Pizza Mania from Italy

Restaurants cook pizza in wood-burning ovens at awfully tall temperature for about 10 minutes. In fact pizza must stay in the stove for the shortest possible time, to inhibit it beginning drying out too much. The smoke of wood too gives pizza a distinctive flavor. It is impossible to imitate perfectly the same conditions at home, but by my step-by-step recipe you will be intelligent to make an first-rate pizza at home.

Pizza, the way we appreciate it today, is a derivation beginning focaccia, utterly bread to facilitate has been organized given that ancient times in different forms and garnished together with herbs, olives, fat, raisin, honey, and nuts. In fact, the statement pizza in Italian identifies any type of flat bread or pie-fried or baked.

Though you'd become aware of numerous types of pitas or pizzas close to the Mediterranean, it is in Naples with the intention of pizza in the materialize we get it now first emerged, subsequently the tomato appeared on the put on the back burner in the 1700s. Naples has scores of account of pizza as about the day 1000; the first mentions telephone call these unequivocally breads laganae, and in a while they are referred to as picea. In individuals times, pizzas were dressed among garlic and sea green oil, or cheese and anchovies, or insignificant local fish. They were baked on the open give somebody the pink slip and every so often were closed in two, as a book, to mode a calzone.

In Naples is and where the first pizzerias opened up, with brick wood-burning oven, sheltered with lava sand from the mount Vesuvius. The chefs of persons times unnoticed pizza because was considered a deprived people's food, but the new number sequence including the tomato, as it entered the kitchen around the 1770s, essential be inflicted with raised particular curiosity, flush in the splendid palace.

Ferdinand I Bourbon, queen of Naples, loved the effortless cooking of the individuals and went to nibble the pizzas through in the store of Antonio Testa. He liked it so a great deal that he sought pizza to be integrated in the menu at the court. He disastrous after the opposition of his wife, emperor Maria Carolina. His son Ferdinand II additionally liked all breed of popular provisions and he loved pizza to the face with the aim of he hired Domenico Testa, son of the now celebrated Antonio, to erect a pizza range in the majestic palace of Capodimonte.

Pizza became very popular, earning its cause to be in in Neapolitan folklore. unpretentious and economical, it curved hooked on the food for all people, similar sold on the streets, as exposed in various illustrations of the time.

A eminent episode extended the popularity of pizza away from the limits of the municipality of Naples. It was 1889, and Margherita, king of Italy, was visiting the city. She was told just about pizza and wanted to test it. A celebrated cook by the VIP of Don Raffaele, helped by his wife Donna Rosa, was invited to bake pizza at the splendid palace.

They prepared three pizzas, typical of to time: one with cheese and basil; one with garlic, oil, and tomato; and one in the company of mozzarella, basil, and tomato. The queen, impressed by the colors of the end pizza, which resembled the state flag, in to one. Since then this pizza is proven as Pizza Margherita, and Don Raffaele is approved along with its invention, unvarying if we know with the intention of it before now existed for a long time.

At the beginning of the most recent century, with Italian immigrants, the originator pizzerias appeared besides in the United States, where pizza has become a crowd phenomenon. Yet, steady at the moment the superlative pizza is set up in Naples, where it is rigorously ready as well as bewilder mozzarella. Exclusive pizzas are well thought-out persons obtained by moderate variations of the simplest and the largest part popular: Pizza Napoletana along with tomato, garlic, oil, and oregano, Pizza Margherita, Pizza Marinara by tomato, anchovies, capers, and olives, and Pizza Four Seasons, divided in four quadrants, each dressed in a dissimilar way. Pizza in the company of hot salami, the American pepperoni pizza, is in its place found in the Calabria borough south of Naples, wherever this variety of hot sausage is produced.

Italy’s coffee culture

The coffee culture in Italy is as authentic as the country’s heritage, its people and cuisine. The very famous and known worldwide is espresso, an Italian style coffee (caffè), its no different in preparation from other coffee and neither the coffee beans differ from other used in any other variety or used in any other style of coffee.

The difference is that beans used in preparing espresso are generally roasted a little longer time or dark, they are also blend coffee beans from varied origins or regions. This blend and the duration of roasting varies as per different regions in Italy, the espresso is roasted medium to medium dark in the north, whereas in south this gets moving darker, Brazilian coffees are one such variety which is quite prominent through all of Italy.

Espresso is blamed to have higher caffeine content that the coffee but the truth is its opposite. The longer the period of the roasting of the beans the more caffeine gets extracted and thus giving espresso roast beans less caffeine content.

