Italy Food Products

First of all, let's deal with the north and south. The Italy food products in Northern Italy, consists of one using butter and flat pastas while in the south, manufactured tubular varieties of pasta are more common and olive oil is used in their Italian cooking recipes. Italian food recipes in this area contains more herbs and spices than are used in the south. Next, we’ll divide the regions even further. Let’s start with the Italy food products in the Northwest region.

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Anyway, getting back to the Piemonte region and the Italy food products that come from there!

The stews and casseroles of Piemonte are highly seasoned and garlic is a favorite of the Italy food products. Truffles are found in the mountain areas of Piemonte and occupy a prominent position in the cuisine of the area. Now wouldn't that be nice to have truffles growing in your back yard! And game, such as wild mountain antelope, whilst wild goat, white hare and wild boar features extensively in everyday Piedmontese cooking. One of the better known Italy food products of this part of the region is Bagna caoda, a hot sauce of oil, garlic and anchovies, into which raw vegetables are dipped. Remember that little quickie when you’re making appetizers. And for more great appetizers,

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Another characteristic feature of the hills is the abundance of vineyards. Piedmonte is famous for its robust red wines - Barolo, Barbera, Barbaresca and Nebbiolo being perhaps the best known. Turin (Italy food producers) is the capitol of Piedmonte and this is the region where you will find the manufacturing of Asti Spumante. Turin itself, is best known for its vermouth, patisserie. The Italy food products there consist of confectionery and grissini – those thin crisp bread sticks found in Italian food restaurants all over the world. Next we are going to research an area south of Piemonte called Liguria.

Liguria, a narrow stretch of land between the Ligurian Sea, the French Alps and the Appenines, is rich in natural resources, and the Genoese people use them to the full. Italy food products consist of fish and shellfish used abundantly from the sea, combined with the herbs and vegetables from the land, result in a cuisine that is considered by many connoisseurs of Italian food to be amongst the best. Italy food products also consist of fresh vegetables and herbs in Liguarian dishes, including rosemary, marjoram, sage, thyme, oregano, dill and the flat leaf variety of parsley, but it is the sweet, distinctive flavor of freshly picked basil that characterizes this cooking recipe. Italian food classic sauce, Pesto, comes from here. Pesto is basically made with basil, olive oil, garlic, and parmesan and pecorini cheese. The ingredients are pounded together to make a thick paste, using a pestle –hence the name pesto. The Ligurians serve pesto with pasta trenette, (ribbon pasta), potato gnocchi (which I absolutely love and have a recipe on site for those of you who are interested), and on top of minestrone. Liguria is reputed to be the birthplace of the Italy food products minestrone and ravioli. Legend has it that these pasta envelopes were made to enclose leftovers for the sailors on board ship, in hope that they would not be able to identify what was inside. True or not, it seems a fair explanation for their invention. Maybe I should use this little trick instead of creating various recipes to use up all my leftovers. What a concept! Hiding them! Now we are going to the northeastern part of Italy and talk about the Italy food products from Lombardy.

Italy food producers in Lombardy, the large region that stretches from the Alps in the north to the Po valley in the south, capitol Milan, use stewing, pot roasting, simmering and braising rather than faster cooking methods. Oil is rarely used in cooking due to the abundance of locally churned butter. Veals are the preferred Italy food products in this region with beef as the second favorite. There are numerous local Italian food recipes using both these meats, particularly rich stews and casseroles containing plenty of herbs, tomatoes and sometimes wine. Controversy surrounds another local dish, Costelette alla Milanese, a cutlet of veal which is coated in egg and breadcrumbs, then fried until crisp and golden brown. It is very similar to the famous Austrian Wiener schnitzel, but whether the Austrians copied the Milanese or vice versa, is open to question. Along with Piemonte, Lombardy is the home of the risotto. Risotto alla Milanese is justifiably famous all over the world, for its distinctive flavor and creamy texture. Many people think risotto is really hard to make, but mine always turns out. You just have to watch it. Well, more than that, you have to keep stirring it forever! Maybe that’s what people don’t like to make it. Regardless, Lombardy is also noted for its the Italy food products involving smoked meats, sausages and salamis. The best known cheeses of the region are Gorgonzola and Bel Paese. If you’ve never tried a really good Gorgonzola, it’s a definite must! Its expecially good with apples or in a salad. So next, we’re going to go even further northeast to explore the Italy food producers in Trentino-Alto Adiage.

