The fat used in the preparation of an Italian cookery, either butter or olive oil determines the elementary flavor of the food—extra virgin olive oil is a healthy alternative. In the south the weather is warmer and the people are poorer, but this is where olive trees thrive and cooking is mostly flavored with olive oil. But in Rome on the other had, pork fat is the most common additive.

Thriftiness and simplicity, two common characteristics of Italian cooking—‘a little can be made to go a long way’. Italy’s main staples are just that, inexpensive yet tasty, rice and spaghetti can make a filling dish to which only a smidgen of the more costly ingredients, such as fish can be added. Thick delicious soups made of scraps of meat, from fish and seafood, and from biennial herbs such as carrots and other vegetables, eaten with a sprinkle of graded cheese and fresh bread, to make a rewarding and inexpensive meal.

Meat is considered a luxury, and is seldom served as a large roast. Rather it is prepared in small, thin trimmed slices (scaloppini), which veal is the best known. Frittati, a filling omelet, requires only a few eggs, a little flour and a handful of vegetables. Tomatoes smothered over bread dough, layered with a few slices of cheese or sausage, and a few dashes of herbs becomes a nourishing pizza. In the north, pasta, such as macaroni or spaghetti, is often prepared with cheese, rather than olive and garlic, or with pieces of fish, as is in the south.

Because Italian cooks have such a profound respect for the natural flavor and harmony of the food, they use only the freshest of ingredients to ensure that the food does not spoil by chemicals or refrigeration. As a result, a visit to the market is done daily, or even twice a day, for such items as bread, vegetables, and fruit.

A chief characteristic of Italian cuisine is the texture and color of the food. Vegetables, such as artichokes, broccoli, zucchini, and spinach, should remain crisp, and tomatoes should retain their brilliant reds. As well, yellow and green peppers should have a shiny luster, and prosciutto (thinly sliced smoked ham) should have a rich pink color. A plate of steamy fresh pasta should have a rich creamy appearance.

Bread is a required ingredient to any Italian meal, always made by a professional baker, due to the short supply of wood and coal; it is almost never prepared in the home. Fine-textured, and white as wool, Italian bread is shaped into long loafs, except for the lower income class whom eat less expensive round loafs.

Pasta, the best know staple of Italy, comes in many shapes and sizes. The most common form is spaghetti. Italian pastas from the north are most often homemade, with thick and robust shapes. They include fettuccine and tagliatelle, flat egg noodles, and ravioli, small pouches of dough filled with spinach, cheese, or savory forcemeats. In the southern regions, noodles are usually manufactured commercially and without eggs, in order to be stored for long periods of times in the warm climate. They include lasagna, broad flat bands; various cylindrical shapes, long spiral shaped strands; and cannelloni; large hollow tubes for stuffing.

In the south pastas are served with larger helpings of tomato-base sauces and herbs, and in the north, pasta is generally served with a simple dose of butter and freshly grated Parmigiano (parmesan) cheese. In Italy, pasta is served as a separate course rather than a side dish. Pastas must be ‘al dente,’ firm to the bite and not overcooked.

The same principle applies to the preparation of rice, firm but not overdone. Rice is commonly grown in the north and served with seafood, meat, and vegetable sauce or plain (in blanco), with butter and cheese.

Veal, white and bland from milk-fed animals, is the favorite meat of Italy. Most often it is cut into thin slices (scaloppini) that are sauteed in butter and served with a sauce prepared with wine, tomatoes, or lemon. Beef is more rare than veal, but is prepared in small, fat-trimmed cuts rather than in large thick steaks. Pork is processed in countless ways, served as roasts and chops, including the famous Parma ham and the many kinds of salami. Lamb, chicken, duck, goose, and turkey are luxury foods rather than ordinary fare.

Seafood is common along the coastal cities and towns. In addition to the common verities of fish, Italians eat eel, squid, octopus, clams and codfish. Typical seafood dishes include zuppa pescare, a fish soup made from anything at hand; pesce fritto, fried fish; and baccalá in urrido, dried codfish with tomatoes.

