Today at any true Italian food eatery this
fresh mozzarella di buffalo is nonnegotiable. The dried shredded
mozzarella that is often associated with Italian food would actually
never be used on a pizza made by a true Italian food chef.
It wouldn't be until the tomato became popular in Italian food in the
18th century that we would see modern pizza. During this time pizza
began to take an even more prominent role in Italian food. In Naples
pizza was sold on the streets for every meal. This once peasant food
was quickly taking hold of all of society, including the upper class.
In fact, by 1830 the first ever pizzeria was opened in Naples. Ever
since this time pizzerias have been found all over the world converting
people to the love of Italian food.