Coffee made at home:-

Domestic espresso makers are available which are simple to use. La Napoletana is a four part stove-top unit with grounds placed inside a filter loosely, the kettle portion is filled with water and once boiling, the unit is inverted to drip through the grounds.

The Moka per il caffè is a three part stove-top unit that is placed on the stove-top with loosely packed grounds in a strainer, the water rises from steam pressure, and is forced through the grounds into the top portion. It is unlike a percolator in that the brewed coffee is not re-circulated.

Caffè macchiato is a topped with a bit of steamed milk or foam.

Ristretto is made with less water, and is stronger; cappuccino is mixed or topped with steamed, mostly frothy, milk. It is generally considered a morning beverage;

Caffelatte is generally equal parts espresso and steamed milk, similar to café au lait, and is typically served in a large cup. Latte macchiato (spotted milk) is a glass of warm milk with a bit of coffee

Note: - Demitasse is usually used for serving purpose in small quantity.

WINE CULTURE IN ITALIANO

Italy, a country which is known as the home of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world. Italian wine is wine produced in Italy. Wine was produced in the country by Etruscans and Greek settlers long before the Romans started developing their own vineyards in the second century BC. Roman were prolific and well-organized in the skill of grape-growing and wine making, they not only pioneered large-scale production but also the storage techniques like barrel-making and bottling. Italy remains one of the world's foremost producers, responsible for approximately one-fifth of world wine production in 2005.

In Republic of Italy, wine is an exceptionally popular drink, over 1 million vineyards are under cultivation and grapes are grown in almost every part of Italy, at some of the places the vines are trained along low supports whereas in others they climb as slender saplings.

Most of the wine-making in Italy in present times is done in modern wineries. However, the wine made by the villagers for their domestic consumption is still made up with the help of the traditional method as they still tread the grapes with their bare feet, until the juice is squeezed out. As per their belief this ancient method still makes the best wine.


System for appellation in Italy


The classification system in Italy is modern which reflects present realities. It has four classes of wine, with two falling under the EU category Quality Wine Produced in a Specific Region (QWPSR) and two falling under the category of 'table wine'.

Vino da Tavola (VDT) - Denotes wine from Italy.

NOTE: this is not always synonymous with other countries' legal definitions of 'table wine'.

The appellation indicates either an inferior quaffing wine, or one that does not follow current wine law.
Some quality wines do carry this appellation.

1)Territorial characteristics

Important wine-relevant geographic characteristics of Italy include:

The extensive latitudinal range of the country permits wine growing from the Alps in the north to almost within sight of Africa in the south;
The fact that Italy is a peninsula with a long shoreline, contributing moderating climate to coastal wine regions
The extensive mountains and foothills providing many altitudes for grape growing and a variety of climate and soil conditions.


2)Wine producing regions of Italy

The twenty wine producing regions of Italy accord with twenty of its political regions. By understanding the differences between each region it becomes clearer to understand the italan wines, their cuisines reflect their indigenous wines, and vice-versa. The 36 DOCG wines are located in 13 different regions but most of them are concentrated in Piedmont and Tuscany. Among these are appellations appreciated and sought by wine lovers around the world: Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello and Chianti Classico. Despite its high quality Amarone is not classified as a DOCG


3)Wine verities in Italy

Italy's Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MIRAF), has documented over 350 grapes and granted them "authorized" status. There are more than 500 other documented varietals in circulation as well. The following is a list of the most common and important of Italy's varietals.


A)Rosso (Red)

Sangiovese, Nebbiolo , Montepulciano, Barbera, Corvina, Nero d'Avola., Dolcetto
Negroamaro, Aglianico, Sagrantino.Malvasia Nera

Other major red varieties are Ciliegolo, Gaglioppo, Lagrein, Lambrusco, Monica, Nerello Mascalese, Pignolo, Primitivo, Refosco, Schiava, Schiopettino, Teroldego, and Uva di Troia.

"International" varietals such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Cabernet Franc are also widely grown.

B)Bianco (White)

Trebbiano., Moscato, Nuragus, Pinot Grigio., Tocai Friulano, MRibolla Gialla., Arneis., Malvasia Bianca , Pigato,Fiano (wine) ,Garganega

Along with hard drinks, you can serve Anjeer Slice as an additional serving.

