CHEFS
The ten commandments of Italian cuisine: instructions for use for foreigners
More and more often, around the world, we witness the vilification of Italian cuisine. Italians are definitely fixated, to the point of excess, on their culinary tradition, of which they are very proud, and they are often badly indignant when they see 'Italian' written for a dish that has nothing Italian about it at all.
After all, Italian cuisine has few rules, but they must be respected if one wants to consider what one eats 'Italian'. And we don't just mean the strict ban on breaking spaghetti in half, but also the way in which dishes should be prepared and also what they should be accompanied and served with.
These 10 commandments will help you to see Italian cuisine as it really is, and not as international restaurants want us to see it.
The ten commandments of Italian cuisine: instructions for use for foreigners
More and more often, around the world, we witness the vilification of Italian cuisine. Italians are definitely fixated, to the point of excess, on their culinary tradition, of which they are very proud, and they are often badly indignant when they see the word 'Italian' written on a dish that has nothing Italian about it at all.After all, Italian cuisine has a few rules, which must nevertheless be respected if one wants to consider what one eats 'Italic'. And we don't just mean the strict prohibition of breaking spaghetti in half, but also the way in which dishes should be prepared and also what they should be accompanied and served with. These 10 commandments will help you to see Italian cuisine as it really is, and not as international restaurants want us to see it.
The "fettuccine Alfredo" in Italy does not exist
The misunderstanding is not to consider this dish of Italian origin (because it is), but to think that Italians like it, or even that it is known in the country. Very popular in the United States as a typical Italian recipe, nobody eats it in Italy. It is quite well known in Rome, since in 1920, a Capitoline restaurateur named Alfredo Di Lelio created it in honour of two famous American actors of the time. However, in Italy it is not a dish that is normally eaten.
They are not "spaghetti bolognese," but tagliatelle
It is perhaps the most famous Italian dish in the world, but it has very little Italian about it. First of all, because of the way it is cooked in some countries, uncooked pasta and a ton of a sauce that might be vaguely reminiscent of ragù. Secondly, because the Italian recipe calls for tagliatelle, not spaghetti. You will not find a restaurant in Italy that serves you spaghetti with Bolognese sauce, believe us. Guessing the right combination of pasta and sauce, after all, is crucial.
Pasta with chicken? No, thank you
Pasta can have lots of different toppings, all of them equally good, but chicken bites, which in Italy are treated as a second course, and not as a first course, should not go there. We do not exclude that in some restaurants you can find it, after all, but it will almost certainly be a typical tourist restaurant. If you really want to eat Italian, pasta with chicken is the wrong choice.
Red and white checked tablecloth, a legacy of the past
The impression, going around Italian restaurants abroad, is that Italian cuisine is associated with the use of this type of tablecloth. In fact, very few places in the Belpaese still use this tablecloth. But then why is it so popular abroad? The answer is simple, and it relates back to the Italian emigrants of the late 1800s and early 1900s who, moving to the U.S. or South America, brought with them this tradition that was used then. Nowadays, even here, the misunderstanding is to believe that it is still a very popular thing in Italy, even though it has not been so for at least 2-3 generations.
Cheese doesn't go everywhere, please
In Italy people use Grana Padano, or Parmigiano Reggiano, and usually add one or maximum two teaspoons of it on pasta. Abroad, on the other hand, "Parmesan", a strange imitation that is 90 percent fake, in copious amounts on dishes on which it really makes no sense. Grated cheese on linguine with seafood, or on pasta with mushrooms. If you ever eat in Italy, and ask for cheese on spaghetti allo scoglio, you will horrify the waiters, believe us.
The Ceasar salad is not in the Italian elite; in fact, it is not even Italian
Many foreign restaurants propose the Ceasar salad as one of the cornerstones of Italian cuisine. Nothing could be further from the truth. Although its origin is still controversial, it seems that this dish was invented in the 1920s in California, by the Italian-born chef Cesare Cardini who, not having many ingredients available, invented this dish on the occasion of the annual 4th of July celebration and proposed it to his diners.
Ketchup on pasta? Absolutely not, never!
This is the real culinary crime that horrifies any Italian, from north to south, from any walk of life or creed. While it is true that the famous sauce has affinities with tomato sauce, actually used in Italy, ketchup is best left to French fries and hot dogs. Do not put it on pasta or even less on pizza.
Instructions on how to cook pasta
Instructions on how to cook pasta properly. The water should be boiled before putting in the pasta, not thrown in cold water. It should be cooked for about 10 minutes, not 30. Seasonings should be added only after the cooking water has been drained, not added while the pasta is still cooking.
Instructions on how to treat pasta
First of all, spaghetti doesn't break, ever. It doesn't make sense, if you want to eat a short pasta you buy that. Spaghetti should be cooked in a deep enough pot, and slowly stirred for a minute or two until they become soft, which allows them to cook all the way under the surface of the water. Secondly, pasta and rice are not side dishes, but first courses. Eating a steak with a side dish of rice or plain pasta is definitely not something Italians do.
Cappuccino is not drunk with meals or afterwards
A very popular fashion among foreigners, especially, Anglo-Saxons, is to drink cappuccino at lunch, or immediately after lunch, or even after dinner. This is something that is not done in Italy. Cappuccino is part of the typical Italian breakfast, and it should stay there. To make it clearer, it is like having milk and cereal after lunch in the United States, or porridge after dinner in the United Kingdom. This also applies to other drinks such as, for example, fruit juices.
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