About healthy eating in italy. Italian cuisine - food traditions What Italians eat

Those who had a chance to taste the dishes of the national Italian cuisine in her homeland: in Rome, Naples, Bologna and other cities - will confirm: this is a completely special story.

The characteristic features of Italian cuisine are due to the local climate and those products that are common in a particular region. Each region of Italy boasts special recipes. This makes the experience of Italian food doubly exciting. Meet 10 national dishes of Italy that a tourist should definitely try.

Minestrone

Contrary to popular belief, Italian cuisine is far from limited to foods such as pizza or spaghetti. Soups are very popular in Italy: burrida (with seafood), ginestrata (with egg yolks and white wine), minestra di nochi (with walnuts and nut puree) and others. But first of all, you should try minestrone - a traditional vegetable soup that has become the embodiment of the peculiarities of the national Italian cuisine.

Originally in Italy, minestrone was prepared from leftover second courses or cheap vegetables. And although today there is no trace of such an approach to food in the national cuisine, as in many other Italian recipes, it assumes the ability to "mix everything that is" so that it turns out divinely tasty.

The main components of minestrone are meat broth and fresh vegetables, of which, depending on the season, there can be as many as you like. Therefore, the consistency of the dish varies from liquid to incredibly thick. In some national recipes of Italian cuisine, minestrone is supplemented with rice, pasta, pesto sauce. Before using the soup, grated parmesan and fresh chopped herbs are added to the plates.

Carpaccio

The list of what you need to try in Italy from food is impossible to imagine without carpaccio - thinly sliced \u200b\u200bmeat or fish slices, seasoned with a sauce with the addition of mayonnaise, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice.

Although the recipe for this dish in Italy appeared relatively recently, today it is included in the menu of all restaurants of national cuisine. For its preparation, most often, raw beef tenderloin is taken, previously placed in the freezer. In Italy, you can also try variations of the dish in which beef is replaced by venison, tuna, salmon, sea bass, octopus or smoked duck.

According to the traditions of Italian cuisine, before serving, carpaccio is sprinkled with fine cheese shavings and garnished with fresh herbs. It is interesting to try carpaccio with. For example, sommelier recommends rich red wines for venison, and rosé wine from southern Italy for tuna.

Tortellini

The list of national dishes of Italy continues with tortellini - a type of pasta, which in its appearance is close to such a familiar food for us as dumplings.

In Italy, tortellini is made from unleavened unsalted dough and served as an independent dish (with a fragrant mushroom, creamy or bolognese sauce) or added to broths, soups and salads. The most commonly used filling for tortellini is meat, ham or cheese. The result is a very satisfying and delicious meal.

Don't miss out on the other flavors of this traditional Italian dish. For example, torteletti (they are much smaller in size) and tortelli (these, on the contrary, are larger). To give the dough an original color, spinach or tomatoes are sometimes added to it: in the first case, the tortellini will be green, and in the second, red.

Gnocchi

Gnocchi is a fairly simple Italian food, which, nevertheless, is considered one of the most worthy examples of the national local cuisine. This dish is a type of dumpling, for which cooks take flour, eggs, semolina or corn grits and potatoes.

Small pieces formed from dough are given an oval shape, and then dipped in boiling salted water and boiled with seasonings. Served as a side dish, but it is better to try gnocchi as a separate dish, with a thick aromatic sauce. Gnocchi with fish and seafood (shrimps, salmon, crab, sea bass, vongole) are especially popular - this is a real masterpiece of taste!

There are also many original variations of this national Italian dish. For example, in other cities of Italy you can try gnocchi with lemon ricotta or gorgonzola, pumpkin gnocchi with bacon and savoy cabbage in cream, and even gnocchi with chestnuts - such an Italian traditional cuisine will definitely not leave you indifferent.

Risotto

If you want to taste the best Italian dishes, do not ignore risotto - food that has become one of the culinary symbols of the country. The basis for its preparation is special varieties of round grain rice, which is first fried and then stewed. When the dish is almost ready, seafood, minced meat, vegetables or mushrooms are added to it, depending on what the chef wants in the end.

Many restaurants and cafes in Italy offer menus with various, sometimes very unexpected, types of risotto: with eggplant, shrimp, bacon and apple, berries and onions, white truffles, with cheese and green asparagus, and even with cuttlefish ink. In a word, this is the national dish that you should definitely try while traveling in Italy.

Pizza

You cannot imagine traditional Italian dishes without pizza. This food is simply adored here, and therefore literally at every step you can see the sign of this or that pizzeria. There are Italian eateries, where the menu consists entirely of different types of pizza. And in some establishments you can even see with your own eyes the process of its preparation in the kitchen.

According to tradition, the pizza dough is left to “ripen” for almost a day (about 18 hours). Only the freshest ingredients are selected for the filling. Pizza is cooked in a wood-burning oven, due to which the taste and aroma of all the ingredients are preserved, and the dish itself turns out to be divine - you can try and see for yourself!

