Italian cuisine - Facts & tidbits - By food author Howard Hillman

Other Italian regions

plus some interesting tidbits

Other regional
Italian regional cuisines

In addition to those on my Top 10 regional cuisines of Italy list, these stand out:

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 (northwest 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.

Some interesting
tidbits about Italian cuisine

Tomato

It is one of the signature cooking ingredients of Italian cuisine (especially in the south). Yet, the tomato 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."