Fine dining

One thing everyone mentions when talking about a trip to Italy is the experience through the food and meals .  This is something that simply cannot be duplicated, and once time is spent enjoying the culture, no one's taste buds are ever the same.  Many Italians' pleasure is centered around the table - and with good reason.  I definitely am looking forward to experiencing this!

Full meals are huge ordeals.  The diet ultimately is pasta-based, but a great variety is offered regionally.  In the mountainous north, meals are heavy, while the center regions and the south focuses on a light, oily Mediterranean diet.

Complete meals may range through three to six courses.  Appetizers usually are not numbered in this extensive banquet though they could be a feast in and of themselves.

Breakfast is simple, but lunch is the most important repast of the day and usually late in the afternoon.  Then supper or cena is a lighter late meal.  Lunch is especially important as mentioned in a previous post because it is about quality time spent with the family.

Famous northern dishes include speghetti Bolognese, lasagna and tortellini.  Outstanding vegetable and pasta dishes are featured just as predominantly as seafood and exotic meats - from frog risotto to a donkey steak!
Popular desserts from Sicily include:
cassata (a layered sponge cake of ricotta cheese, marzipan and candied peel),

rich chocolate gelato (very much like ice-cream)

and zabaglione (a "caudle" similar to a custard made of egg yolks, sugar and Marsala wine).

With delicious foods like these, it's no wonder meals and the art of cooking are so important to Italians.