When sick, Italians choose to eat “in bianco,” or bland food. For Alessandra Cri, pastina was something her grandparents made when she was sick. This miniature pasta takes form in various small shapes and is prepared by cooking the noodles in a pot of clear broth.
Italians eat pizza with a fork and knife. Pizza is to be enjoyed straight from the oven and piping hot. Waiting for your dinner to cool down is just not an option – protocol says it should be enjoyed straight away. Therefore, if you grab a hot slice you're begging for a burn.
Eating in Italy is one of the great joys of visiting the country. As one of the world's most beloved cuisines, the secret of Italian food lies in its local, and, most importantly, seasonal ingredients. Eating seasonally in Italy means you're eating fresh ingredients at the height of their flavor.
Pasta Fredda, which translates to "cold pasta," is Italy's version of pasta salad. While it can be eaten at home, it's most traditional for these pasta salads to be brought along to picnics and beach lunches for an al fresco meal.
When it's so hot you no longer know what to cook or eat, pasta fredda is always a good idea. Pasta salad, or “cold pasta”, is a typical Italian summer dish, consisting of pasta mixed with a number of ingredients and seasoned in different ways. For pasta fredda, short pasta shapes are preferred.
Why do Italians eat so late? The simple answer is that it is consistent with the traditional culture of avoiding the heat of the day. Also, since the workday is divided in half by a long pausa, people don't finish work until around 7:30 or 8:00.
Every region (or even every town!) has its own customs, but if there's one tradition that everyone in Italy can agree on, it's not eating meat on Christmas Eve. December 24 is the time for fish or cheese dishes to shine.
Italians have very clear in mind that there are three main meals throughout the day.
Italy is one of the great sandwich nations of the world. A leader in cured meats, salami, and cheeses, the country is a hotbed of sandwich innovation, yet it is the classic panini that remains the most essential.
Don't request a slice of pizza. In Italy, unless sold on the street or “al taglio” (sold in rectangular or square slices by weight), it's always round and served on a plate. 2. You cut the pizza yourself and then eat it with a knife and fork, the most common way, or fold each slice and eat it with your hands.
Breakfast in Italy: what to expect
Homemade breakfast in Italy is usually a straightforward affair. Traditional breakfast drinks in Italian households are coffee, tea and cocoa milk for the kids and the main breakfast foods are bread with butter and jam, biscuits and cereals.
Bread-based medicine is more popular with women (27% mention bread, toast or crackers) than men (just 15%). Fruits and vegetables, while certainly being high in vitamins and minerals, are less popular than comfort foods and carbs. Just 4% of Britons would opt for fruit and veg if they're feeling unwell.
That is why you will find Italians drinking mulled wine, or Vin Brule, when trying to decongest and push through a cold.
VIN BRULÈ
Vin Brulè is Italy's version of mulled wine. Made by infusing a fruity red wine with spices like anise, cloves, and cinnamon and citrus zest, Vin Brulè is often served at Christmas markets in November and December – although we think it's great all winter long!
2. Fish and cheese shouldn't be served together. The majority of Italians swear that cheese shouldn't touch a fish or seafood dish. Sprinkling Parmesan cheese atop, for example, spaghetti with clams or roasted bass, is discouraged.
The Typical Italian Dinner
Italian dinner or la cena, usually from 8:00 to 10:00pm, is another time that Italians enjoy sitting down together and socializing. Dinner can be much later than 10:00pm, especially if eating out or dining at a friend's house.
Much of this has to do with the fact that many Italian-Americans come from the provinces of Salerno, also known as the Cilento. There, Sunday dinner means hand-made fusilli, tomato sauce or meat ragù, and large gatherings of families.
Italians have a thing about drinking cappuccino after noon. It's just not done (some say it's because the milk and foam makes it a replacement for a meal, and all that dairy upsets the digestion). And you'll never see an Italian ordering a cappuccino after dinner.
11:00pm – Midnight.
As in most places, breakfast can be most any time in the morning. Restaurants will usually serve between 7-11am. Italians will usually get cappuccino with a light choice like a croissant or yogurt. Fruit is also a popular Italian breakfast food.
No Spoon Twirling
It's customary to set the table with a fork, knife, and spoon, and you can use your spoon to add sauce and cheese, and then to mix the pasta. However, pasta is meant to be eaten with your fork alone – no spoons to assist.
Yes, you do also have to pay for bread. This is the “pane e coperto” charge — more on what that is in a moment. Yes, you do have to pay for that antipasto or foccacia, even if the waiter offered it rather than you ordering it outright. And yes, you have to pay for that digestivo of limoncello or amaro or grappa.
The reason why you should not break pasta is that it's supposed to wrap around your fork. That's how long pasta is supposed to be eaten. You rotate your fork, and it should be long enough to both stick to itself and get entangled in a way that it doesn't slip off or lets sauce drip from it.