Lasagne

Lasagna is one of the most popular and famous Italian dishes that all tourists want to try. It is a multi-layered casserole in which dough sheets alternate with stuffing of minced meat, mushrooms or vegetables and generously flavored with a fragrant thick sauce. An essential ingredient in the dish is cheese: ricotta, parmesan, gorgonzola or mozzarella.

Lasagna is something that is worth trying in Italy: no other kitchen in the world cooks it so creatively and fantastically delicious. In addition to the classic version with meat, in many establishments you can order vegetarian lasagna - it tastes as good as the meat analogue.

Trippa

Those who want to taste the best and most popular Italian cuisine will have to take the risk and order food with a very specific name. Which one? Of course, trippu!

Trippa is prepared from tripe, beef tripe - in other words, from the front of the cow's stomach, which is pre-soaked, washed and cut into pieces. Then it is boiled, fried and stewed with wine, vegetable or meat sauce, seasoned with salt and pepper. Served with grated cheese, sometimes adding mint.

Originally in Italy, this food was a dish of the poor. This state of affairs persisted until almost the middle of the 20th century. Today, trippa is considered a delicacy and is on the menus of many restaurants serving national Italian cuisine.

They say that trippa belongs to those traditional Italian dishes that are not very suitable for the "unusual" stomach of a tourist. However, due to long-term heat treatment, the food turns out to be quite tender, light and unusually tasty.

Gelato

Gelato is a national Italian delicacy made from milk, cream and sugar. It contains nuts, fresh fruits and berries, fruit sauce, coffee, cocoa and chocolate, candied fruits, honey, caramel, liqueur. All over the world, such food is considered a type of ice cream, but differs from it in a lower content of milk fat and production technology.

For real gelato, only natural ingredients are taken. The dessert may contain emulsifiers and stabilizers, but in a minimal amount. In general, gelato is prepared in special pastry shops - gelateria, where each dessert is created by the master by hand and served immediately after preparation.

The best gelaterias in Italy offer to taste their exclusive versions of this national delicacy. For example, San Crispino in Rome uses Rhum Clement whiskey and chocolate, Clement rum and cocoa for its desserts. And this example is just one of the many subtleties that make gelato the pinnacle of the national Italian art of creating delicious desserts.

Tiramis

Tiramisu hardly needs an introduction. This traditional Italian dessert requires very few ingredients: savoyardi biscuits, mascarpone cheese, freshly brewed coffee, chicken eggs and sugar, and cocoa or chocolate chips for topping.

Over the long years of existence of the recipe, its various variations have appeared in the treasury of the national Italian cuisine. You can try tiramisu with strawberries and other berries, liqueur or cognac. The most delicate, refined taste of this dessert remains unchanged, which will captivate you once and for all.

What else to eat in Italy

Italy will take you on a true gastronomic adventure. Gastronomy in this country is even more than art - it is a way of life, a national outlook.

How to have time to try everything? Below you will find a little tip of what else you can eat in Italy:

• (Parma ham);
• Artichokes (boiled, fried, grilled);
• Panini (closed hot sandwich with filling);
• Ravioli (dumplings with various fillings);
• (with meat, seafood, vegetables);
• Caprese (salad of fresh tomatoes and mozzarella);
• Panna cotta (a dessert made from cream, sugar and vanilla);
• Frittata (baked omelet with vegetables and cheese).

Photobank Lori

What do they eat in Italy: for breakfast, a hearty lunch and a very leisurely dinner. And, most importantly, what to try in Italy for a traveler - be fully armed!

When you come to Italy and want to get acquainted with Italian cuisine, you soon realize that this is difficult to do. Especially if you plan to spend only a few days in the country. In the end, our stomach is not dimensionless, and everyone around advises to "definitely try" this and that. So let's leave regional and seasonal delicacies aside, not to mention the endless supply of drinks. Let's take the classic dishes that desirable try in Italy.

This is not to say that they are the best, but they reflect the culinary traditions of most regions. From 11 items, it is enough to choose four or five to get a superficial idea of \u200b\u200bwhat and when to eat in Italy.

Tours and tastings in Italy

Italians have turned food tours and workshops into a cult following. It is always interesting to start from (see iconic places, outline walking routes). And then go to. To taste the world's best cheeses, prosciutto, pizza, wine and pastries in 4 hours. At the same time take a walk in the most bohemian Roman quarter!

Gastronomic Milan can be explored with a company that knows everything about local drinks and delicacies. The program includes Lombardy cheeses, fish, ham, salami, antipasti and, of course, local sparkling wines.

By the way, it is the Milan guides that are most reasonable to ask questions about modern life: what Italians eat, how and how they live - there is no more advanced city than the capital of Lombardy in this country. If anything, the Romans don't know about it.

What to try in Italy: 11 dishes

Pizza (Italian Pizza)

Despite the fact that people ate a piece of flat bread with butter and spices long before the unification of the country, everyone knows that it is one of the most iconic Italian dishes. Cheap and hearty pizza has long been a common snack. Especially in Naples, where it was first cooked with tomato sauce.

