Bread you don't normally buy sliced in Italy. You keep it in a paper bag, in a cloth bag or a wooden box. That way you can keep it for a long time and it will – normally – not go mouldy. You cut some bread for dinner and if you have leftover bread that is getting too dry to eat, make one Panzanella from.
Italians don't slather their bread with butter, nor dip it in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. They enjoy it with a light drizzle of olive oil or plain. Resist the urge to dip or ask for butter.
One, it's a sign of hospitality. When you welcome people into your home or establishment to “break bread,” you're showing them that they're welcome. Two, there's a historical precedent.
It's an Italian food rule that you don't dip bread in olive oil (swirl of balsamic vinegar optional). If you ever go to Italy, you'll notice they don't put olive oil at the table when they serve you bread, typically before the appetizer comes out but also sometimes with your main meal.
The most straightforward of these is that salt was heavily taxed, making it too costly for most of the population. So, they simply started making their bread without it. One of the popular stories ties pane toscano (Tuscan bread) to a long-standing feud between the city-states of Florence and Pisa.
Bread is meant to be eaten with food, but NOT with pasta. Pasta is a starch, so do not eat bread (a starch) with pasta(another starch.) Only eat your bread with either your non-pasta first course (soup or antipasto), your main course (meat) or your side dish (vegetable).
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.
Bread taken from a table is usually thrown away, since at the end of the night restaurants usually have more unused bread leftover than they can turn into croutons or breadcrumbs.
Bread service is often delivered at the beginning of a meal. In many cases, the bread is the first experience customers have. Bread will set the tone, and the flavor, for things to come. It can be a restaurant's only chance at a first impression.
11:00pm – Midnight.
Yes, very rude in Italy to leave a food on the plate. When you serve the food for yourself, mak sure to put little before then when still desire to eat more, then can serve for second serving. It is called maleducato, which means ill-mannered in English.
If you don't eat bread you can try to avoid the charge, but it may be awkward as bread is an essential part of Italian meals. Refusing the charge might be seen as impolite when it comes to Italian manners.
Bread is Consumed With Your Meal
Few Italians eat bread before a meal. We all love bread yet it is meant to be enjoyed with the actual meal itself, not in advance of the main dish. Many Italians will intentionally save their bread to clean up leftover sauces that remain on the plate.
The crumbled mixture you get after grinding toasted or leftover bread is known as bread crumbs.
Once bread is removed from the oven, set it on a rack to make sure air can circulate and to prevent the crust from becoming soggy. It's important to allow bread to cool all the way, or until it's just barely warm, to complete the cooking process before cutting. Rolls will take only about 20 minutes to cool.
These aren't personal quirks but instead Italianish table mannerisms: To mask the taste of bad wine, meals often began with a bit of crisped bread dropped into the cup, hence the term “to toast.”
First off, tipping in Italy is neither mandatory nor expected, but if you do decide to do so, the gesture is a very clear indicator that you appreciated the service provided.
Make a hand gesture similar to signing. The waiter won't even come to you and he will immediately understand you are asking for the bill. This custom originates from the act of signing cheques. Alternatively, simply signal the waiter/waitress with your hand and ask “Il conto per favore”.
Pasta, risotto, soup, polenta, and casserole—the “pastabilities” are endless when choosing what primo piatto you want to indulge in. By the time primi rolls around, you're absolutely famished. As you can tell, this course is definitely heavier than the first two but will be a little lighter than the Secondi Piatti.
Since Italians have about six hours between lunch and dinner, they usually grab something in between: These snacks are called merende and are basically morning or afternoon pick-me ups that can be sweet (like fruit or biscotti, a hard cookie) or savory (like crackers or a slice of pizza al taglio).