International Cooking: A Culinary Journey, 2E

1
International Cooking A Culinary Journey, 2E

• Chapter 4
• Italy

2
History

• Arabs introduced pastries, ice cream, many
  spices, pasta, rice, raisins, honey, almonds,
  pine nuts, and stuffed vegetables to Sicily
• Etruscans - rye, barley, garlic, onions,
  rosemary, bay leaves, legumes, figs, pomegranate,
  grapes, raised cows, pigs, goats, sheep,
  chickens, ducks, and geese, introduced wine, huge
  banquets, and irrigation

3

• Romans brought foods from Greece and Asia Minor
• Greeks planted olive trees, grapevines, and wheat
  
• pungent, full-flavored sauces from Middle East
• Italians added local cheeses, seafood, olives,
  nuts, assorted pastas, and native fruits and
  vegetables

4
Explorers Returned From the New World with

• corn
• bell peppers
• hot peppers
• tomatoes
• beans

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Topography

• long, narrow boot-shaped peninsula
• most regions contain coasts on edges and
  mountains in the middle
• plentiful seafood near coasts
• meats from herding and hunting in mountains

6
Mountain Ranges

• Alps
• north
• borders France, Switzerland, and Austria
• Apennine Mountains
• north to south through middle of country
• hilly terrain for herding
• fertile valleys for agriculture
• caves for aging cheese

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Cooking Methods
Use All Cooking Methods

• sautéing and deep-frying
• braising
• roasting
• grilling or spit roasting
• boiling

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Regions

• Depending on the source, Italy is divided into 14
  to 20 regions
• Broad generalizations between north and south

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North

• more affluent, industrial
• use butter
• lots of vegetables
• creamy sauces
• red meats

• fresh pastas
• rice
• polenta
• black pepper
• cook with wine

10
South

• garden spices
• red sauces
• highly seasoned foods
• tomatoes in many dishes
• hot peppers

• poorer, hotter, more sparsely populated
• use olive oil
• dried pastas
• pizza
• white meats

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Cuisine

• Many think the excellence of Italian cooking is
  their simple combination of high quality, fresh
  ingredients.

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Veal Dishes

• ossobuco -braised veal shanks
• saltimbocca - veal with a slice of proscuitto
  braised in white wine
• veal piccata - veal in a lemon and white wine
  sauce
• veal marsala - veal in a sherry sauce

13
PIZZA

• Originated in Naples
• Served as snack or meal
• Many types of pizza
• Margheritabasil, tomato, and mozzarella
• Neapolitantomatoes, mozzarella, anchovies,
  oregano, and oil
• Capricciosamozzarella,tomato, mushrooms,
  artichokes, olives, and sometimes cooked ham
  and/or anchovies
• Quattro formaggitomatoes and four cheeses

14

• Italians cook vegetables, pasta, and rice al
  dente. This means they are done yet still a bit
  crunchy - never overcooked and mushy.

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Over 450 Cheeses Produced in Italy

• different cheeses from various regions
• important part of each regions cuisine
• grated cheese often used for flavoring