In 1889, while traveling around the country, the Italian queen Margherita asked to bring her a dish that was eaten by her served in Italy. A local entrepreneur made for the Queen the legendary combination of tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil. This is how the pizza "Margherita" appeared. It turned out that this combination also reflects the colors of the Italian flag.

Today pizza can be tasted in a Neapolitan or Roman style:

• Neapolitan style pizza has a thick crust. It is smaller in diameter, since the dough is not rolled out much for it, and all attention is paid to the filling.
• Pizza in roman style thinner and crispier, but less filling. By the way, a small amount of filling in no way speaks of quality. Some pizzerias "load" the base with a huge amount of ingredients, inflating the price. But at the same time, not very high-quality products are used.

Two or three components in the filling is a sign that the manufacturer uses only exemplary products and is responsible for his business.

Bottarga (Italian Botarga)

What to try in Italy from food - Botarga

Smoked Mullet Eggs. But don't be alarmed, because Botarga is actually just "Sicilian caviar". In August and September, southerners take caviar from the gray mullet, salt it, and then leave it to dry for 6 months. The result is a solid layer of amber-colored caviar. When sliced, it turns into a paste with a delicate and piquant taste. It used to be the food of the poor, who thus preserved seafood until winter. Bottarga is now considered one of the most luxurious food items. Especially when combined with truffles.

When consumed, the Sicilian delicacy is best sprinkled with lemon juice and olive oil (from a spray bottle).

Lasagne (Italian Lasagne)

What to try in Italy? Lasagna, of course!

Wide sheets of pasta are stacked in layers and baked in the oven. The origin of this dish is still being debated. But it can be argued that his homeland is the Emilia-Romagna region. It was there that it turned from food for the poor into a gourmet dish with meat sauce. Traditionally, lasagna was prepared without tomatoes, as they only appeared in Europe in the 16th century. The recipe included stews, béchamel sauce and cheese (mozzarella or parmesan). Even today, there are few tomatoes in Italian lasagna, unlike what is prepared outside of Italy.

Fiorentina (Italian: Bistecca alla fiore)

Food in Italy from A to Z: Fiorentina

The pride of Tuscany is meat on the bone, at least five centimeters thick, taken from a Chianina cow, fed exclusively on local pastures. The steak is cooked for 5-7 minutes on each side, so that the meat remains lightly undercooked in the middle. There is no point in asking for a well-done Fiorentina as the piece of meat is too thick. Florentine steak isn't always perfect these days.

Firstly, meat from other breeds is sometimes used. Secondly, residents often prefer cuts of meat cut from the upper parts of the body. Although the classic steak is made only from the bottom cuts ("bistecca nel").

In any case, this is a dish that need try in Italy. But it is better to order it in Tuscany - in Florence or in the countryside. When ordering, remember that the steak is priced by weight: for two - about one kilogram.

Ribollita (Italian Ribollita)

Ribollita vegetable soup is loved in Italy

A hearty vegetable soup with a lot of bread, not meat, as it is cheaper. It has been used in poor Italian villages for hundreds of years. Now in Tuscany, it is considered a special delicacy only in autumn, when the taste of vegetables is most intense. The soup is quite thick and resembles a stew.

Polenta (Italian Polenta)

Until recently, this particular dish was preferred in the northern part of Italy. The main component of polenta is corn kernels. Until the 16th century, other cereals were used, including buckwheat and even acorns. Polenta does not differ in the variety of shapes and textures possessed by pasta. But it perfectly complements the stew. In Turin or Milan, polenta is made in the form of pancakes.

Ossobuco (Italian Ossobuco)

Veal Ossobucho / Photobank Lori

The world famous dish "ossobuco alla milanese" (literally "hollow bone") is a veal shank simmered in a meat broth with white wine and vegetables. Traditionally, it is served with gremolata (lemon zest, garlic and parsley), but this is not necessary. Milan is considered the birthplace of Ossobuco. But even here it cannot be found in all restaurants, since it takes about three hours to cook.

Risotto (Italian Risotto)

Risotto with seafood / Photobank Lori

A great addition to Ossobuco. Italians are the largest rice producers in Europe, but they themselves prefer pasta or polenta. Southern Italy is often called the country's bread basket, while northern Italy (especially Lombardy and Piedmont) is called the "rice bowl". Arborio or Carneroli rice, grown in the vast fields of these regions, is used to prepare the classic saffron risotto. According to legend, the recipe was invented by workers standing in Milan Cathedral. They painted the stained-glass windows with saffron, and some got into the rice.

Truffles (Italian Tartufo)

Italian delicacies: truffles (tartufo)

Truffle chips add a whole new flavor to the simplest dish. This pungent mushroom is one of the most expensive and coveted foods in the world. They are looking for him with dogs or pigs in the forests of Umbria and Piedmont. Truffles come in two flavors: the aromatic white truffle and the more common black truffle.

For some people, the smell of truffles resembles the smell of gasoline, so this is not for everybody. But if you want to experience the true taste of truffles, head to Piedmont or Umbria in autumn. Any other time of the year, the mushrooms you receive will be imported or thawed. For your first introduction to truffles, it is best to order a pasta with fine truffle chips, but there are many other options.

