Italians are known around the world for being friendly, helpful, respectful, polite and considerate people. They’re generally very nice and easy to get along with. In addition to that, Italians are people of tradition — and they have a few key traditions that have remained tried and true through the years. Read on to learn five important Italian traditions that’ll just never change.

Family

The idea of family is one of the most important values in Italian culture. And, although Americans usually think of family as their immediate family (mom, dad, and kids), Italians think of family as their entire extended family (aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and more). Italians simply love spending time with their families; most Italians never stray too far from home and enjoy getting together with loved ones very frequently. Even as Italian children grow into adults, they’re taught to remain just as close to their families as time goes on.

Art and Architecture

Italians can definitely appreciate classic art and architecture. That’s because, as Italians, they’ve grown up around some of the most famous structures in the world: the Colosseum, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Sistine Chapel. In addition, art is everywhere in Italy. Even on a quick visit, you’ll find numerous museums, churches and public buildings with breathtaking art and architecture. Finally, if you’re looking for a world-renowned fashion house, you’ll find quite a few in Italy, including Armani, Gucci, Benetton, Versace, and Prada — just to name a few.

Holiday Celebrations

Italians love a good celebration, and they’ll find any excuse to throw a party! Major holiday celebrations happen in Italy on Christmas, Easter, Pasquetta (which occurs on Easter Monday and involves having family picnics to welcome spring), Saints Day (which occurs on November 1 and involves decorating the graves of deceased family members) and Liberation Day (which occurs on April 25 and marks the end of World War II in Italy in 1945). Aside from these major holidays, Italians love to celebrate the feast day of their town’s patron saint.

Food

Who could forget food? Italian cuisine might just be the most important Italian tradition. For Italians, food isn’t just nourishment… food is life. As Italians cook their meals, they view the food preparation as art. The most popular food items in Italy are cheese and pasta (penne, spaghetti, linguine, fusilli and lasagna). The most popular beverage in Italy? Wine, of course.
Now that you know these five important Italian traditions, you’ll never have to re-learn them because, well, they’ll never change! These five traditions are simply staples in Italian culture. Without them, Italy just wouldn’t be Italy.
To taste genuine Italian cuisine without flying to Italy, stop into L’amore Italian Restaurant. We promise it’ll be delicioso!

From Bolognese sauce to lasagna to parmigiana, it is virtually impossible to imagine Italian cuisine without the tomato. Yet as with chili peppers in India, potatoes in Ireland, and peanuts in Southeast Asia, Italians have only had tomatoes for a few hundred years. Before the Columbian Exchange, no one in Italy had heard of this fruit. By learning how the tomato became a part of it, you can understand Italian cuisine’s truly international character:

Lifted From Latin America

The tomato was originally cultivated in Central and South America, where the Aztecs and other pre-Columbian civilizations had used it in their dishes for centuries. The word “tomato” comes from the Nahuatl  “tomatl,” meaning “fruit.” When the Spanish Empire conquered the region, they brought the tomato back to Europe along with other local fruits, vegetables, and animals.

Though it is not known exactly when the tomato reached Italy, it must have been some time before 1544, when Italian author Pietro Matthioli wrote about it. Matthioli, however, believed that the fruit was poisonous. For this reason, Italians were slow to adapt it into their cooking, instead using tomato plants for decoration. In 1548, a Tuscan steward described the tomato as a “pomi d’oro” or “golden fruit;” this led to the modern Italian word for the food, “pomodoro.”

Early Eating

Despite the initial assumption that they were poisonous, tomatoes gradually made their way into Italian cooking. This was in part due to the influence of Spain, which controlled much of southern Italy during the 16th and 17th centuries. Spaniards taught Italians to fry tomatoes in a pan along with onions, squash, and eggplant, creating a dish similar to modern ratatouille. The fruit became popular in part because of its ability to flavor food, no small matter at a time when spices were expensive and hard to find.

By the 18th century, Italians had begun experimenting with tomato conservation methods. By boiling them and then sealing them into tight containers, they could keep the fruits in good condition throughout the year.

Tomatoes truly hit their stride in the 19th century, when Margherita pizza, pasta al pomodoro, and other staples of modern Italian cuisine came into vogue. Just as these dishes were becoming popular, Italy began its process of unification, helping to spread them and other cooking techniques more evenly across the country. It was also at this time that the Diaspora started, with Italians traveling to Brazil, Argentina, the United States, and other countries. This established Italy’s global reputation for cooking delicious tomato dishes.

For more information on the history of Italy’s delicious cuisine, or to try that cuisine for yourself, contact L’Amore Italian Restaurant today.

