(Fig. 1: Venice at Dusk, photo from suprisingitaly)

When I say Italian food, what do you think of?  Pizza? Pasta?  While both of these are Italian food, the flavors of Italy go much further than the traditional meals that you can find at almost any classic American restaurant.  Italian cuisine has a long history of artfully crafted food.   A key pillar of the Italian culture is food.  Part of the reason food is so vital to their culture is the location of Italy geographically.  The country hosts the only volcano in Europe, Mt. Vesuvius, which allows for the soil of the country to be incredibly fertile.  The volcanic soil is rich in nutrients, which allows for a multitude of plants to be grown, and the climate is perfect for these plants to thrive.  Italian food is incredibly diverse, and this is, in part, due to its history.  In the Middle Ages, Italy was split into many separate republics, which each had their own food culture.  When these republics combined, the traditions in food also collided and allowed for the cuisine to blossom into what it is today.

(Fig. 2: Mt. Vesuvius, photo from howstuffworks)

One of the biggest aspects of Italian food is having a starch.  Grains are most heavily used, being eaten in almost every meal.  The wheat is used to make pasta, bread, pastries, and many more.  The Italians also use other starches like potatoes to make things like gnocchi.  Probably the second most important flavor on the Italian plate is the tomato.  Now, the tomato is a relatively new addition to the cuisine of this country.  Tomatoes are a fruit that comes from the new world, and they did not become available to Italy and the rest of Europe until trade was established between the Americas and Europe.  However, once the Italians had their hands on the tomato, they made it into one of their key ingredients.  Most of the time they puree the tomato into a sauce, which the use to top foods like spaghetti.  The Italians also use herbs and spices like oregano, salt, pepper, basil, thyme, rosemary, and many more quite heavily in their dishes.  Almost every meal is seasoned with a number of spices.  Finally, Italians love to included cheeses in their dishes.  They are most famous for cheeses like mozzarella, parmesan, and ricotta, but they use countless types of cheeses in their dishes.

(Fig. 3: Pizza Pie, photo from NOHO Pizza)

Pizza is a perfect example of Italian food, as it is so simple, yet has an amazing taste.  It also can include all of the major staples of Italian food that I listed above.  Making pizza is pretty easy, and it can be as simple or as complicated as you want.  You just start by activating some yeast by putting it in a bowl of warm water.  Then you add oil, salt, and flour, kneading it until the dough is soft and supple.  You should allow the dough to rise at the point, letting it double in size.  Once that happens, take the dough out of the bowl and form it into a pizza pan.  If you’re feeling adventurous you can attempt to shape the dough by hand by draping it over your hand and stretching it out as you move it from hand to hand.  Once the dough has been shaped is when you can creative.  If you do not want cheese, you don’t have to have it.  If you want every possible vegetable on it, you can have it.  My favorite is simply a pepperoni, green pepper, and onion pizza.  Once you have selected your toppings, you simply toss the pie into the oven, take it out when you see the crust begin to blacken, slice it, and enjoy.  There is a reason pizza is one of the most popular foods in the United States, as it is so versatile and just about everybody likes it.

(Fig. 4: Bowl of Gnocchi, photo from seriouseats)

Gnocchi is an Italian dish that is much less popular than the giants of Italian food like pizza and pasta, but it actually is my favorite Italian meal.  It, like almost every other Italian dish, is incredibly simple to make.  What you do is you peel some potatoes, and boil them in water until they are tender but firm.  Then you take them out, mash them with either a fork or a potato masher, and combine with flour and an egg.  Once combined, role the potato dough into long snakes, and slice the snakes into little balls.  Finally, boil the potato balls for 3-5 minutes, taking them out when the gnocchi have risen to the top of the water.  Once you have done that, you can combine the gnocchi with a number of sauces, going as simple as a jar or store bought tomato sauce or making an Alfredo sauce.

Almost every town in America has an Italian restaurant in it, but these establishments produce the Americanized versions of Italian cuisine.  Sure they are delicious, but I urge you to step out of your comfort zone when it comes to Italian food.  There is so much to explore when it comes to this country’s food.