Pasta is made from just three ingredients: flour, egg, and salt.  So why is it that most people prefer one shape of pasta over another?  You have your spaghetti people vs your angel hair pasta people. Then there’s ziti vs zit with lines.  Some people despise macaroni but will gobble up linguine all day.  What is it about the shape and texture of pasta that shapes our palate’s preferences?

It’s all in Your Mind

According to scientists, there is a known condition called synesthesia where people involuntarily have a “union of the senses”. For example, these people can “see” music, converge colors and numbers into one, see time inside their minds arranged a visual way; the months of the year may be seen as a circular kind of map or other spatial sequences in the person’s mind. In the case of pasta, what we see is the merger of the senses of touch and taste.  While the later seems like a stretch, it is, by definition, a form of synesthesia and could explain why we all have our individual pasta preferences which typically form in childhood.   

Size Matters

Pasta of varying thickness will cook differently and affect the taste. A thick pasta, like gnocchi, will be more done on the outside while a thin pasta will cook more evenly throughout.  For anyone who has ever had undercooked pasta, the taste can be so doughy that if tastes raw.  Overcooked pasta can taste slimy and squishy, but then again it all depends on your palate’s preferences, although al dente is always the recommended goal.  

Shape and Sauce

The shape of the pasta will determine how it holds the sauce and this can make all the difference in taste.  Plain ziti in tomato sauce tends to really soak up the sauce while ziti with lines holds the sauce like a grate.  This is the ziti you push around on your plate to soak up just the right amount of sauce.  

Visual Appeal

We can’t leave out the sense of sight when it comes to food.  Presentation, color, and many other variables will automatically give you a preconceived notion of what something is going to taste like. When the waiter brings your plate, you either exclaim, “That looks good!” or your silent.  Sometimes you’re presently surprised, especially if it is a dish you’ve never seen before but when it comes to familiar food like pasta, you can usually lend your eyes to be correct with the first impression.  

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Italian cuisine is well known for containing some of the most succulent and complex dishes in the world. And we wouldn’t be going out on a limb by saying that the types of food people like to eat most are often a reflection of their personalities or lifestyle. Some of us take pride in enjoying the spiciest food around.

Some of us revel in fun food like pizza, hot dogs, and hamburgers, and, of course, some of us like to indulge in foods that are rare and cultured. Well, if you’re looking for culture in your meal, Italian food is a pretty strong choice. So here are the top 4 Italian foods that will appeal to the sophist listed in order from the pedestrian to the rarefied.

Bigoli

The trademark pasta of the Veneto region, the large and coarse noodles and chunky ingredients frequently found in this dish make it quite different to its closest relative, spaghetti. Made by hand from duck eggs and buckwheat flour, the tubular pasta is unique. This not so well known dish is hearty and satisfying and will catch the eye of even the most seasoned lovers of Italian food.

Ribollita

Traditionally, this stew-like dish is considered a pauper’s food or, Cucina Povera. It was invented by servants who would collect scraps from the master’s unfinished meals to be boiled in water. The name means “reboiled.” Today, you don’t have to steal from the lord of the land to try this dish, and it has been refined into a soup that can, and is, prepared just as masterfully as anything else on our list.

Risi e Bisi

Don’t let the apparent simplicity of this dish, which is mainly rice and peas, fool you. It is surprisingly flavorful and can be prepared in such a delicate array of varieties that you would be pressed to have it the same way twice. It is cooked with stock and seasonings much like the well-known risotto. But constant stirring is necessary to produce the soup-like consistency and deep infusion of herbs that make it distinctive.

Canederli

Another creation of the ever-inventive poor servants of Tuscany’s past, Canederli was originally made from leftover bread and mixed with milk and eggs to create dumplings which are boiled in chicken or beef broth. With the right admixture of herbs and sauces, this is a dish that is sure to satisfy and enamor.

