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Italian Food Products
Italy produces many food products. Olive oil Italy is the second largest producer in Europe and in the world of olive oil production with a national average of more than 464,000 tons, of which two thirds extra virgin and less than 41 PDO and PGI recognized by the EU. In Italy, the olive tree is spread over approximately one million hectares in the primary culture and on a surface slightly less cultured, subsidiary with crops or with other tree species (vines, citrus, almond, etc.) . Regarding the altitude areas, the olive has spread to 2% in the mountains, 53% hills and 44% plains. To the characteristics of the plant, which requires a mild climate, the cultivation of olive trees in Italy is widespread in the central regions (19%) and South ( 77.9%), while in the north the production is more limited ( 2%), but increasing, particularly focusing in some areas more temperate microclimate, such as Liguria and the hills around Lake Garda. The plants are producing about 170 million fa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pizza Marinara (Napoli)
Pizza marinara, also known as pizza alla marinara, is a style of pizza in Neapolitan cuisine seasoned with only tomato sauce, extra virgin olive oil, oregano and garlic. It is supposedly the oldest tomato-topped pizza. History It has been claimed the pizza marinara was introduced around the year 1735 (in 1734 according to European Commission regulation 97/2010), and was prepared using olive oil, cherry tomatoes, basil, oregano, and garlic at that time, and that historically it was known to be ordered commonly by poor sailors, and made on their ships due to it being made from easily preservable ingredients. The historical account of the pizza marinara's creation and its association with sailors rests predominantly on oral and traditional retellings rather than documented, empirical evidence. Francesco de Bourcard, writing in his 1866 book ''Usi e costumi di Napoli'' (Customs and Traditions of Naples), Vol. II (page 124), seemed to know the recipe with a different name, and to co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grana Padano
Grana Padano is a cheese originating in the Po river Valley in northern Italy that is similar to Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. There are less strict regulations governing its production compared to Parmigiano Reggiano. This hard, crumbly- textured cheese is made with unpasteurized cows' milk that is semi- skimmed through a natural creaming process. To preserve the authenticity of the manufacturing processes and raw materials used to make this cheese, Grana Padano is registered as Geographical Indication in Italy since 1954 and as a European Union ''protected designation of origin'' (PDO) since 1996, and is protected in several other countries based on the Lisbon Agreement and bilateral agreements. Origin of the name The name comes from the Italian word '' grana'', a reference to the characteristically grainy texture, and the demonym ''padano'', meaning "from Val Padana" (the Po valley). History Grana Padano was developed by monks of Chiaravalle Abbey in the 12th century. It can l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pancetta
Pancetta () is a salt-cured pork belly meat product in a category known as salume. In Italy, it is often used to add depth to soups and pastas. (in Italian). Uses For cooking, it is often cut into cubes (''cubetti di pancetta''). In Italy, pancetta is commonly served as a sliced meat, sliced thin and eaten raw. It can also be used in carbonara pasta (although guanciale is generally regarded as more traditional). republication of ''La Buona Vera Cucina Italiana'', 1966. Types The two basic types of pancetta are the ''arrotolata'' (rolled) and ''stesa'' (flat). The ''arrotolata'', salted, is mainly cut in thin slices and eaten raw as part of antipasti or simply as a component of a sandwich; the ''stesa'' is often used chopped as an ingredient in many recipes, or cut in thick strips, that are usually eaten grilled. There is also a version of ''arrotolata'', to which capicola is added in the center of the roll (''pancetta coppata''). The rolled type is typical of northern Ital ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Guanciale
Guanciale () is an Italian cured meat product prepared from pork jowl or cheeks. Its name is derived from ''guancia'', the Italian word for 'cheek'. Production Pork cheek is rubbed with salt and spices (typically ground black or red pepper, thyme or fennel, and sometimes garlic) and cured for three weeks or until it loses approximately 30% of its original weight. Its flavour is stronger than other pork products, such as pancetta, and its texture is more delicate. Upon cooking, the fat typically melts away. In cuisine Guanciale may be cut and eaten directly in small portions, but is often used as an ingredient in pasta dishes such as ''spaghetti alla carbonara'' and sauces like '' sugo all'amatriciana''. republication of ''La Buona Vera Cucina Italiana'', 1966. It is a specialty of central Italy, particularly Umbria and Lazio. Pancetta Pancetta () is a salt-cured pork belly meat product in a category known as salume. In Italy, it is often used to add depth to soups an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cotechino
The ''cotechino'' (, ) is an Italian large pork sausage requiring slow cooking; usually it is simmered at low heat for several hours. Its name comes from ''cotica'' (rind), but it may take different names depending on its various locations of production. According to tradition, it is served with lentils on New Year's Eve, because lentils—due to their shape—are 'credited' with bringing money in the coming year. It is prepared by filling the natural casing with rind, pork meat (usually of secondary preference), and fat mixed with salt and spices; in industrial production, nitrites and nitrates are added as preservatives. Some similar sausages exist in the Italian cooking tradition, for example musetto and zampone which are made with different meat and parts of the pig, musetto being made with meat taken from the pig's muzzle and zampone being held together by the pig's rear leg skin. Varieties of cotechino The ''cotechino Modena'' has PGI status, meaning its recipe and prod ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Capocollo
