The list of various necessities of life cannot be complete without the inclusion of food. If you want to lighten up a person’s mood, order some food or take them to the nearest food restaurant near you and let the food work its magic. The same applies to wanting the forgiveness of a loved one; just get some homemade cuisine alongside some flowers and bang, you’re good to go.
We sometimes get bored from eating the same food over and over again. Over the years, food has come to serve as means of connecting and bringing people together from across the globe. This has been made possible by cooks and people sharing their traditional cuisines with the rest of the world on various social media networks. Let’s not forget the work of food bloggers and travelers who travel to certain places in the world to discover different dishes among the people in that country.
How Italian Cuisine has become one of the Most Popular Dishes around the World Today
Italian cuisine is a cuisine commonly known among the people of the Mediterranean Basin, which consists of a variety of ingredients, recipes, and cooking techniques. Italian cuisine is based mainly on the quality of the ingredients rather than the style or method of preparation. This has made it one of the most popular dishes around the world. The simplicity of the cuisine makes it easy to prepare even if you’ve never come across the dish before. This is because it generally consists of only two to four main ingredients. It also provides plenty of tastes and flavors that influence different cuisines around the world.
Which is the oldest Italian cuisine made?
Atriya is a cuisine developed in Sicily. It is mostly considered as the first real Italian cuisine. It is made from flour and water into long strings. It eventually became trii in Southern Italy, also known as spaghetti.
Different Italian Cuisines
The various areas of Italy have different dishes they consume, according to CNN. In Central Italy, the common food consumed is spaghetti and pizza. Fish, potatoes, rice, sausages, pork, and cheese are also common among the people of Northern Italy. The Southern Italian cuisine comprises tomatoes, capers, peppers, olives, and olive oil, garlic, ricotta cheese, artichokes, and eggplants.
Italian Rice Cuisines
- Risotto Congamberi
Risotto Congambeti is an Italian dish that uses rice (resorting rice), butter, olive oil, and almighty shrimp as the main ingredients. Other ingredients also include onions, celery, garlic, stock, white wine, and seasonings.
- Risotto al Salto
This Italian Rice cuisine uses risotto alla milanese or risotto al parmigiano, butter or olive oil was an ingredient. The butter or olive oil is spread into a pan and the risotto is added to the mix.
- Risotto ai funghi porcini
Its ingredient includes mushrooms, rice, olive oil, meat stock, butter, shallots, pepper, salt, and white wine.
Italian Fish Cuisines
- Zuppa Dipescue
This Italian seafood stew includes squid, mussels, clams, and shrimp. The base soup consists of clam, broth, white wine, and tomato sauce.
- Seafood salad
also called the Feast of the Seven fishes, is a seven-course meal eaten mostly on Christmas eve. This makes it one of the popular Italian seafood dishes. The number of fishes included has no limits.
- Scampi
Scampi is one of the simplest dishes of Italian seafood. Its ingredients include scampi or large prawns which are covered in a little spicy cherry tomato sauce, with garlic, onion, dried chili, and some seasonings.
Italian Meat Cuisines
- Polto alla cacciatora
This fish is known by Americans as “chicken cacciatore”. It ingredient includes a cooked bird (broiler), tomato sauce (must be spicy), herbs and some mushrooms. The bird is sometimes substituted for rabbit or hare.
- Involtiai al pomodoro
Also known as braciole are made by rolling small beef cutlets into bite-sized parcels with celery, cheese, pork, which are browned and covered in tomato sauce.
- Picchiapo
This cuisine was common among the people of Roman. The recipe involves pieces of boiled beef mixed with onion, olive oil, canned tomatoes, and some white wine.
How the journey of Italian cuisine to popularity began?
The journey first started when the people of Italy went to the United States of America in search of jobs. They had to make their own traditional dishes with the ingredients available. This brought about Italian-American cuisine. It made it impossible for the Americans not to fall in love with Italian food.
Why everyone craves Italian food
- Easy access to the ingredients
The important ingredients needed for Italian cuisine are common everywhere provided you have a supermarket near you. This makes it easy for the dishes to be prepared.
- Easy to afford
Although the food is famous, it’s quite cheap. It’s easy to order pizza or make some lasagna without wasting much money on the ingredients.
- The food is shared
Italian food is shared among friends, families, and food blogs. This has resulted in the increasing number of people that consume the dishes.
- Its health benefits
Italian cuisine is considered one of the healthiest cuisines in the world. Some of its ingredients include fresh vegetables, olive oil, non-fatty red meat, chicken, and fish rush in vitamins.
- Different varieties to select from
Italian cuisine comes in different varieties which even makes it difficult for you to be selective, from rice to fish to meat cuisines, you’ll definitely find the best one for you.
The influence Italian cuisine had on the British cuisine
The introduction of Italian cuisine into the UK around the 1960s has provided informality as compared to the formality the UK restaurant possessed.
Pizza, one of the popular Italian dishes.
Pizza is basically the Italian name for pie. History has it that it was consumed by ancient Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks, which has today improved tremendously with different toppings such as vegetables, meat, fish as well as fruits. Pizza is said to have modernly originated from Italy, the city of Naples.
In 1869, queen Margherita with her spouse visited Naples and requested pizzas from the city’s Pizzeria Brandi. The variety she enjoyed was called Pizza Mozzarella which was garnished with soft white cheese, red tomatoes, and green basil. It was not long after named pizza Margherita after the queen of Italy.
The immigrations of the Neapolitans into the United States for factory jobs made known of pizza to American cities and other immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Since then till today, pizza has become one of the most consumed food worldwide with over 5billion sales each year.
Top Three kinds of Pizza and Their Toppings
- Meat lover’s pizza
Toppings; Cooked and crumbled Italian sausages or ground beef, bacon, and sometimes sliced ham
- Deluxe / Supreme Pizza
Toppings; cheese, bacon, pepperoni, red and green pepper, ripe olives, onions, basil.
- Pepperoni
Toppings; olives, bell peppers, tomatoes, pepperoncini.
Health Benefits
- The pizza sauce is mostly made from tomatoes which are rich in antioxidants like cycopene which can help reduce blood pressure, minimize cholesterol and even help in the prevention of cancer.
- Pizza toppings like ham or beef can be a source of lean protein. Cheese provides the body with essential protein to build and repair tissues.
- Green leafy vegetables contain vitamin k which helps reduce the risk of heart diseases. Carrots which are high in vitamin A play a very important role in eye health.
Benard Mount