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It is certainly no controversial statement to say that there is a lot to Italian food. It’s got a long history, is created by a creative and eclectic people with roots from all over the continent, and it has been refined for centuries. Everybody knows something about Italian food, it’s history and it’s preparation- after all- no one could reach the age of five without seeing an Italian chef toss pizza dough into the air in film, cartoons, or real life. But like any rich topic, there’s as much about Italian cuisine that’s not well known as there is common knowledge. Here are 6 tidbits of uncommon Italian food knowledge.

1. Every Meal is a Celebration

If you start with an Italian breakfast, you may be surprised to learn how sparingly they tend to eat in the morning. Usually, it’s just a scone and a cup of espresso. That’s because they know the afternoon meal is going to be a major event- and it’s about family, life, food, and togetherness. So don’t spoil your appetite!

2. Aperitivo Diners are a Frugal Choice

Buy yourself a cocktail and try a wide range of foods arranged in finger food style. Everything is laid out like a buffet. It’s extremely social, and you’re encouraged to have a second helping- but you probably aren’t surprised by that.

3. A Coffee is not a Coffee

If you order a coffee, as in ‘Un caffe,’ you won’t get what you expect, if what you expect is an ordinary cup of coffee- such as we are accustomed to in the United States. You’ll get an espresso. Be careful, if you’re not a regular drinker of caffeinated beverages because- despite it’s small size, real Italian espresso packs a punch. If you want the kind of coffee you’re probably more familiar with, ask for a caffè americano or caffè lungo.

4. Pepperoni Pizza, with a Difference

Here in the States, when you order a pepperoni pizza- you get the familiar slice with yellow cheese and circles of spicy sausage dotted all over the top. In Italy, if you order pepperoni pizza you’ll get a slice topped with sweet bell peppers. It might come as a shock, but it’s good! So don’t be shy.

5. Arugula Means “Rocket”

So, if you ask for arugula, don’t be offended if they give you a strange look- because they probably don’t have any rockets. You might get referred to Cape Canaveral, but then you’d miss out on the panino- which is a good vehicle for arugula- the leaf, not the spaceship.

6. Please, Have a Seat

Eating while walking may be common here, but in Italy, it’s considered rude. You wouldn’t want your chef to think you didn’t appreciate the food now, would you? So please, be seated when you eat in Italy.

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The widespread availability of international cuisines is among the most celebrated effects of multiculturalism on the United States. Few dishes are more popular here than Italian ones, yet Italian American specialties often taste different than those found in the homeland. The history of Italian food in America is one of cross-cultural pollination, with dishes from Italy being influenced by, and in turn influencing, other cuisines of the United States.

American Additions

One of most notable ways Italian food changed in the United States was the incorporation of larger quantities of meat. Italian immigrants earned higher wages in America, allowing them to buy more meat. It is for this reason that meatballs are so much larger in the United States than in Italy.

In addition to incorporating more meat, Italian-American immigrants also made greater use of sauce. The deep red pasta dishes that Americans are used to are rare in Italy, where the noodles themselves usually play a larger role. Even when Italians do use sauces, they are less likely to opt for red sauce.

Italians also left behind certain types of foods. Oxtail, for example, is common fare at restaurants in Italy, but is rarely available on Italian American tables.

In addition to the types of foods consumed, Italian Americans changed the order in which they ate. In Italy, meals are traditionally divided into six stages, each containing a different type of food. Italian-Americans, however, began serving all major food groups in a single dish, speeding up their meals.

Italian Innovations

Cultural change is rarely one-sided, and American cuisine changed just as much as Italian food did. The most recognizable result is the popularity of pizza, which has become so widespread in the United States that many Americans claim it for themselves. Pizza has fused with foods from other ethnic groups in this country, and is often available at Mexican, Portuguese, and even sushi restaurants!

Pizza is nothing without cheese, which also grew in popularity thanks to Italian influence. Able to buy more milk than they could in the old country, Italian immigrants introduced mozzarella, parmesan, and other premium cheeses on a grand scale.

In addition to pizza and cheeses, Southern Italian immigrants helped to make seafood more popular in the United States. Sicilians had a taste for clams, which they found new ways to prepare once they reached our shores. They also helped create fried calamari, combining their taste for squid with Portuguese deep-frying methods.

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