Capocollo () or coppa () is a traditional Italian and Corsican pork cold cut ('' salume'') made from the dry-cured muscle running from the neck to the fourth or fifth rib of the pork shoulder or neck. It is a whole-muscle salume, dry cured, and typically sliced very thin. It is similar to the more widely known cured ham or prosciutto, because they are both pork-derived cold cuts used in similar dishes. It is not brined as ham typically is. Terminology This cut is typically called ''capocollo'' or ''coppa'' in much of Italy. This name is a compound of the words ''capo'' ("head") and ''collo'' ("neck"). Regional terms include ''capicollo'' (Campania and Calabria) and ''capicollu'' (Corsica). Outside of Italy, terms include ''bondiola'' or ''bondiola curada'' in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, and capicola or capicolla in North America. The pronunciation "gabagool" has been used by Italian Americans in the New York City area and elsewhere in the Northeast, based on the pronunc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mortadella
Mortadella () is a large Italian cuisine, Italian sausage or luncheon meat (''salumi, salume'' ) made of finely hashed or ground heat-cured pork, which incorporates at least 15% small cubes of pork fat (principally the hard fat from the neck of the pig). It is traditionally flavoured with black pepper grains, but modern versions can also contain pistachios or, more rarely, myrtle (common), myrtle berries. The best-known version of mortadella is Mortadella Bologna Geographical indications and traditional specialities in the European Union, PGI, but other varieties are found across Italy, including some made of other meats. Etymology The origin of the name is debated. One theory derives the name from the Latin word (Mortar and pestle, mortar), traditionally used to pound the meat to produce the sausage. This theory, proposed by Giancarlo Susini, professor of ancient history in the University of Bologna, relies on two funerary steles kept in the Museo Civico Archeologico di Bol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stracchino
Stracchino (), also known as ''crescenza'' (), is a type of Italian cow's-milk cheese, typical of Lombardy, Piedmont, Veneto, and Liguria. It is eaten very young, has no rind and a very soft, creamy texture and normally a mild and delicate flavour. It is normally square in shape. The name of the cheese derives from the Lombard adjective ''strach'', meaning "tired". It is said that milk produced by tired cows coming down from the alpine pastures in the autumn is richer in fats and more acidic. These qualities were discovered, according to legend, in the milk of cows who were moved seasonally, up and down the Alps, to different pastures. The milk of such cows gives the cheese its characteristic flavours. Stracchino is usually eaten on its own but also as a filling for some kinds of bread: in Recco, on the Ligurian riviera east of Genoa, ''focaccia col formaggio'' ("cheese focaccia") or ''focaccia di Recco'' is typically filled with crescenza, while in Romagna and in parts of some ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scamorza
Scamorza () is a Southern Italian cow's milk cheese. It can also be made from other milks, but that is less common. It is a stretched-curd cheese, in which the fresh curd matures in its own whey for several hours to allow acidity to develop through the conversion of lactose to lactic acid. Artisanal cheese makers generally form the cheese into a round shape, and then tie a string around the mass one third of the distance from the top, and hang it to dry. The resulting shape is pear-like. This is sometimes referred to as "strangling" the cheese. The cheese is usually white unless smoked. When smoked, the color is almond with a lighter interior. Scamorza can be substituted for mozzarella in most dishes, but the resulting taste will be much stronger and more dominant. It is reputed to melt better in baking. Using the smoked variety () adds a prominent background flavor in replacement of mozzarella. Etymology The term may come from the Italian phrases or , both meaning "severed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mozzarella
Mozzarella (, ; nap, muzzarella ) is a southern Italian cheese traditionally made from Italian buffalo's milk by the pasta filata method. Fresh mozzarella is generally white but when seasoned it turns to a light yellow depending on the animal's diet. Due to its high moisture content, it is traditionally served the day after it is made but can be kept in brine for up to a week or longer when sold in vacuum-sealed packages. Low-moisture mozzarella can be kept refrigerated for up to a month, though some shredded low-moisture mozzarella is sold with a shelf life of up to six months. Mozzarella is used for most types of pizza and several pasta dishes or served with sliced tomatoes and basil in Caprese salad. Etymology ''Mozzarella'', derived from the Southern Italian dialects spoken in Apulia, Calabria, Campania, Abruzzo, Molise, Basilicata, Lazio, and Marche, is the diminutive form of ("cut"), or ("to cut off") derived from the method of working. The term is first ment ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Caciocavallo
Caciocavallo is a type of stretched-curd cheese made out of sheep's or cow's milk. It is produced throughout Southern Italy, particularly in the Apennine Mountains and in the Gargano peninsula. Shaped like a teardrop, it is similar in taste to the aged Southern Italian Provolone cheese, with a hard edible rind. Etymology The Italian name of the cheese ''caciocavallo'' literally means "horse cheese" and it is generally thought that the name derives from the fact that two cheese forms are always bound together with rope and then left to mature by placing them 'a cavallo', i.e. straddling, upon a horizontal stick or branch. History Apparently caciocavallo was mentioned the first time around 500 BC by Hippocrates, emphasising the "Greeks' cleverness in making cheese". Columella in his classic treatise on agriculture, ''De re rustica'' (35–45 CE), described precisely the methods used in its preparation, making it one of the oldest known cheeses in the world. Types of cheese with n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pecorino D'Abruzzo
Pecorino cheeses are Types of cheese#Semi-hard or hard cheese, hard Italian cuisine, Italian cheeses made from Sheep milk, sheep's milk. The name "" derives from ''pecora'' which means sheep in Italian language, Italian. Overview Of the six main varieties of pecorino, all of which have Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status under European Union law, pecorino romano is probably the best known outside Italy, especially in the United States, which has been an important export market for the cheese since the 19th century. Most pecorino is produced on the island of Sardinia, though its production is also allowed in Lazio and in the Tuscany, Tuscan provinces of Grosseto and Siena. Ancient Roman authors wrote about this cheese and its production technique. The other five mature PDO cheeses are the pecorino sardo from Sardinia (''casu berbeghinu'' in Sardinian language); pecorino toscano, whose production was already attested by Pliny the Elder in his ''Natural History (Pliny), Na ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
