Intruduction to regional recepies of italian cuisine
Italian cuisine is known worldwide thanks to recipes of pasta, pizza and rice.
The variety of plates more or less known come from the regions that sees the most numberous foreign tourists, plates from Bologna, Rome, Florence , Naples, Milan and Venice.
But the history of Italy, that has been unifyed only 250 years ago, has been subject to influences of cultures and traditions of several regions of Europe and from the Mediterranean.
Even today, not only the foreigner but also the northern italian, hasn't tasted “Culurgiones” of Sardinian cuisine, or “Pasta cù li sardi” of Palermitan cuisine. Viceversa, in Calabria or in Sardinia, they don't know “Misultin” that are small fishes from Como lake prepared in sweet and sour, or “Gubana” a cake made with raisins, nuts, pine seeds and grappa from Friuli.
It is considerable the variety of the recipes on the territory, mainly prepared with local ingredients, from the land as from the sea, of meet, vegetables and sea food.
Italian territory that joys the four seasons, of microclimas and every geological variety, mountains, planes, vulcanos, sea, islands; has produced moltitude of vegetals and farms of any kind.
Is a country that has known very difficult periods in its history, often the prime matters were scarce, cultivations coudn't produce on a large scale and livestock was a luxury for most of the country people.
This has produced the research and the use of wild herbs and berries, alternative seafood; the creation and sperimentation of new matching tastes, for example just the different way to cook bread, think about the “michetta” or “Carasau” or Altamura's bread.
And what about the spaghetti, that we are sure they were born in China, the “noodles”, but the variety of shapes and preparations of pasta made in Italy, haven't equals; furthermore the rice, asian primary food, but never thought and prepared as “risotto alla milanese”.
The tomato itself, originary from America, has found his exhaltation on the italian peninsula, “pelati San Marzano”, cherry tomatoes from Pachino, “camoni from Po valley. Etc.
For passion of italian cuisine, for pride and the pleasure of the taste, the target of this writting is to make known the most possible of the regional italian cuisine to the foreigner clientele.
The concept of fresh made pasta
The concept of “fresh made pasta” for italians is an atavic recall to traditions, family riunions and festive days.
The choice of the ingredients, the artisanal work and mother's love, honours the sense of “home” and family that italians respect and to whom is equal to cuddles.
Prepare pasta with the hard work in the fields, with eggs of owned chickens and with the ingredients of the garden, patiently cured and waited, is a deserved price and guarantee of genuinity.
The main difference between industrial pasta (dried pasta) or that prepared at home (fresh made pasta) it is enclosed in this simple concept:
the gratification of the taste dressed of affection and healthy food.
Each region has its own tradition and every kind of fresh pasta is studied and prepared to match in the best way to the sauce that will enhance;
“Long” pasta, spaghetti, tagliatelle, bucatini, etc., better matches with sauces where pieces of meet, or seafood and fish, or vegetables, are going together with the pasta as “mates”; whilest a “short” pasta, strayed and rough as trofie, gnocchi and orecchiette, marry creamy sauces to collect it most.
Very often, plates of fresh pasta, represent even the “main dish” to bring on the table, they are therefore created by the tradition not only with the ingredients at disposition, but also with ingredients to make them enough complete in nutrition: carbohydrates, proteins, vegetals, fats.
This is the way that “Lasagne bolognese”, becomes the most honoured plate of italian cuisine in the world and for the italians the plate of a festive day with the family united in mom's home!
But even the italian say:” laugh, laugh, that mom has prepared gnocchi” encloses the relation that italians have with the food, with the mother and the sense of nutrition guaranteed of genuinity, that will never betray.
