What, exactly, is “Italian food”?
Anyone who has lived or traveled in Italy can tell you that a simple definition of “Italian food” is impossible – Italy’s cuisine is as exciting, varied, and wondrous as the country itself. Italian cooking is really regional cooking, fiercely individualistic and shaped by local geography, culture and history. The cuisines of Venice and Naples both prominently feature seafood, yet you won’t find most of the dishes of one city on a menu in the other. What pleases the Tuscan palate may differ from the tastes of a Roman or Sicilian.
From the snow-capped Alpine peaks of Trentino-Alto Adige in the north to the golden coastlines of Sicily in the south, Italy’s regions are as diverse as they are steeped in centuries-old culture and tradition. Before it was unified in the mid-to-late1800s, Italy consisted of distinct provinces, states and kingdoms that were under the rule of various other lands. Over the years, the changing hands of each region left an imprint on the cooking of each area, with culinary influences ranging from Arab and Greco-Roman to Austrian and French.
Yet for all its diversity, Italy is united by an insatiable appetite for life, a passionate devotion to flavor, and most of all, a love of good food. For a taste of each of Italy’s regions and its landscape, specialty foods and festivals, click on the map above. We hope you’ll be inspired to bring flavors of Italy into your kitchen. Buon viaggio!