Cheese is an Italian staple, rich in proteins, frequently substitutes for meat. There are dozens of varieties, ranging from creamy ricotta and the bland, semi-soft bel paese to the green-veined Gorgonzola, and the hard, grainy Parmesan that is grated for dashing lightly over other foods.

Vegetables play an important ingredient in the daily diet, often as the main dish of a meal. From artichokes to zucchini, they are prepared in many tasty and imaginative ways. Fresh fruits are standard for ending an Italian meal.

Some sweets, such as zuppa inglese, a custard-covered rum cake, or crostata, an open-faced fruit pie are made from the Italian kitchens of jubilating country folk, during times of celebration. However the pastry, the most important form of desserts, cookies and cakes are most often made at small bakeries on about every other street corner throughout the country. Similarly, gelati, the ice creams and fresh fruit ices are prepared in specialty shops.

Italian foods are fragrant with seasonings, including the flat-leafed parsley, basil, rosemary, thyme, sage, and marjoram. Cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and saffron are popular spices. The dishes that are pungent with garlic, which is so often associated with Italian cookery, are from southern Italy. Throughout the country, lemon juice and rind are used to whet the appetite of many meat and vegetable dishes.

An Italian meal is not complete without the wine of the land. Homemade or local wine, sometimes diluted with water, accompanies almost all Italian meals. One of the best-known wines is the Chianti, a robust red vintage from Tuscany, but other regional wines, such as the sparkling white Asti Spumanti (from Piedmont), Soave (from Verona), Lacrima Christi (from Naples), as well as various Italian vermouths, are equally enjoyable. Liqueurs, such as Strega, are also imbibed.

Italian coffee, a favorite beverage is pungent and dark-roasted. Demitasse coffee (café espresso) is taken black, with sugar. Coffee or tea to follow the meal; neither is ever served with a meal. Fruit syrups, sodas, and colas are popular soft drinks.

Italian cookery has its origins in Greek, Middle Eastern, and Roman cuisine. The Romas, who enjoyed good food, adopted many of the food habits of their slaves—for example, the use of spices and sweet sour sauces for game and vegetables came from the Middle East.

Through the centuries, Italian cooking reached heights of refinement. In 1533, when Catherine de’ Medici married the French dauphin Henry (who later became King Henry the II), she took to the French court her skilled Italian cooks. They astounded the French with their cakes, cream puffs, and ices and with their refined methods of preparing meats. They also introduced unknown vegetables to the French, such as artichokes, broccoli, and peas. This Italian influence marked the beginning of the haute cuisine of France.

Simple, exquisitely prepared dishes are Italy’s contributions to the world of good food. Italian restaurants, which serve basically the same foods that are cooked at home, though more subtly prepared, are best known for their pasta dishes. These include slender linguine with clam sauce, green spinach noodles, and broad lasagna stacked with multiple layers of various cheeses, meat and tomato sauce. Thin veal scalloppine, cooked for a few minutes in butter and sprinkled with lemon juice, and veal Parmigiano, a breaded cutlet topped with Parmesan cheese, are other international favorites. The most popular Italian dessert is zabaglione, a wine-flavored custard. Spumoni and tortoni, Italian ice creams are also popular.

Breakfast for the Italians is simple: coffee with hot milk and a roll or bread with jam, or merely black coffee. The primary meal, traditionally served at noon, often begins with antipasto (appetizer) that includes such delicacies as tuna fish, marinated mushrooms, pimiento, black olives, prosciutto, radishes, and anchovies. Either a dish of rice, fish or soup follows this. The main dish is a plate of meat or fish, such as codfish, veal roast, pork chops, or small steaks, accompanied by a vegetable or salad. Dinner is concludes with a dessert or cheese and fruit, and café espresso. The evening meal is light, usually consisting of a soup, perhaps a vegetable and rice combination, and an omelet or cold meats. Cheese and fruit are also served.