Truffles are added to omelets, steak sauces and risottos.

Focaccia (Italian Focaccia)

Italian focaccia bread

There are hundreds of types of bread in Italy, and the best of them is the one that is baked on the spot in the morning. If you try bread in Tuscany, it will turn out to be completely unsalted. The tradition of making bread without salt arose as a result of civil strife between Italy's most popular region and the coastal regions, which controlled the supply of salt to agricultural areas.

Classic focaccia, on the other hand, should be salty. And her real homeland is Liguria, not Tuscany.

Focaccia is most often served with toppings - rosemary, zucchini, or olives. It is not known which type of bread you will like the most. The main thing is not to refuse the opportunity to try this traditional Italian dish. In any locality, there is bound to be a small bakery somewhere nearby, so stop and buy what you want.

Breakfast / lunch / dinner in Italy

The Italian culinary lifestyle has long been a tourist attraction. Italian cuisine varies greatly from region to region. What is preferred in industrial Piedmont is never recognized in Campania - in the relaxed south.

But no matter how things are with the traditional menu, the ritual of eating in all regions of Italy is the same. And the first feature that distinguishes Italians from "normal" people is that local residents spend at least two hours for lunch.

1. What do they eat in Italy for breakfast

The local population of Italy never has a hearty breakfast. People here get up very early and mostly drink coffee with milk. Some people prefer to make sandwiches with butter, sausage and cheese in addition to an invigorating drink. Many people lead such an active lifestyle that they do not have time to eat breakfast at home. Therefore, in the morning they drink strong black coffee - most often in the nearest bar.

2. Lunch in Italian

What do they eat in Italy? Of course, pasta! Dish number 1.

Unlike breakfast, lunch is a sacred act in. In this case, the table is laid for the whole family, various surprises are arranged, relatives can joke or be interested in the affairs of loved ones. In this we are similar to the Italians! For the first time, the inhabitants of Italy eat soup, pasta, rice. Meat or fish can be served as a second course. In addition to this, 2-3 vegetable side dishes and green salad are prepared. At the end of the feast, Italians feast on exotic fruits, cheeses and sweet dishes. Many people end their meal with a glass of wine.

3. What do they eat in Italy for dinner

Popular evening meals in Italy are meat brodo, vegetable minestra and others. If we say what tourists should try in Italy, we can divide the dinner into five stages. To begin with, a light snack is served in the form of toasted pieces of ham in garlic sauce. This is followed by antipasto (a snack BEFORE the main hit of the evening): stewed, boiled or fried vegetables.

Only after that the Italians serve the first course: spaghetti, tortellini, pasta, ravioli, etc. Fish and meat products act as the highlight of the program - the scope and imagination here depends on the skills of the chef. The Italian dinner ends with a dessert with a cup of strong coffee or a glass of wine.

Here is a short summary of what is eaten in Italy for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Of course, it is no less important how everyone is served, arranged and "furnished".

Italian cuisine is very rich and varied, and Italians themselves are great gourmets and food lovers. When meeting between friends, relatives and acquaintances, one of the first questions they ask each other is: "What did you eat for lunch?" or "What do you have for dinner today?", "What delicious things will you cook on Sunday?" And they are really interested in this, they will be happy to listen to a recipe for a dish or share their culinary secret. In addition to pasta and pizza, which have become symbols of Italy, they consume a lot of seafood, both raw and cooked, vegetables, legumes, fruits, meat and cheese products.
Over the centuries, each region of Italy has developed specific culinary tastes based on the products that were produced there. But after the unification of Italy in 1850, especially delicious dishes began to spread throughout Italy and began to be prepared in all regions. There are many examples of this - polenta, Florentine steak, focaccia, pizza, calzone (closed salty pies), pizza, fonduta, porchetta (roast piglet roll) and pesto (sauce made of basil, parmesan cheese, pine nuts, etc. olive oil).
Traditional Italian cuisine ranks first in the world among all existing cuisines in the world for the quality of products, for the methods of preparation, for the balance of nutrients.

What do Italians eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner

An Italian breakfast is very different from a Russian breakfast. An obligatory cup of natural coffee (not soluble) prepared in a special coffee maker, a cone with jam or cream and a tile. Many Italians prefer to have breakfast not at home, but in bars where you can meet friends and chat, read the latest press, or just have a quiet breakfast. In general, they spend a lot of time in bars - during a break in the office, they must go out with colleagues and have coffee. After work, they can stop by for an ice cream made from natural products or treat themselves to an aperitif.
The Italian lunch menu must necessarily consist of several dishes:

