Italian cuisine - by food author Howard Hillman

Italian cuisine

An insightful guide

to Italian cuisine

for diners and travelers

by an established authority

Why Italian cuisine

is special

Italy is a country of passionate diners and flavorful cooking ingredients. Cooks through the ages have responded by creating exciting dishes full of verve and character.

Famous

regional cuisines

Click the buttons below to learn about these Italian cuisine notables.

Overall insights on

the foods of Italy

The tomato, one of the signature cooking ingredients of Italian cuisine, did not exist in Italy until Columbus brought some back from the New World.

Olive oil is the principal cooking oil in the south. Butter is preferred in most of the north.

Pasta in the south is normally tubular-shaped and made from eggless dough while in the north it is usually flat, ribbon-shaped and egg-enriched.

Southern cooks season more assertively than northern ones, using garlic and lots of strong herbs. Northern cooks strive more for subtleties.

Italians vie with the French for the title of "the world's foremost wine drinkers."

Realistically, there is

no "Italian cuisine"

Italy has 20 regions. Their individual cooking styles and personalities are too diverse to lump into a single Italian cuisine category. My web pages on regional Italian cuisines will help you understand and enjoy those regional cuisines.

Other well known

regional Italian cuisines

Umbria (central Italy) - Shares certain characteristics with the neighboring Tuscan cuisine such as a predilection for beef, though one is more likely to come across more pork and game dishes. Umbria is noted for its white Orvieto wine.

Valle d'Aosta (northwestern Italy) - Known for fine Alpine cheeses. A slight Swiss-French influence creeps into the kitchens.

Marches (central Italy) - Prides itself on dishes prepared from seafood caught along its Adriatic Sea coastline. The locally produced crisp, white Verdicchio wine makes a harmonious accompaniment for this fare.

Abruzzi (central Italy)- Known for its fine cooks, many of whom have migrated throughout Italy to work in restaurants.

Learn about these

regional Italian cuisines

Click the 10 regional cuisine buttons:

Also learn
about these exciting
world cuisines

My food & wine
credentials
My books have been critically acclaimed by major magazines and newspapers. Click the button below to read a sampling (in Acrobat format).