Number one on our list of the best traditional foods in Italy has to be pizza. Everyone knows what pizza is, it needs no introduction, but what you probably know as pizza isn't quite the same as in Italy.
Italian pasta typically has strict government quality standards and control around it, and is made with 100% durum wheat, called semolina flour, or semola di grano duro in Italian. This means that not only is the pasta higher in protein, but more importantly it stands up to the rigours of cooking well.
The staples in Mediterranean cuisine, such as fresh fish, olive oil, and salads are perfect for a heart-healthy diet. Many Italian ingredients, like spinach and onions, are also rich in Vitamin A, selenium, beta-carotene, lycopene, and unsaturated fats.
Best: Spaghetti Marinara
If you're craving pasta, this is a pretty healthy choice. Start with whole wheat spaghetti, and add a touch of olive oil to the marinara sauce. It's OK because it helps your body absorb an important tomato nutrient (lycopene) that protects your cells.
The Italian diet also includes plenty of vegetables, including greens like arugula, kale and spinach. Typical meals consist of small portions with a variety of items. For example, an Italian might have pasta with tomato sauce and a side salad for lunch.
A typical Italian diet consists of three meals in a day. The most common foods in the Italian diet include pasta, cheese, vegetables, olive oil, meats, and wine. Italians give a lot of importance to fresh ingredients. They use seasonal ingredients to prepare meals.
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.
Unquestionably, pizza is one of the most famous Italian foods ever. In fact, pizza is the most famous Italian dish. This traditional Italian food is made of flattened round dough topped with cheese, and tomatoes, and additionally garnished with basil, olives, and oregano.
The national food of Italy is a pasta dish that is called Ragu alla Bolognese, which is a Bolognese sauce of meat and tomatoes with tagliatelle pasta. The dish is also sometimes just called Bolognese, because the sauce has become so popular that it is often identified as the meal itself.
Ask anyone to name their favourite dishes and you can guarantee things like pizza, pasta and gelato soon come tripping off the tongue. And while these iconic dishes are loved around the globe for very good reason, Italy boasts plenty more crowd-pleasers.
When it comes to health, you can choose either, but the type of pizza or pasta you compare will determine which is healthier. A tomato-based pasta is preferable to pizza or cream-based pasta. Thin crust, veggie-loaded pizzas contain less flour and more vegetables, making them an excellent choice.
According to Eva, the answer is that they use a different type of flour – Italian bread and pasta are made of durum wheat flour which doesn't spike your blood sugar levels as much and therefore it doesn't significantly contribute to weight gain as much as regular refined white flour would, for example.
Plain pasta with marinara sauce is a good option when dining at an Italian restaurant, suggests Kris-Etherton. Also look for grilled chicken, fish, or roasted vegetable dishes, she adds. Dishes with beans and legumes are high in fiber and can help lower cholesterol, Collingwood says.
The main differences between refined (white) pasta and white rice are in the amount of calories, fiber, and protein in each. Pasta contains more calories, more fiber, and more protein than rice. However, many healthier varieties of pasta and rice are available that are more nutritious than their refined counterparts.
For lower calorie and carbohydrate content, rice comes out top. But if protein and fibre is your aim, pasta wins over rice. That said, both can play a part in a healthy diet - and as the nutritional differences are quite small, it often comes down to which you would prefer.
Foreign visitors are often struck by Italians' regimented eating schedules. We're no panino-on-the-go people, unless we're on a diet or catching a plane. We like to sit down at the table and enjoy three meals a day with at least two courses, even during the working week.
Italy is known for it's very late meals - lunch is about 1.30pm (earliest!) and dinner depends on the season - it can be as late at 11pm! One of the reasons for such late dinners, is so that the members of the family can wait for each other to come back from work and sit down at the table all together.
Ideally, lunch includes courses; a primo piattoor first course, like pasta, gnocchi, or rice, a protein, and vegetables. Normally, lunch is Italian's biggest and most sustaining meal of the day.
Light on Processed Food, Heavy on Nutritional Food Labeling
"When you go into an Italian supermarket, you do not find junk food," O'Leary explains. "They have a couple of brands of chips, and everything else is food you need to cook."