• snacks
• first
• second
• fruit

Snacks are ham, cheeses, vegetables (boiled or fried). After that, the first course is served - pasta, risotto or minestrone vegetable soup. The second course is meat, fish, mozzarella with ham, accompanied by a garnish of vegetables. There is a main rule in Italian cuisine - do not eat carbohydrates and proteins together, but they themselves break it, especially on holidays. All these dishes must be accompanied by a glass of good wine (there is absolutely no such thing as bad wine in Italy). During each meal, be sure to eat seasonal fruits and fennel for dessert, which cleanses the stomach and helps to process food faster. For these purposes, after dinner, they also drink coffee, of which, according to Italian tradition, there should be exactly 2 tablespoons in a cup. This is no joke: An ordinary standard coffee cup is filled up to half - the coffee is strong, tart and aromatic.
Between the main meals, there must be a snack - ice cream, cake, fruit, yogurt, but something tasty and not very healthy for sure. For dinner, the menu is almost the same as for lunch, but many Italians exclude appetizers and the first. It depends on the starting time of the dinner, in the south of Italy it does not start earlier than 20.30. This is due to the fact that the working day of many offices and shops is divided into two parts - from 9.00 to 13.00, then the siesta begins and work resumes from 17.00 to 20.00.

Festive Italian cuisine is different from everyday cuisine. Firstly, typical dishes are prepared for each holiday. Secondly, the dishes should be richer and more delicious. And thirdly, a holiday is always a holiday. For dinner on December 24 (Catholic Christmas Eve), only fish dishes should be on the table. Examples of snacks for Christmas Eve are raw oysters and mussels, salmon carpaccio, swordfish, octopus, grilled eel, raw squid rings. For your reference: carpaccio - thinly sliced \u200b\u200bslices of raw fish or meat topped with olive oil, vinegar and sprinkled with rucola leaves. For the first, two dishes can be served - one made from pasta, the other from rice, but always from seafood.
The second dish is also fish, and every family has their own special Christmas dish - dorada in the oven, branzino baked in salt, grilled swordfish, deep-fried small fish, king prawns or trout baked with lemon and spices. The dinner does not end there - vegetable side dishes, baked potatoes or fries are placed on the table. After all this abundance in the stomach, you need to find a place for fresh fruit, and then nuts and dried fruits. Nuts are consumed of all kinds - walnuts, almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts and pistachios. The dinner ends with the famous Italian pastry dessert “Pandoro” and “Panettone”.
For a festive Christmas dinner on December 25, the scenario of the meal is repeated, only the meat menu. Snacks - mozzarella, ham, meat carpaccio, lamb or goat meat for the first lasagna and for the second (in the oven, grilled, stewed with green peas). Vegetables and potatoes will be served as a side dish. Then, fresh fruits, nuts and dried fruits, for dessert - "Pandoro" and "Panettone". At the end of the meal, strong alcoholic drinks are served to digest food. The most favorite alcoholic drinks among Italians:

• grappa - grape vodka
• american whiskey
• russian vodka
• limoncello - lemon liqueur
• white almond liqueur (not to be confused with amaretto)
• amaro (balm or tincture)

The third day of the Christmas holidays is December 26, St. Stephen's Day. Everything is the same, only instead of pasta, a strong beef broth with ravioli is cooked for the first, and meat from the broth is eaten for the second.
The Easter menu is very similar to Christmas - snacks, lasagna, lamb, side dishes, fruit, only for dessert a chocolate egg, Colomba buns, a figurine of a lamb made from almond dough and a shortcrust pastry pie with ricotta are served. The menu for the birthday is different - a "party" is arranged with sandwiches, snacks, tartlets and other goodies. Actually, birthday in Italy is not a very celebrated date, more importantly - name day or angel's day. All these traditions in the Italian national cuisine were formed over the centuries by peasant women, slaves and monks.

Features of Italian cuisine: ease of preparation, a variety of dishes and ingredients, based on recipes of homemade Italian cuisine, you can create masterpieces of cookery. And the variety of dishes in Italy is really impressive. There are dozens of types of pizza alone - dough for Italian pizza is prepared according to a single recipe - flour, water, salt, yeast and butter. But there are many names for pizza:

• "Four cheeses" - mozzarella, gorgonzolla, parmigiano and pecorino
• Fume - mozzarella, smoked cheese and bacon
• Tuna with canned tuna

"Seasons" with mozzarella, artichoke, mushrooms and olives

• Napoletana with buffalo mozzarella
• Salmon with mozzarella, salmon and black caviar
• "Calabrese" with mozzarella and spicy Calabrian Salami

The peculiarities of Italian cuisine are also manifested in the preparation of pasta: how many dishes of them exist in Italy no one can count - hundreds and hundreds of types. The only condition for a delicious pasta is to cook al dente, that is, exactly as many minutes as indicated on the packaging of each type of pasta. This is due to the fact that the Italian pasta dough is made from durum wheat, which allows the product not to boil. Wines occupy a special place in Italian culinary culture. In each region, a variety of grape varieties are grown from which white, red, dessert wine, as well as grappa are produced. Perhaps the most famous Italian wine is “Chianti” from the city of the same name in the Tuscany region, province of Florence, which can be distinguished by the sticker on which the great Dante Alighieri is depicted.
The secrets of Italian cuisine are very simple - a fertile climate, fertile land and hardworking Italian people.

