Italy is a beautiful and magical country. This paper focuses on the Italian food culture, mainly analyzing the characteristics of Italian food culture in different regions, and at the same time, taking the symbol of Italy-pizza as the top priority, specifically explaining and understanding the characteristics of Italian food culture.
Italy is located in the Apennine Peninsula in southern Europe, with a population of over 76 million. Since the construction of Rome in 753 BC, the Roman Empire has developed advanced ancient Roman civilization on the basis of absorbing the essence of ancient Greek civilization, thus becoming the political, economic and cultural center of Europe at that time. Italian cuisine is a typical product of cultural exchange and integration. Early nomadic style, later religious habits, the spiral rise of social civilization, and the influence of ancient Greece, Rome, Normandy and Arabia's food customs-the historical accumulation of Italian cuisine and the warm and humid sea breeze of Apennine have become the originator of modern western cuisine. When the city of Rome was built in 753 BC, the Roman Empire inherited the ancient Greek civilization with the Aegean civilization as the core, and developed a more splendid ancient Roman civilization on the shoulders of giants, becoming the capital of Europe at that time. Just as the peaceful scene in the Song Dynasty gave birth to Xian He's temporary Sichuan cuisine, the velvet Florenca gave all the princes and nobles better conditions to pursue the art of life and the ultimate taste. The elites in the upper class regard the "Yi Ya" with exquisite craftsmanship as the treasure of the town house and the social heavyweight. If the cloth flat head can master or even invent excellent cooking skills, it is equivalent to mastering the art of dragon boarding.
From the Alps to the Mediterranean, the dense fireworks will become another Catholicism in Italy, and its significance for the improvement of the world is more obvious. Italians have pushed the catering industry to an unprecedented peak with the strength of the whole country. In 1533 AD, when the Italian princess Catherine Di Medici married the French Crown Prince Henry II, the most eye-catching thing in her dowry was none other than 31 accomplished Italian chefs. It is precisely because of these 31 chefs from afar that it is possible for French people to truly establish their own worldview and methodology in food. Not only did it have a far-reaching impact on the food pattern in Europe and America, including France, but in the 5th century, the Italians also officially invented the double-pointed fork, further establishing their status as the "originator of European cooking".
Italian cuisine contains a variety of cultures and history, and then feeds back to the whole world, but even such an open world-class cuisine system has its own distinctive national characteristics. Each region has its own noble characteristics, and even within ten miles, it will have its own wonderful things. Highly regionalized emphasis on fresh seasonal features is the primary feature of Italian cuisine. On this basis, Italians have grafted their artistic talent into life perfectly, and the kitchen is the freest studio. The process is complicated, the selection of materials is harsh, and the production is exquisite. No matter whether it is a chubby Italian middle-aged male chef or an Italian mother with classical sex appeal, the food that should be cooked by them is elegant and has a rich original flavor, and the fullness is full of details of turning stone into gold.
Only Italian restaurants can keep pace with China restaurants in terms of quantity and popularity. Italian pizza and Italian macaroni are almost universal languages. Italy is a strong mainstream of eating culture, because there are rich ingredients and superb cooking skills behind it to support this mouth-watering food empire, which you can't understand unless you taste.
1. Complex and diverse food types
The country you see now, Italy, was actually unified only 1.51 years ago. For a long time, this boot that went deep into the Mediterranean was composed of 21 different countries, each with its own unique culture. Because of this fragmented historical background, Italian cuisines have developed their own flavors, with more than 211 kinds of pasta and 511 kinds of cheese, not to mention more than 1,111 kinds of wine, the most common drink in Italy.
Of course, the difference of geographical environment is also the main reason for the different flavors in different places. For example, Venice near the sea has delicious seafood dishes such as seafood soup and pickled snow fish. Tuscany, which is dominated by animal husbandry and agricultural products, has tender and juicy steaks and unique spaghetti with green beans, while Ubria, which is hilly, uses a lot of wild animal meat to cook, roast suckling pigs and charcoal roasted rabbits, and the spices cultivated in Shan Ye will definitely make you drool all the way.
Even waiters will wink at you frequently and enthusiastically recommend their specialty dishes (sometimes they are too hot for you to eat). It is said that it is the easiest time for Italians to establish friendly relations when eating. After business talks, they like to eat together, because Italians like to talk about themselves, their families and their place of birth when eating, and they are also very interested in your background. If you both have children, you may not want to eat this meal.