Italian cuisine is well loved globally and famous for its variety, inventiveness, and uncompromising indulgence. When it comes to portion sizes- Italian food can be a bit over the top. But in the area of desserts, they seem to give a nod to the French. That is to say, fine Italian desserts are very refined, spare- delicately portioned and fantastically inventive. If that’s not enough, they are also often beautifully presented. Here are four world famous Italian desserts that deserve a place on the finest menus on Earth.

Tiramisù

In Italian, its name means “pick me up” or “lift me up,” a name that is as suggestive as it is delicious. This popular coffee-flavoured custard deserves a place on every restaurant menu worth the paper it’s printed on. It is made from ladyfingers dipped in coffee with layers of whipped eggs, mascarpone cheese, sugar, and flavored with cocoa for a uniquely rich and delicate experience. The recipe can be found in many variations of cakes and other equally worthy desserts. The dessert’s origin is a point of contention among several regions in Italy such from Friuli Venezia Giulia to Veneto, and Piedmont.

Panna Cotta

This venerable Italian dessert, whose name means ‘cooked cream,’ is made of sweet cream thickened and molded with gelatin. The cream can be aromatized using coffee, rum, or vanilla. The sugar is dissolved in a warm cream which can be flavored by infusing it with spices or by simply adding rum, coffee, or vanilla. Gelatin is softened in a cold liquid before being added to a warm mixture of cream. It is then poured into a mold and left to set. Panna Cotta molds sometimes have caramel on the bottom, lending it a similar effect as a crème caramel foundation. Though its name means cooked cream, the cream is warmed just enough to melt the gelatin and sugar into a refined admixture of flavors.

Babà

Rum baba or baba au rhum is a small yeast-based cake thoroughly saturated in a syrup made with liquor, (most often rum), and can be filled with whipped or pastry cream. It’s most often made and served in individual portions but can come in larger portions such as common with Bundt cake. The batter is richer even than brioche and includes butter, eggs, and milk.

Tartufo di Pizzo

This Italian ice-cream confection has its origins in Pizzo, Calabria. It is usually made from two or more ice cream flavors with either frozen fruit or fruit syrup- typically strawberry, raspberry, or cherry in its center. It is most frequently covered in a chocolate or cocoa shell, but may also appear with a sprinkling of cinnamon or nuts. The name in Italian means “Truffle.” It is also sometimes called “Bomba.”

There is a good chance you have never enjoyed genuine Italian dishes. Stop on in for dinner at L’amore Italian Restaurant to experience the taste of real Italian food.

To a large extent, human beings are very similar to many other creatures of the world. We eat, we find mates, and we seek comfort. What makes humans special is our ability to take common biological functions, raise them to the level of art, to savor exquisite experiences, and to enshrine them in memory- making our lives so much richer. Interestingly, the act of eating engages more of the nervous centers of the brain than any other activity- meaning eating is the single most stimulating thing we do. So it’s easy to see that by raising food preparation to the level of an art form we can add a significant amount of value to the experience of living.

Resources

Naturally, not all people at all points in history have had nearly the amount of food resources available to us today in the Western world. However, this has not prevented many cultures from developing extremely rich, diverse, and creative culinary traditions. In fact, most of the ethnic food cultures of the world were developed as a response to meager access to resources. Arguably, most if not all of the global food cultures that we enjoy in America today were developed by ordinary people getting by on modest means who figured out creative ways to make their food last a long time, go a long way, and still taste great.

Italian food is no different. As rich and varied as the history of the country, with its origins running deep into Rome’s ancestral history, people, politics, culture and social power- Italy’s food culture is equally unique. Italian cuisine has evolved and changed along with the history of Italy itself through centuries of war, cultural change and imports. It is a history that is as rich, colorful, and captivating as its long list of amazing recipes.

Feasting

The Romans loved feasting. The banquet wasn’t just a time for social conviviality, but also an occasion where new dishes were debuted and enjoyed. The Empire embraced flavors and recipes from the many lands it conquered: spices from Mesopotamia, fish from the Mediterranean, and cereals from the plains of Africa. Imperial Rome was possibly one of the first true food-fusion hot spots in the world. The Romans, however, contrary to today, liked complex and intricate flavors. Their dishes required sophisticated preparation methods- and an equally sophisticated palate. Fish sauces, ostrich meat, and roasted game- all washed down with copious amounts of red wine, honey, and water- ever-present items on the table of Rome’s most affluent diners.

Today, this banquet food culture remains and is played out in the dining rooms and kitchens of every Italian family. No longer a preserve of the elites, fine and indulgent dining is a tradition that builds family bonds and serves as the foundation of a culture that continues to enchant the entire world.

There is a good chance you have never enjoyed genuine Italian dishes. Stop on in for dinner at L’amore Italian Restaurant to experience the taste of real Italian food.