Surprising but true! Despite the plentiful meals and dislike of diets, Italians remain slim and fit. In this country, unlike the USA and Germany, it is almost impossible to meet obese people. In addition, the eyes of local residents are constantly glowing with happiness and joy, smiles never leave their faces, and legends are made about their passionate natures! Indeed, the Italians have a lot to learn.

It turns out their enthusiastic mood, love of life and excellent appearance can be easily explained. They follow five simple rules every day.

1. Italians bypass McDonald's and choose a Mediterranean diet

An interesting fact is that Italians adore the Americans, but they strongly do not want to eat like they do. Italy is the only country in the world where McDonald's market strategy is hindered by the call for slow chewing ...
And every inhabitant here throughout his life follows the same diet - the Mediterranean. By and large, this is not even a diet, but rather a way of life. Due to those products that are included in the Italian diet, you can rejuvenate and heal the body: make the skin elastic, improve vision, and lower blood cholesterol levels. The secrets of this diet are very simple and accessible:

• Eat everything, but eat less fatty and sweet foods.
  
• Eat vegetables, fruits, meat and fish daily.
• Side dishes. In Italy, pasta and rice are considered the healthiest side dishes.
• Never snack on buns, especially on the go. If you wanted to eat pastries, then only after a light meal.
• Eat some kind of fruit after every meal.
• Note that Italians don't get fat from pasta. The fact is that they use pasta made only from durum wheat, which does not affect the waist at all.
• Another Italian secret. Eat at least three servings of fruits a day: grapes, pears, apples, peaches, plums, persimmons, etc. For example, Italians eat up to four oranges a day, necessarily - a bunch of grapes and persimmons. The mass of trace elements, potassium, glucose, fiber - all this makes such a dessert especially useful for female beauty.

2. Drink but not get drunk (Drink red wine daily)

Wine is an integral part of Italian culture. Drinking this drink with food is a healthy tradition of the people of this hot country. The goal of Italians is to use wine with food, to set off the taste of dishes, but not to get drunk. It goes without saying that such a reasonable attitude to wine brings a lot of benefits to the Italian people.
This drink contains a huge amount of vitamins and minerals, fruit sugars and tannins. Such natural compounds have high biological activity. In addition, studies show that natural wine in small doses normalizes cholesterol levels, and fewer cholesterol plaques form in the arteries.
Wine also facilitates and speeds up digestion, influencing the slimness of Italians. Having ordered a glass of semi-dry red or white wine for lasagne, sprinkle the dish with a few drops of olive oil, sprinkle generously with Parmesan on top (this cheese promotes abundant secretion of gastric juice). Olive oil and acidic wine help you digest food faster and easier. So you will ensure yourself a pleasant evening, without alcoholic intoxication, with ease in your stomach.
Unfortunately, due to the lack of wine drinking culture in our country, even the most natural Italian wine cannot serve as a "table medicine" that saves you from excess cholesterol.

3. Eat a lot of olive oil

It is an essential ingredient in Italian cuisine. While it may seem like an expensive proposition, it is best to use the highest quality oil. Italians cook on it, season soups and salads, and even spread it on bread instead of butter.
The purest olive oil, which is obtained by the cold pressing of olives, is used by Italians for dressing salads and pasta, and ordinary olive oil for cooking other food.
The main difference between olive oil and other fats is that it contains heart-healthy monounsaturated fat. It reduces the amount of cholesterol clogging the arteries and increases the body's defenses. That is why Italians are famous for their health and longevity.

4. Know how to enjoy food

An ordinary person's lunch is a 15 minute race under the motto "Who will eat faster." Days pass quickly, and you no longer remember what happened yesterday. And for Italians, every minute is a celebration of life. Food is a ritual for them. Devotion to even a simple meal is evident in the time spent at the table.
For a "gluttonous" nation, lunch starts at half past twelve and ends at half past four. At this time, sacred for the indigenous population, no one works. Just a minute before closing, store workers stop being friendly and helpful and turn into ordinary people who want to get home as soon as possible for lunch. It usually consists of appetizers, which are cold and hot, the first course, which is pasta, soup, rice dishes or polenta. This is followed by the second course - poultry, fish, game and seafood (in the center and in the south of the country). The side dish is most often served after the second course, and not with it. This is usually a salad or other simple vegetable dish. For dessert in Italy, they eat cheeses, fruits, ice cream, flour products or chocolate.
Why don't Italians recover with such a plentiful meal? The fact is that, firstly, they enjoy the process itself, eat slowly, chewing food thoroughly. At the same time, you cannot eat large portions.And, secondly, look at what they have for breakfast and dinner.
In the morning, Italians prefer coffee or cappuccino with a sweet bun with butter and jam, as well as yoghurts, juices and fruits. Dinner is rather light: meat or fish with vegetables.
For several millennia, the inhabitants of Italy have developed their own approach to the daily diet, and very correct: in the morning - carbohydrate food, in the evening - protein. Such a diet is good because for the whole day flour manages to be absorbed, and energy is consumed.