Italian food fundamentals

Authentic Italian food, as defined, is very general in inspiration and based on fresh ingredients of the pristine quality standards. It can be said that this is food without pretense, even when it gets served in trattorias or restaurants. This cuisine takes you into the kitchens of Italian culture and its regions such as Lombardy, Piedmont and Tuscany to sample pasta, pizza, antipasti and risotto made the authentic way - fish and shellfish redolent from the fresh water, hearty treatments of meat and game and irresistible gelato.

Italian kitchen secrets


Secrets to Euro-Italian Recipes

Desserts & Dough's

If one is has fumbled around through the sites seeking Italian recipes, or asked someone as in how to prepare an Italian dessert, or even bought an Italian cookbook with enough recipes to last you for a lifetime or perhaps more.

But have you ever given a thought silently... as to what are the fundamentals or basic necessities of these recipes?

Have you ever wondered what makes them authentically Italian, what is it that they have in common, or what is the basic guideline or steps you require knowing in order to stay within the original method of the Italian-style of cooking.

Tiramisu cake

Have you ever been confused between Americanized Italian recipes to that of real Italian recipes? Here are some of the basic guidelines and ideas as to what constitutes European - Italian recipes. You may give a thought about Italians as the pastry kings of the world – but the picture is some what different because they are not even big on sugary foods. if one thinks that adding basil to any dish that it suddenly turns Italian, and this is just not so.
There is a selection of ingredients favoured in Italian dessert making:


Spices - The most common spice ingredients found in desserts are; cinnamon, and vanilla.

Liquors –
You will usually find that many call for some kind of liquor or wine such as; rum, Marsala, Maraschino, red or white wines and sometimes Cognac or other liquors. Types such as these are used most often in fruit dessert recipes, sometimes in cookies.
Coupled with apricots you will find; rum - with apples; rum or white wine - and with pears; maraschino.

Marmalades, Raisins & Nuts –
Marmalades are widely used for cookies and "Crostata" pie-sized tarts. And many other desserts Italians make are baked using nuts; pinoli, hazelnuts, almonds or sometimes pistacchi. Raisins are used in cakes, many times coupled with rum.

Cheeses –
Soft mild cheeses are repeatedly used in making cakes and pastries. Mascarpo
ne is one more commonly known, and is used often in the making of "tiramisu" a delicious and typical Italian dessert made with savoiarda cookies soaked in espresso and layered with an egg cream. The well-known ricotta cheese is used in crafting cannoli; the Sicilian tube cookie filled with sweetened ricotta tossed with flakes of chocolate and candied fruit. Certosino is another soft cheese that is used by the Bolognese to make a cake along with; cocoa, cinnamon, pinoli and almonds. This cake is a speciality of Bologna and made during Christmas and New Year's.

If Italians had the world's biggest sweet tooth, they would certainly be adding more sugars to their dessert recipes.

Dough's

The Italians use several different dough bases, this depending on the particular dessert. Here are some examples:

Pasta Frolla: This is used more often to make Crostate or pastries, and gnocchi

Babà Dough: This one takes allot of energy, is fantastic and light, and contains similar ingredients as the others. But the secret to this dough is in uniting the sugar perfectly with the egg, and by adding the flours very quickly thereafter.

Pan di Spagna: Used for layer cakes and in certain puddings

Brioche Dough: This dough is simple to make, but requires care and patience in the rising stage

Savoiarda: This dough is used to make savoiardi cookies (used in making tiramisù)

Sfogiata: This one is the most difficult. You might as well say it's the fundamental dough of the dessert arts. With this dough base they make a dessert called "Millefoglie," which is a light pastry that is covered with traces of pastry cream and dribbled with chocolate.


Don't forget that Italian desserts are accompanied by homemade grappas, lemoncello, sweet dessert wines or delightful liquors. This is always expected and really adds a wonderful accent to the end of a lovely meal.

Pasta Sauces & Preparations

They make as the rules of thumb when it comes to choosing to prepare a basic Italian dish. If you happen to be a wizard in the kitchen and can design something incredible yourself, by all means do so. But we seem to have to apply to some strict rules - on the count that many pasta sauces have been distorted and badly jumbled.

Pasta's Not Topped with Cheese

Believe it or not just because you are eating what is known as "pasta", does not necessarily mean that you may smother it in pecorino or Parmigiano.



Too Much Garlic & Onion: Just how much is too much?

Another intresting fact is that the Italians do not use 4 or more cloves of garlic in their recipes. Most recipes have been tampered with through the years, as to cater to different cultures with different tastes outside of Italy.

