L'amore Italian Restaurant

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5 Fun Facts about Italian Food

Whether you’ve grown up eating Italian food or you’re just discovering this famous cuisine, there are a few things you probably don’t know about Italian food – unless you’re Italian!

The next time you go out to an Italian restaurant or have friends over for an Italian dinner party, wow everyone with these five fun facts about Italian food.

1.  The Main Meal is Lunch

While Americans say breakfast is the most important meal of the day and typically fill up on dinner after a “light” lunch, the Italians see lunch as the main meal of the day. Typically, pasta is the first course, followed by a meat dish, salad, fruit and dessert. You’ll need a nap after a lunch that size.

2. Morning Coffee Always has Milk

Italians don’t drink their coffee black, at least not in the morning. While traveling in Italy, expect to order a milky coffee like a cappuccino or latte with your breakfast meal.

3. Never Eat and Walk at the Same Time

If you’re in a hurry and expect to grab a meal on the run, forget about it in Italy.  In fact, don’t even stand while you’re eating. The whole point of Italian food is to enjoy it. How can that be done if you’re walking down the road or standing on an overcrowded bus? Instead, do like the Italians do and take your time finding pleasure in your food and drink.

4. Pizza was Considered Food for Poor People

Most likely born in Naples, the first style of Italian pizza was called Neapolitan pizza. It was a flatbread that came with a variety of toppings and was sold on the streets to mostly the poor. It wasn’t until 1738 that the first pizza restaurant in Italy opened. It was called Antica Pizzeria Port’Alba.

5. Italians eat Special Foods on Special Holidays

Enjoying food is a big part of Italian culture. During the holidays, this love of food also serves as a symbol of the holiday being celebrated. For example, during the Christmas season, you’ll find many of the following foods gracing the table of Italians:

  • Cured olives and pickled veggies
  • All kinds of cheese
  • Cured meats
  • Roasted wild game
  • Lentils
  • Fish
  • Fennel
  • Fresh Fruit
  • Pandoro

Traditional Easter dishes include:

  • Lamb
  • Easter eggs
  • Salami with boiled eggs
  • Casatiello napoletano
  • Torta Pasqualina
  • Scarcella and Fiadoni
  • Fresh beans
  • Pizza di Pasqua

There is so much more to learn about Italian food that this list could be fill many pages. We hope it gets your appetite whet!

 

 

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5 Foods You Probably Didn’t Know are Italian

Every culture around the world has its own authentic cuisine, delicacies, and everyday food. Italy is no exception. In fact, Italian food is one of the most famous types of cuisine found around the world, often with a local adjustment made.

When it comes to Italian food, however, we automatically think of spaghetti, pizza, and minestrone soup, for example.  But there is more to Italian food than meets the eye. Read on to discover five foods that you probably didn’t know are Italian in origin.

1. Calamari

This yummy appetizer is served in many restaurants in the United States, not just Italian ones, but did you know that calamari is an authentic Italian dish? Calamari it typically sauteed in lemon and oil. Some restaurants add hot or banana peppers to add extra flavor to the squid, which comes in deliciously shaped rings or tentacles.

2. Cow’s Face

Cow’s what? Yup, that’s right – cow’s face. In Italy it’s called “Muss’ e voooi” and is considered a delicacy in the south. You can find it sold by vendors and restaurants, especially during festivals, and can be eaten in a sandwich. Maybe so you don’t see its face?

3. Sea Urchins

You know those black prickly creatures you try not to step on when reef snorkeling? Well, Italians love to eat them. In fact, the spikes we are so afraid of are the best part to eat of the sea urchin.  It’s prepared baked or steamed to get at the meat inside the shell.  Add a dash of lemon for extra flavor or add it to your spaghetti sauce for an authentic Italian meal.

4. Eel

Known as “Vigilia di Natale,” eel is another favorite dish in Italy. Eel is prepared roasted, grilled, or fried and is considered a cherished traditional Italian dish served on Christmas Eve.

5. Rabbit

Rabbit meat is eaten throughout Italy. On the Island of Ischia off the coast of Naples, rabbit in white wine sauce is a favorite. In Tuscany, they tend to eat hares, which are bigger than rabbits. No part of the rabbit goes to waste, with Italians consuming the kidneys and even the brain, along with the rest of the rabbit’s organs.  The meat is a great addition to a spaghetti sauce or served grilled.

While there are likely many more Italian food you have never heard of or simply didn’t know are traditionally Italian, the five listed above can doubtless be found in any Italian restaurant in Italy.