3. Perceiving Italian food culture with emphasis on pizza
Pizza, as a symbol of Italy, originated in Naples with a history of more than 2,111 years. It has been found in the ruins of the ancient city of Pompeii. At that time, the main fillings of Neapolitan pizza were tomatoes, Mozzarella cheese and Basil. Interestingly, their colors coincide with those of the Italian flag: Basil's green, cheese's white and tomato's red. In 1831, the world's first Pizzeria shop was opened in Naples, and it is still open today. Later, pizza became the favorite food of Italians and was called the jewel on the Italian table. So far, the best pizza still comes from Naples, which is known as the pizza capital of the world.
A really good pizza is to roll the dough by hand and throw it into a thin round cake. According to the tastes of diners, different ingredients are added, such as mushrooms, onions, green peppers, ham, sausages, vegetables, pickled fish, and so on. There are two kinds of pizza: dividend base and white base. The so-called red base means that the bottom of the cake is coated with tomato sauce, while the white base is not. But there is one thing that is indispensable anyway, that is, a kind of cheese called MOZARELLA, which is as white as tender tofu. It is usually soaked in water to keep it fresh, sliced when eating, mixed with salad, or sandwiched in bread. The best MOZARELLA cheese is produced in the south of Italy. It is made of buffalo milk, and it is delicious. It is really the first-class and delicious. The most famous and popular pizza is called "MARCHERITA", which is named after an Italian queen. The white cake is topped with tomato sauce and MOZARELLA cheese, and then two fresh basil leaves are placed without any ingredients. It is very simple and its position is a bit like our Yangchun noodles. There is a simpler way, that is, brush a little olive oil on the bottom of the white cake, sprinkle a little salt and rosemary leaves, which is crispy and delicious and can be eaten as bread.
2. Special food in northern Italy
The food in northern Italy is greasy, and people often eat greasy sauces and egg noodles, and use more cream than olive oil. Northern Righteousness eats more rice and corn porridge and less flour products. If you want to eat pizza, you can get a place in the south.
The famous food in Piedmont, near France, is a heavy sauce and a sweet truffle. Lombardy, where Milan is located, is famous for its cheese, rice and stewed meat (such as bone marrow). Genoa is located in Liguria, close to the coast, so it is famous for seafood, pesto and olive oil.
jiaozi made of flour or potatoes is very common in the Upper Aditi region of Trentino, which is deeply influenced by German and Austrian, and now it has become popular all over Italy. The cuisine in friuli-Venezia Juli District has a strong flavor, with fennel, horseradish and Chili powder added, which has a Central European flavor. The cuisine in Veneto is rich in artichokes, rice and all kinds of game.
emilia-romagna, with Bologna as the largest city, is the origin of Italian cuisine, and cheese, sweet and sour grapes and Parma smoked spiced ham all originated here. Rural food is provided in the central mountainous areas, and sausages and garlic sausages are widely used. The olive oil, soup with bread crumbs and bean delicacies in Tuscany are quite delicious. Umbria, with Berujia as the largest city, produces black truffles, which can compete with the white truffles in Piedmont.
The food in the south is usually hotter than that in the north, and garlic, tomato and olive oil are used as the keynote. Tomato sauce and cheese are very popular in Campania, which is the hometown of authentic pizza. Brazil's Licata and Calabria regions are good at spicy dishes, such as mushroom eggplant seasoned with red pepper. The most famous thing in Yapria is healthy bread, which is baked with dough as big as a Taifeiyate sports car. In addition, seafood and meat pasta are also praised.
Sicilians' favorite is a sweet dessert called cassata-fragrant ice cream. Most of the island will be served with sugar boiled fruit, but in Palermo, it will be served with soft cheese sandwich cake. There are more sheep than people in Sardinia; Goat cheese pie with honey, a perfect rest for vegetable soup and roast game dinner.
although the people's feelings in different regions may be different from the fresh materials, Italian cuisine still has a common feature, that is, the tastes of cooks and users. For Italians, "eating" is not only for satiety, but also an important element and content in life. Because of the attitude of respecting and paying attention to food, it has created the outstanding charm of Italian cuisine and further become one of the cultural connotations of Italy, and its richness is no less than colorful.
If we compare the three most popular cuisines in the world-China cuisine, French cuisine and Italian cuisine, it can be said that their tastes are good at winning, and they are hard to compete. As far as the atmosphere and etiquette of dining in restaurants are concerned, China people are happy-go-lucky, good taste is the most important, and decoration, furnishings and rules are casual; The French love ostentation and extravagance, and they put on airs everywhere. There are many knives and forks, cups and plates, which must make you dizzy. Italy is just one of them, because eating is so important, and the Italian people are naturally enthusiastic and unrestrained. The harmonious and comfortable dining atmosphere allows you to eat and drink with an open mind, and a small faux pas can be forgiven. After all, you are at the dinner table, which is the same as the eight major cuisines formed by Chinese food in terms of geographical location. The northern, central and southern regions of Italy have also developed their own unique cuisines.