Garlic is used in fish & seafood preparations (1-2 cloves).

Recipes which contain mushrooms as an ingredient usually have garlic added to them. Wild game and pasta sauces made with duck, often call for both onion and garlic. Onion is added to pasta Carbonara, and also too many red sauces. Most often onion is used in sauces which also call for celery and carrots...

There are plenty of sauces that do not have neither onion nor garlic - like some crème sauces, lasagne, cannelloni (on occasion they use onion) and pasta's with a base of cheeses and those with butter. There are Bolognese sauces that do not call for garlic.

Garlic with these:

Almost all Seafood's, Mushroom pasta's, some wild game, pesto sauces. In seafood praparations based pasta's white wine is used, and in meat sauces red wine is added.

Onion with these:

Roasted meats like Ragù's, sauces with egg, red sauces. There are a lot of recipes in the Euro-Italian kitchen which add egg to their pasta's.

Here are some examples:

Tagliatelle in Egg Salsa

Boil Tagliatelle pasta al dente, then add it into a pan of melted butter- mix over low heat, and then add a mixture of: 3 eggs, anchovy and diced mozzarella. When the mozzarella begins to melt and the eggs begin to form a cream, add the pasta-mix and quickly serve.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara (Roman)

600g spaghetti, 3 whole eggs, 200g pancetta bacon (diced), 30g butter, 50g grated parmigiano, 1 onion (diced), 1 stalk of parsley, dry white wine (1\2 cup) and black pepper

Brown onion and bacon in butter. When brown add in the white wine and let evaporate slowly.

Beat eggs and add in: parsley, Parmigiano, and pepper. Boil spaghetti al dente. When done mix with egg mixture, mix well and serve.

Pasta Sauces made with Nuts is common in Italian cooking.


Egg Fettuccine with Nuts

700g fettuccine pasta, walnuts or hazelnuts (in big pieces), powdered sugar, cinnamon, dash of bread crumbs

Mix all ingredients together

It seems that a good combination with veal is of sage and garlic. Baby lamb is prepared with rosemary, sage and garlic when grilled. Veal can be prepared with onion or garlic, but the "Agnello" or lamb seems to favor garlic in the Italian recipes- unless being prepared with celery and carrots.

These rules of thumb are for several Italian recipes, and seem to be the ones most followed, but there are of course exceptions.

Vegetables in the Italian Kitchen

Italians were not the ones to invent boiled vegetables tossed in a bowl of butter. They blanched some tough type vegetables for 3-5 minutes then simply added them into the "Italian pan", one that was formally prepared with a garlic clove or two and some olive oil. Many, if not all, vegetables are prepared in this manner by Italians- though not all need to be blanched first. Some vegetables are cooked in oil with salt and pepper and simply sprayed with fresh lemon juice.

The Italians are also great in the flower preparation - they use; zucchini flowers that are not so opened, egg wash, flour and oil. You just have to cut off most of the stems, and the filament, cover in the egg wash and flour and deep fry them. The way they make them in Rome is fantastic! Somehow they mix in mozzarella and anchovy, they are scrumptious.

Italian Menus for Various Ocassions

In Italy meals can usually stretch up to 3-4 courses. Meals are considered as a great opportunity for spending time with family members and friends rather being under immediate sustenance, as such the daily meals can be longer than in other cultures. During holidays, Italians love to throw family feasts which would last for hours.


On daily terms, the Italians like to keep their meal up to 1-2 courses i.e.

1) First course,
2) Second course,
3) Side dish and the Coffee.

Whereas in many homes in Italy the traditional Italian menu is kept for special events (such as weddings). One observed aspect of an Italian meal, is that the first course or “Primo”, is usually the more filling dish consisting either risotto or pasta, both of them are rich in carbohydrates.
In Modern times, Italian cuisine has been expanded and now it also includes single courses (all-in-one courses), which not only provides carbohydrates but also a source of proteins at the same time (e.g. pasta and legumes).

Authentic or traditional menu {for special occassions}


Aperitivo :- Apéritifs are usually enjoyed as appetizers, before a large meal, they include Campari,Canzone and Vermout,Prosecco, Aperol, Spritz h.

Antipasto: - it is taken before meal, they can be any hot or cold appetizers.

Primo :- First course, it usually consists of a hot dish like pasta, risotto, gnocchi, polenta or soup.

