Italian cuisine - by food author Howard Hillman

Italian cuisine

An insightful guide
to Italian cuisine
for diners & 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.

Overall insights on
the foods of Italy

Tomato

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

Olive oil

Although it is the principal cooking oil in the south, butter is preferred in most of the north.

Pasta

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

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

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

Realistically, there is
no "Italian cuisine"

Italy has 20 distinct 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.

Click an Italian region to
learn about its cuisine
and famous dishes

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.

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).