There
are some differences to the layout of an Italian home cooked meal versus other
cuisines that you'll want to be aware of.
First off, real Italian food is not meant just to bring sustenance; it
exists to bring family and friends together.
An Italian meal is at least three to four courses and is not something
to be rushed through. Meals in general
are longer in Italy because of the cultural view that meal times are not just
about feeding the body, but about feeding the soul.
One
of the most surprising things to foreigners about an Italian meal is the first
course it typically the most filling. There
is an antipasti or appetizer course, but there is no salad or soup to ease your
way into the meal. Right from the
antipasti diners delve into the primo or "first course". This is the course that will look most
familiar to foreigners because it is where that delicious pasta that Italian
food is famous for is served. This primo
course is where most people's knowledge of Italian food ends. Few people realize that there is much more to
Italian food than just this primo pasta.
The
next part of the meal is the secondo or "second course". Here is the main dish. Yes, that's right, the pasta that was just
served in the primo, while filling, is not the main dish. The second course is where you'll find the
meat of the meal. In the North there
will most likely be veal, pork, or chicken.
In the South and coastal regions you're more likely to find freshly
caught fish. With this course will come
a contorno or "side dish". This
is where you'll get a chance to get your daily vegetables in. Traditionally this will come in the form of a
fresh salad.
To
end the meal diners get not one, but two desserts. The first is a cheese and fruit course that
will help prepare you for the dolce or main dessert. The dolce will be the rich dessert of the
evening, such as cake. Of course, the
meal will end with coffee or espresso, a classical capstone to the array of
Italian food that has been served. However,
there is one last course to come that foreigners may not be so familiar with. The last course is actually the digestive
course and consists of liquors and is often referred to as the "coffee
killer".
After having an authentic dining experience as the one
outlined above, foreigners will leave Italy with a much better grasp on what
Italian food is. There is more to this
fine cuisine than pasta and pizzas. In
fact, by the time the "coffee killer" comes around the primo pasta
course is starting to fade in memory, buried by the exciting meat dishes, fresh
vegetables, fruits, cheeses, and coffees that have made Italian food one of the
most sought after cuisines in Europe.
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