Secondo :- Second course, the main dish served in the second course is usually a fish or meat dish..
Traditionally veal, pork, and chicken are the most commonly used meat, at least in the North, though beef has become more popular since World War II and wild game is very popular, particularly in Tuscany. Fish are those which are caught locally.And for drink, you can serve chocolate peanut shake

Contorno: - “Side dish", may consist of a salad or cooked vegetables. A traditional menu features sala along with the main course.

Formaggio e frutta :- "Cheese and fruits", the first dessert. Local Cheeses may also be part of theAntipasto or Contorno as well.

Dolce :- "Dessert", such as cakes and cookies.Chocolate Cupcakes are very easy to make and kids prefer to eat it.

Caffè :- Coffee

Digestivo :- "Digestives", liquors/liqueurs (grappa, amaro, limoncello,sambuca,nocino) sometimes referred to as ammazzacaffè ("coffee killer")

Top 5 restaurants in Italy

1.Osteria del Porcellino - Florence, Italy
This restaurant is famous for the people who are the lover of meat.You will get traditional meat dishes here. This restaurant is pretty reasonable. If you get a chance to go Florence then don't forget to go this restaurant.


2.Alle Testiere - Venice, Italy
Shrimps dishes are very famous here. This restaurant is really brings new meaning to sweet shrimp.Even in its raw forms, it is not fishy in any way but tastes so amazing.You can find this restaurant in uk or in us also.


3.Donna Rosa - Montepertuso, Italy
Here you will get fresh and delicious food, with reasonable prices.It's a beautiful restaurant with a couple of small dining rooms and terrace which are very elegantly decorated.


4.La Penna de Orca - Rome, Italy
Its a very small restaurant with the chef being the owner.Seafood is the speciality of this restaurant and you can get taste souffles and its planty of variety.



5.Fuor d'Acqua - Florence, Italy
This is one of the popular restaurant of Florence. If you love to eat seafood,then don't go anywhere else, this is the best choice.You can leave yourself in their hands to recommend the multiple course dinner.

Italian breads

Italian breads are very famous in all over the world.Italian have plenty of variety in breads.Some of the famous breads of italy are:-

1.Ciabatta:-It is a white bread. Made up of yeast and white flour.This bread is popular across europe and United states. And mostly used for making sandwich.

2.Muffuletta:- It is atype of silican bread. This bread is all use for making sandwich. The bread is large, round in shape,and some what flat.

3.Pane carasau:- It is round thin and crispy.It is made by baked flat bread. This bread is eaten either dry or wet.

4.Grissino:-It is a kind of bread stick. It is long crispy and thin.Salted in taste.

5.Panettone:-This bread is like a bun.Its taste is little bit sweet.People of italy use this bread onm some occassion.

Italian breads

Italian breads are very famous in all over the world.Italian have plenty of variety in breads.Some of the famous breads of italy are:-

1.Ciabatta:-It is a white bread. Made up of yeast and white flour.This bread is popular across europe and United states. And mostly used for making sandwich.

2.Muffuletta:- It is atype of silican bread. This bread is all use for making sandwich. The bread is large, round in shape,and some what flat.

3.Pane carasau:- It is round thin and crispy.It is made by baked flat bread. This bread is eaten either dry or wet.

4.Grissino:-It is a kind of bread stick. It is long crispy and thin.Salted in taste.

5.Panettone:-This bread is like a bun.Its taste is little bit sweet.People of italy use this bread onm some occassion.

Famous Italian Beverages

Italian beverages contain both hard as well as soft drinks. Italian beverages offer plenty of variety of things for you. Non-alcoholic beverages are also available.
Some famous Italian beverages are:-


Cappuccino:-
It is a hot drink .preferable drink after meal.Its a rich chocolate coffee.


Root Beer:-
It is very popular Italian beverage.Those who like to drink ,Root beer is the good choice for them.Not only in Italy ,it is also famous in other part of the world.


Chinotto:-
Its a non alcoholic drink.It is a fruit juice.Citric in taste.Its colour is same like Coco-Cola.It is not sweet,little bit bitter in taste.


Espresso:-
It is a term which is used for brewing.Italy is famous for its coffee. After all the meals they would like to have coffee.Espresso is a kind of coffee which is brewing with the help of machine.


Ammazzacaffe:-
You may have this drink after a meal.Through this you can settle down your food.You have variety of annazzacaffe like Bitters, Grappa, Sambuca, Mirto, and
Limoncello.


Lemon soda:-
As name indicates ,this drink is made up of lemon pulp.You can have it after your meal as it is good for digestion.