5. Lead an active lifestyle
Italians believe that their country is the best in the world, as it has everything you need to live: sun, wine and food. They are very emotional by nature, so even talking about the weather they burn a lot of calories. And, nevertheless, this nation devotes a lot of time to sports. Today, almost every Italian woman visits the gym, gymnastics studios, swimming pools, and modern dance schools two or three times a week. This mod is extremely useful.
Italian women, married with children, go in for sports during the fiesta. And free people go to fitness clubs in the evening. No excuses!
Residents of the sunny country are sure that people should not go on diets, but enjoy food, enjoy life. Get a piece of happiness every day. It is no coincidence that there are so many gelateria in Italy - in our opinion, ice cream parlors where locals regularly drop in. The choice here is very diverse: vanilla, coconut, coffee with roasted coffee beans, and if you order a cup of cappuccino in addition, you will definitely say: life is a success!

Irina Chernyak, specially for

Italian recipes:

Perhaps, after learning what an Italian breakfast is, you will be amazed. You may even change your mind about going to Italy. But this is the harsh truth of life and I cannot pass over this topic in silence 🙁

Look at the photo. A classic Italian breakfast looks like this ...

WHAT DO THE RUSSIANS THINK ABOUT THIS?

To be honest, when traveling with groups in Italy, I had to apply diplomacy when approaching the topic of an Italian breakfast. Our compatriots are accustomed to gorge themselves all day in the morning and were frankly disappointed with such an assortment.

In hotels for bus groups, breakfast will be even more modest ...

By entering the phrase "Italian breakfast" into the Yandex search line, you will see everything that is sweet to the Russian stomach. A loaf, butter, fish, cheese, sausage, scrambled eggs, bacon ... Eh, what is missing is perhaps a small steamed glass. A quatrain from "Masha and the Bear" comes to mind: "In the fridge - oh yes! - there is a variety of food. Sausage, sausages, cheese, how beautiful this world is!" Yandex also gives out recipes for "Italian breakfast" - scrambled eggs, some pancakes with cottage cheese and spinach ... Alas, all this is not true.

Let it be known to you, dear readers, that an Italian who savor an egg in the morning is a museum rarity. Well, maybe in a hotel, in the mountains, if he has a full day of skiing, he'll eat a hard boiled egg or two. But scrambled eggs in butter - never! This is cholesterol and plaque in blood vessels. So look at these pictures and forget - you won't be served such breakfasts in Italy. And if served, it will be a cultural and gastronomic falsification:

WHAT IS AN ITALIAN BREAKFAST?

We will ask the indigenous population. On one of the gastronomic forums, I found the following answers:

A typical Italian breakfast is a "soup" made of milk with cookie pieces floating in it. But now, because of the frantic pace of life, he turned into a cup of cappuccino and a bagel, eaten in a hurry at the bar.

Espresso coffee, bagel or bread with jam, freshly squeezed juice.

Croutons, jam, milk and fruit juice. But lately, these ingredients are fading into oblivion. Now it's a giant cappuccino or espresso bagel.

It's a must-have bagel and cappuccino in the bar, accompanied by fresh newspapers ...

In general, like this:

LET'S LOOK INTO HISTORY

To better understand the topic of Italian breakfast, let's find out what the forefathers of the modern inhabitants of the Apennine Peninsula consumed in the morning. First, the ancient Greeks settled in Italy. Then there were the Etruscans. Then - the Roman Empire.

For the Greeks, the first meal consisted of wine, biscuits baked in a fire, olives and dried figs. Later, bread and olive oil were also used. The Etruscans ate one cereal-based dish in the morning, such as "pulmentum", which consisted of milk and wheat. The Romans ate their breakfast with grated bread flavored with garlic and wine. Those who were allowed the means were also added to the plate cheese, which cost a lot of money.

Breakfast of "decent" Romans

But since then a lot of water has flowed under the bridge, and each era has made its own amendments. In the Middle Ages, they already ate broth for breakfast, or vegetable soups, in which the wealthy strata of the population put pieces of meat or sausage.

Milk and bread, however, have always been held in high esteem. After the discovery of America (1492), chocolate and coffee appeared in the diet of Europeans.

As for Italy, before the Second World War, this country was agrarian, and breakfast here was very hearty. In winter, when it was possible to get up later than usual, they ate slowly, warmed up the leftovers of yesterday's dinner, relished bread and bean soup, eggs, meat (often pork), ate fruit and washed down with wine.

In the summer, when the workers went into the field at dawn, they literally had a snack on the run with whatever came to hand. Later, women collected baskets with various dishes and went to their working husbands: they carried scrambled eggs, pizza, bread, sausages and wine. Sometimes milk and bread were used for breakfast, or, on holidays, with cookies.

Now Italians are in a hurry on business and in the morning they do not have time to sit around for a hearty breakfast. That's how they got to the bagel and cappuccino. The history of their appearance, however, deserves special attention ...

THANKS TO TURKISH CITIZENS

The crescent-shaped bun was invented by Austrian bakers. Look closely at the flag of the Ottoman Empire - it flaunts ... a bagel. Austrian citizens willingly began to eat the symbol of Turkey, dipping it in coffee or milk.

