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All Italian people agree that food is very special to them and their culture. Italian food culture is one of the richest in the world. The whole world adores two dishes that originated from Italy, i.e. pasta and pizza. Would you like to know more of the Italian cuisine facts and interesting facts about Italy in general? Then keep on reading.
When it comes to Italian food trivia, it’s important to mention Su Filindeu. This is the rarest pasta in the world. The recipe is passed on from mother to daughter. This pasta consists of little stripes of pasta crossed above each other. To make it from flour, you have to mix it with water for about one hour with your hands. Some people tried to make this pasta in a machine but it wasn’t the same.
During this one hour, it’s necessary to hydrate the dough until it is in a good consistency to stretch. You have to use the dough cylinder and then stretch it. First, you separate it in two stripes, and after you stretch and fold about eight times. When done, place it on the table and let it dry under the sun. Interesting food facts: this pasta is on a decline and several people tried to recreate it, but without much success.
Many women from Italy know how to do pasta rather well. This is an ancient tradition in the Italian food culture. But nowadays, unfortunately, the young generation doesn’t have much interest in learning ancient recipes or Italian food trivia.
Another tradition from Italian food culture is the tomato puree. Among interesting facts about Italy is that this recipe is made by every member of the family. They meet each other to do it and each person has a job. First, you have to wash the tomato. Then take a large pan to cook. After cooking is done, you have to drain the water through a piece of fabric and proceed with a crushing machine. Finally, it’s time to pot. Families typically reserve an entire day to cook the tomato puree.
Brazil is the fourth country with the biggest population of Italians outside Italy. Continuing with the Italian food trivia, the descendants of the Italian people in Brazil tell some funny stories. One of them is that when the Italians had arrived in Brazil, they had started to plant coffee. During the plantation, the people have eaten cherry tomato, and seeing as how this fruit has a lot of seed that can’t be crushed with teeth, it simply passes through the bowels.
In those days, people didn’t have a bathroom on the plantation and they used to “go” at the coffee plantation. The tomato seed then grew between the coffee trees. The soil was full of minerals and organic matters where the tomato grew in a good state. The Italians had a lot of tomatoes to eat but do you have the courage to eat this kind of tomato?
The Italians faced two wars. It was a time when people had to deal with being hungry. Because of it, almost every house has a scale, they make food to eat, and don’t waste any. So, take care when you go to Italy as you might come back with a few pounds more.
Speaking of Italy culture facts, during WWII, many Italians went to Brazil and Argentina. There they started a new life in a place that had many lands to cultivate and create a lot of plantations. This plantation was the main motivation for them so they made a lot of food without wasting anything. In Brazil, they saw rich soil as a way to establish their homes and build a family. Italian pasta is one of the most famous dishes in Brazil. Interesting food fact: every house you go to, probably has pasta.
If you think that Italian people eat only pasta, you are totally wrong. Italian cuisine is rich in products from the Mediterranean. You know that Italy has a frontier with this sea, don’t you? Therefore, the products from the Mediterranean have a large contribution to Italian cuisine facts, e.g. fish and seafood, meat, lamb, chicken, and turkey. All of it is accompanied by olive oil, flavoring, and spices, vegetables, dried fruits, nuts, and seeds.
Despite what the world thinks, an interesting food fact is that pizza is not originally Italian food. Some people say that pizza is from Egypt. The Egyptians used to eat food made of flour and water. But what the world knows nowadays is that this delicious treat comes from Italy.
The Italians added some new ingredients and created the pizza dough a little different from the Egyptians. The actual circle shape was made to honor Queen Marguerita. And it represents the flag colors according to Italian culture facts – the cheese (white), the tomato (red), and the basil (green). When the Italians started to leave Italy in the emigration, they took the regional sauces with them; a lot of the countries have their own method and souces to make pizza now. Grazie Italians and Egyptians!
As you saw at the beginning of this article, Italians love to eat. When you go to Italy, you won’t see people running in the streets with a sandwich. Eating while walking is disrespectful. According to Italian culture facts, when you’re eating you have to really taste the food. Eat slowly. Stop to taste. The time to eat is sacred. If you don’t take the time to enjoy your food, you’re insulting Italians.
Nowadays the world is talking about healthy food, making your own vegetable garden, and buying fresh and organic food. Most Italians buy fresh food from the local markets and plant some things at home. Many Italian women make their own pasta. Most families used to make tomato puree in a big family meeting and everybody had to participate, as mentioned.
Italy is the country of cheese. There are more than 400 types of cheese. They make cheese from cow, goat, sheep, and buffalo milk. The most known cheese kinds are gorgonzola, provolone, parmesan, mozzarella, buffalo mozzarella, and ricotta.
Italian food is hard to resist thanks to its rich and diverse flavors. Do you like Italian food? If you do and are on the lookout for a new hot spot to enjoy yourself during the warm Miami evenings, don’t hesitate to pay us a visit at Mi’talia, the perfect blend of Italian flavors with a modern interpretation of Northern and Southern cuisine.
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