Trentino-Alto Adige is sandwiched between Austria and Switzerland to the north, Lombardy to the west and Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia to the south and east. Being just south of the Alps, it is hardly surprising to find that the cuisine is strongly Germanic in character. (We’ll get into the underrated German food elsewhere on my site.) Italy food producers use pork and pork products prominently and are into preserving of the meats there. Accordingly, these Italy food products use the smoking and curing processes and these Italian food recipes are often closely guarded family secrets. The Italy food products consist of a lot of sauerkraut and cabbage which is surprising to hear about Italy! Again, this sounds like German food. Gnocchi is a big thing in this region, although instead of potato, it is a dumpling made with bread and any other ingredient which happens to be on hand – Italy food products such as bacon, liver, spinach or brawn, for example.

The Italy food products in the southern part of the region consist of the Italian foods more as we think of it, than the north. Polenta is common fare, but whereas Italian polenta is usually made of maize and thus yellow in color, the polentas of this region are often made from buckwheat and are black or grey, or mixed with potato flour which gives them an unusual texture and color. Of course the lakes in this region supply numerous species of freshwater fish like tench, eel, trout, salmon trout, grayling and pike.

Stretching from the Dolomite mountains in the north, but just a little south of Trentino-Alto Adige is the region of Veneto. It has a long coastline curving around the Adriatic Sea. The illustrious port of Venice in the center of this coastline holds the key to the cuisine of the whole area, for it was through Venice’s trade with the East that wealth came to this part of Italy, together with the ingredients and culinary knowledge that have made such an indelible mark on the whole European cuisine.

Heading south, Emilia-Romagna, capital Bologna, is situated at the top of the ‘leg’ of Italy. This region is divided into Emilia in the north and Romagna in the South. Probably the most famous product to come from this region is Parmesan cheese. It is made in the area just north-west of Bologna and takes its name from the town of Parma. Mature parmesan food products are, of course used extensively in cooking, but few people outside Italy realize that Parmesan can also be eaten as a young cheese, when its flavor is much less strong. For more information on Parma food, CLICK HERE! Parma is also famous for its raw cured ham, prosciutto di Parma, which is served in restaurants all over the world as a starter with melon or figs. It has a sweet flavor anda tender texture – the result of a special curing and air-drying process that takes place in the hills of the area around Parma. If you haven’t tried prosciutto yet, I suggest you do. It is really delicious. Believe it or not, I eat it on Italian bread slathered with mayo and a thick slice of cantaloupe. I don’t think it even sounds good, but it really is! Yummy!

Emilia-romagna is also renowned for its egg pasta, tortello. The varieties are numerous and the same basic dough is used to create such well-known shapes as tagliatelle, strichetti, capelletti, garganelli, anolini, lasagna and tortellini. The pastas are almost always served with a ragu’ (meat sauce). Varieties such as cappelletti and tortellini have a filling of minced (ground meats, vegetables, cheese, eggs, herbs and spices, etc. The famous ragu’bolognese, served with tagliatelle of the region, makes one of the best known of all Italian pasta dishes.

The local vinegar ‘aceto balsamico’ is a specialty in itself, for it was once valued so highly that it used to figure in the dowries of noble ladies. Delicately flavored with herbs, this vinegar is still highly regarded today. When you buy balsamic vinegar, make sure you get a good brand. It should be thick almost like a syrup. Put it on a plate with some olive oil and hot pepper flakes for a great dipping sauce!

The Italy food products of Emilia-romagna consist of egg pasta and tortello. The varieties are numerous and the same basic dough is used to create such well-known shapes as tagliatelle, strichetti, capelletti, garganelli, anolini, lasagna and tortellini. These Italy food products are almost always served with a ragu’ (meat sauce). Varieties such as cappelletti and tortellini have a filling of minced (ground meats, vegetables, cheese, eggs, herbs and spices, etc. The famous ragu’bolognese, served with tagliatelle of the region, makes one of the best known of all Italian pasta dishes.

The local vinegar ‘aceto balsamico’ is a specialty in itself, for it was once valued so highly that it used to figure in the dowries of noble ladies. Delicately flavored with herbs, this vinegar is still highly regarded today. When you buy balsamic vinegar, make sure you get a good brand. It should be thick almost like a syrup. Put it on a plate with some olive oil and hot pepper flakes for a great dipping sauce!