And it happened after the victory of the Austrians over the Turks in 1683 - then the troops of the Ottoman Empire besieged Vienna.

Cappuccino coffee was invented by a Capuchin monk. According to one of the versions, the usual black drink was too strong for him, and milk had to be added to give a mild taste. According to another version, the monk, whose name was Marco d'Aviano, also participated in the battle for Vienna and after the defeat of the Turks, he found several bags of coffee. He brought them to his hiding place, grinded and brewed a drink, adding to it milk foam, shaped like a monk's hood, and this is how the drink got its name.

The word for breakfast in Italian is "colazione" (colazione). The word colation appeared in the XIV century in France and meant the first meal of the monks after the evening prayer. It is rooted in the Latin collatio-onis (which means to be together, to get together). In a general sense, the concept meant "the first morning meal, which interrupts the fast that lasted all night."

DIETOLOGISTS SUPPORT

There is no doubt that Italian nutritionists consider their breakfast to be the best and healthiest. In their opinion, milk is calcium, biscuits (or a bun, or dry bread with jam - carbohydrates so necessary for brain and muscle activity), and juice is living vitamins. "An Italian breakfast supplies about 20% of the calories we need for an entire day," says Pietro Migliaccio, nutritionist specializing in gastroenterology, president of the Italian Society for the Science of Nutrition (SISA). "A normal breakfast in Italy is 350-400 calories, and in countries like Germany, England or the United States, this figure can go up to 700 or even 1500 calories, which leads to obesity."

WHAT DO OUR TOURISTS DO?

Well, first of all, the modest breakfasts we're talking about are what Italians themselves eat. According to statistics, a few years ago, 85% of adults on the Apennine Peninsula enjoyed breakfast in bars - to the sound of morning gossip, with newspapers, TV on and hiss of coffee machines ... Now Italians, who, as you know from TV news, in crisis, they eat breakfast at home, going to bars except on Saturdays.

So if you live in a hotel, you have a chance for a richer breakfast. In Italy, tourists are offered two types of morning meals: a continental breakfast and an international one. International - cheese, ham, maybe even scrambled eggs and other ingredients. If you have such a breakfast, then the problem is solved for you. Continental is a bun, coffee and juice. And groups traveling by bus sometimes don't even get juice - they may be offered water instead. And the number of buns is often calculated precisely for the group, so those who are late for the beginning of the action may be left without them, as a rule, they have already been eaten by more agile tourists. Yes, I myself have repeatedly resolved such situations. Come to the restaurant exactly at the opening of the doors, together with the whole group, then you will not be hungry!

And secondly ... My personal opinion: the Italian breakfast should be definitely tasted the way the locals eat it - that is, in the bar. You will NEVER be served such wonderful aromatic coffee in a hotel as here. And the bagel will not be as soft and tasty. And what about freshly squeezed orange juice! I always choose red oranges - judging by the color of the peel, they grew somewhere at the foot of Vesuvius or another volcano, the soil next to which is rich in minerals and helps prevent many diseases, including cancer. And how delicious it is, this juice squeezed right before your eyes! True, such a breakfast will cost 3-4 Euros, but it's worth it! I myself am so fond of Italian breakfasts that they seem to me the most correct and delicious in the world. You should definitely try it too!

Your task will be facilitated by a dictionary for guests of Italy, which I, as always, placed at the end of the article. And further. On the highways of Italy, in roadside cafes where Italians themselves love to have breakfast, you can find the so-called "complex breakfasts" - coffee, bagel and any drink at a fixed price. This is the most economical option (although freshly squeezed orange juice is almost never included in such a gentleman's set).

Well, if your body still insistently requires a hearty breakfast in the morning, then take a stick or two sausages with you on a trip and make sandwiches. It is an excellent way to refresh yourself at any moment.

DICTIONARY FOR GUESTS IN ITALY:

Hello	Buongiorno!	Bongiorno!
I would like to have breakfast	Vorrei fare colazione	Vorrey fare colazione
I would like to…	Vorrei ...	Vorrey ...
Coffee	Un caffe`	Un kaffe
American coffee	Caffe americano	Caffe americano
Water	Un po` di acqua	Un po di acua
Cappuccino	Capuccino	Cappuccino
Bagel	Cornetto	Cornetto
Empty	Vuoto	Wuoto
With vanilla cream	Con vanilla	Con vanilla
With chocolate	Con cioccolata	Kon chokolata
With jam	Con marmellata	Con marmellata
Freshly squeezed orange juice	Spremuta d'arancia	Spremuta d'aranch
Tea	Un te	Un te
Where is the sugar	Dove` lo zuccero?	Dove lo zukkero?
Sugar	Zuccero	Dzukchero
How much do I owe?	Quanto devo?	Quanto Devo?
thanks	Grazie	Grazie
Where is the toilet?	Dove` il bagno?	Dove il banyo?
entrance	Entrata	Entrata
Exit	Uscita	Protection