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4 Things You Probably Don’t Know about Italian Food

italian pasta lamore restaurantUnless you are used to eating grandma’s homemade cooking from Italy, chances are the food you order in most Italian restaurants in the United States isn’t as authentic as you may think. In fact, many Italian eateries in the States have food on their menus that is not eaten in Italy.

Aside from this, there is also some confusion about how to eat some favorite Italian foods. So, the next time you visit an Italian restaurant or go to Italy to sample Italian food straight from the source, keep your eye out for these Italian foods.

Read on to discover four things you probably don’t know about Italian food.

1. Use Bread to Mop up Sauce

Ok, so bread is a staple of the Italian diet and an authentic part of the meal, however, what most people don’t know is that bread should be eaten at the end of the meal instead of as an appetizer while you wait for your entree. Traditionally, bread is used as a sponge to mop up any leftover sauce from your meal, though this may be seen as crass in some of the more expensive, fine-dining Italian restaurants.

2. Peperoni is not Meat

While in Italy or at an authentic Italian restaurant in the States, it’s important to know the difference between pepperoni and peperoni. The former is a popular meat for pizza toppings, while the later is actually a pepper.

3. Spaghetti and Meatballs and Fettuccine Alfredo are NOT Italian Dishes

If you’ve been to Italy and tried to find Fettuccine Alfredo or spaghetti and meatballs on the menu, you were probably left scratching your head. These foods are actually considered American cuisine you won’t find anywhere in Italy. However,  if you really want pasta with cream sauce, look for the Italian word for cream (panna) on the menu. For spaghetti and meatballs, you can expect to have the meatballs served separately in a bowl.  If you decide to mix them together, don’t be surprised by some weird looks from Italians dining near you.

4. Italians Eat a Small Breakfast

Overall, Italians shun a big breakfast. In fact, the favorite choice for breakfast in Italy is an espresso and sweet pastry or croissant. A big American style breakfast is practically unheard of in Italy.  Instead, Italians like to keep it small for breakfast while eating bigger meals for lunch and dinner, which are usually quite festive, full of laughter and conversation, and can last for hours.

 

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Tips for Making the Perfect Al Dente Pasta

How many times each week are you eating pasta?

If you are like other people throughout the country, this is likely a staple in your diet.

It’s easy, quick and filling. Also, you can prepare it a number of ways. However, to cook the perfect pasta, you have to know how to cook something al dente.

This means that it is still firm to the bite, but delicious and perfect for multiple meals a week. Al dente means the pasta isn’t hard, chalky, too soft, etc. After all, there isn’t anything quite as bad as overcooked pasta – it will ruin the entire meal.

Some tips to help you cook perfect al dente pasta can be found here.

The Al Dente Pasta Preparation

One of the biggest pasta “fouls” is just grabbing a pot, filling it with water, and dumping pasta in before the water even boils. Not only that but using a pot that is too small for the past you are cooking.

To make perfect al dente pasta, you need to start with a large pot so that your pasta can move freely. A general rule of thumb to follow is to use five to six quarts of water per pound of pasta you are cooking.

Boil the water. Don’t try to jump ahead. You need to make sure the water is at a hard boil, at which point you will add approximately two tablespoons of salt. Once the salt is added, add your pasta and allow the water to reach a hard boil once again.

General Tips for Cooking

When you add the pasta, you can add a lid to the pot to help it reach a boil faster; however, you should remove it as soon as it begins to boil again. This will prevent it from boiling over.

Another tip you can use is to stir the pasta constantly for the initial one to two minutes – but just the initial few minutes. This will help prevent sticking.

When the cooking process is done, you should taste your pasta. It should have an al dente bite if you cooked it properly. If the pasta is undercooked it will have a chalky and stiff center, but if it is overcooked, the noodles are going to be soggy and limp.

What You Should Never Do When Cooking Pasta

When cooking pasta, if you want to make sure it reaches that al dente cooked level, make sure to avoid doing the following things:

  • Never add oil
  • Don’t wait for the pasta to completely cool to add the sauce
  • Don’t rinse the pasta unless you are making a cold dish

Now you have the knowledge to make perfectly al dente pasta every time. You will find that once you get the hang of what to do, it is actually easy to achieve this cooked perfection each time you make pasta.

 

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3159 E Lincoln Dr
Phoenix , AZ 85016
Phone: 602.381.3159

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Lunch
Mon – Fri: 11am–2:30pm
Dinner
Mon – Fri: 4pm–close
Saturday Dinner: 5pm–close

Note: We're closed from 3pm–4pm
Sunday Closed

Happy Hour
Mon – Fri: 4:00pm–6:00pm
No happy hour on Saturdays
Credit for most photos: Kay W. Eskridge: Images By Kay

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