Tuscany is at the ‘heart’ of Italy where Italy food products, beef, vegetables, olive oil, herbs and wine form the bulk of the Tuscan diet. Nowadays, it is often said that Tuscany has only three culinary virtues—beef, beans and Chianti. Beef from the Chiana Valley to the south-east of Florence, is some ot the most highly prized meat in the world. The distinctive Chianina cattle are an ancient breed with a remarkably quick growth rate. They reach maturity before they are 2 years old. Chianina meat is unbelievably tender and succulent, and the steaks are famous throughout the world.Florentines cook their steaks simply and flavored only with olive oil, salt and pepper. The term ‘alla fiorentina’ or ‘Florentine’ is misleading. It is often incorrectly applied to any dish that contains spinach; it should in fact be used to denote any dish that comes from Florence. Very few Florentine dishes contain spinach and it is difficult to explain the misconception. Another excellent Italy food product is the olive oil from Lucca in the north of Tuscany. Used in cooking, together with freshly picked herbs, it gives Tuscan food its characteristic aromas and unique flavors. Chiante must be the most famous wine to come from Italy, and the familiar straw-covered Chianti bottle is one of the most recognizable wine bottles in the world.

Lazio, south of Tuscany, with Rome at its center, has a distinctive cuisine all its own. One small example of the way in which Roman cooking is quite distinct is in its choice of cooking fat, whereas butter is used mainly in the north and olive oil in the south, in Rome lard or bacon is most common. The pasta of the region has a character all its own, being neither exclusively the flat type as in the north of Italy, nor the tubular variety found in the south. Fettuccine, a ribbon pasta, is a regional specialty; it is usually served with a mixture of butter and cream, and always sprinkled liberally with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Roman cannelloni is a special dish made by rolling rectangles of flat pasta around a stuffing, rather than putting the stuffing into tubes of cannelloni as in the south. Italy food products include the classic Roman pecorino, a sheep’s milk cheese which is sharp in flavor and usually grated over cooked dishes, like the better known Parmesan. The soft ewe’s milk cheese, ricotta, is also widely used in Roman cooking—in tarts, pizzas, pastries, cakes and cookies. Lamb is popular and spit roasted baby lamb is a great delicacy. As already mentioned, Roman food is highly seasoned, and the exotic spices of the East are as well liked as locally picked hers. Onions and garlic are common ingredients, along with basil, rosemary, sage, parsley, bay leaf and mint. A classic Roman dish, misticanza, a kind of mixed salad, uses no less than 11 different herbs.

Abruzzi and Molise, two central regions of Italy, each with an Adriatic coastline, are predominantly mountainous and farming is the main occupation. Of the few resources in the region, grain is perhaps the most important. It is made into pasta, most notably into macaroni, which is everyday fare. This might be why, we Italians, get accused of eating pasta everyday! But then again, I am one of the ones who does!

Further south is Campania, where we will find the familiar dishes indicative of the Neapolitan cuisine. The port of Naples is the culinary capital of southern Italy for it provides the mother cuisine which influences the style of cooking covering the entire ‘foot’ of Italy. The main characteristics of the southern cuisine are tubular pasta, the use of olive oil for cooking and the extensive use of tomatoes and garlic, particularly in sauces. No Neapolitan meal would seem omplete without a dish of macaroni or spaghetti. Both pastas were invented in the region. Pasta is always served with a sauce in the south, and this invariably includes tomatoes, onions and garlic. Of course there are other sauce ingredients, including excellent clams, mussels and other shellfish.

The region is also justifiably famous for its cooking cheese, mozzarella. This soft cheese was originally made with buffalo milk, but as this is rarely available nowadays, ordinary cow’s milk has to suffice. Naples is of course the home of the Italian pizza, although pizzas of all shapes and sizes are to be found throughout the region. Pizza Napoletana Italy food products topping are as we know them, tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, anchovies and herbs, is perhaps the most famous. As you know, there are countless other recipes.

Southern Italy is also proud of its ice creams and water ices, for it is the Neapolitan Tortoni whom we have to thank for the invention of the ice cream as we know it today. A very important contribution of Italy food products.

Now it is Sicily, the largest of all the Mediterranean islands, that we have to thank for Italian cuisine as we know it today, for it was to Sicily that the Greeks first came over 2,000 years ago, bringing with them a whole new world of culinary knowledge. It is basically a peasant style of cooking, with bread and pasta forming the staple diet. Many Sicilian housewives still make their own bread – a tradition that is dying out in the other parts of Italy. Most of the island’s pasta dishes combine spaghetti, macaroni and other tubular varieties with a strongly flavored sauce.

So that should give you a pretty good idea of how we got our Italian food recipes and where the Italy food products come from. Many restaurants boast serving northern or southern cuisine and now we have a better understanding of what to expect from each. There are links on this page for you to find many of the recipes we’ve talked about. Good luck and happy Italian cooking!

Reference: Wright, Jeni. The Encyclopedia of Italian Cooking, 1981 Octopus Books Limited, pp 8 – 23.

Italian Food Recipes