Today we’re going to be talking about Italy – what we can learn from the Italians about food and dining.
I’ve been doing quite a few “what we can learn froms” recently, and the reason for that is that I’m also currently working on my book – the Family Food for Moms Inspiration for Food and Dining – all about what we can learn from all these amazing cultures and people, and then how to practically apply those principles.
I think it’s so valuable to be inspired by what others have done, and to see the ways that people do things is really helpful and really insightful, and really helps us to figure out the way we want to do things in our families.
I’ve always been so inspired by the French style of eating and cooking, and we’ve tried to incorporate aspects of that into our family meals, for example, breaking up the meal into separate courses so that we can eat slowly, and enjoy each course with some good conversation, and not just have one quick thing and then we all jump up. It really helps us to have some good, special time together at the table when we break things up into courses, and it’s more fun and interesting. Then you don’t have to have such a huge main course, because you’ve got a little starter or appetizer which is vegetables, you’ve got a cheese course which really fills you up and helps with digestion, and it makes it simpler, and it makes it more food.
So, let’s talk about Italy and Italians. I’m sure we all love pizza and pasta. There’s a lot we can learn from the Italians when it comes to their approach to eating. There’s simplicity, quality, and tradition.
Quality ingredients are so important to Italians. They won’t just eat any pasta; they’ll carefully select the pasta that’s been prepared, and dried for a few days, instead of just a few hours. It’ll be whiter in color. It’ll be just better quality pasta. and it’ll taste good. They won’t just take any cheese. They’ll use the best quality Parmigiano Reggiano, or something else that really complements the pasta. They use quality ingredients.
They’ll use what’s available; what’s seasonal, perhaps from the markets. They’ll use ripe tomatoes, basil leaves right from the plant, and then a very good quality olive oil, and then that’s enough to make a lovely dish: pasta, olive oil, tomatoes, and basil, maybe with a bit of garlic. It’s so delicious and so simple.
My second point is that for the Italians, simplicity is key. Italian cuisine is all about letting the ingredients shine. They have these really good quality ingredients, not too many of them, and then it makes a wonderful dish, but it’s so simple. For instance, maybe they’ll have a bowl of pasta with olive oil, garlic, and parmesan on the top. Each element is carefully chosen, and it complements the other things.
A lot of Italian dishes come from centuries old traditions, grandmothers passing it down to daughters, sons, and grandchildren. There’s a very significant cultural heritage behind their food, and then it’s passed down through the generations. Often they have a story behind a dish, and ways to preserve food, and they place great importance on the food. Family and community meals are social events shared with family or friends, just like in Spain and in France. Food is a way to connect, to celebrate together, and to enjoy each other’s company. Even the act of cooking is done as a community.
So, the simplicity, the quality, buying food in season that’s full of flavor, and the importance of family and community is what we see in Italy.
Italy also has a rich culinary diversity, like Spain, each region having its own distinct flavors, ingredients, traditions, and specific ways of preparing food that are unique to them. Many of their dishes require time, patience, and experience to prepare well, whether it’s a ragu slow cooked, or a pizza dough made just right.
Italian cuisine is one of the most beloved in the world and well known, so let’s talk about some of their iconic dishes. Pizza is the first one to come to mind, originating in Naples. There are various takes on this. Some people love a thin, crispy crust, and some people love a deep, doughy crust, but the Italian ingredients of fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, and olive oil are sometimes the simplest and the best for a pizza.
Then there’s pasta, as I mentioned before, made using a good quality cheese like Parmigiano Reggiano, a good quality olive oil, and a good quality pasta, making these dishes amazing.
Risotto is a famous Italian dish made from arborio rice and also parmesan, and then with various other things added like mushrooms, inside that amazing risotto.
There’s also antipasti. Have you heard of bruschetta? Or caprese salad? That’s sliced tomatoes in between mozzarella slices, with basil, olive oil and balsamic. This is one of my favorite salads, and so easy to make – just cut slices of the tomatoes and the cheese. Make sure that your tomatoes are really ripe. I like to put them outside in the sun for a few hours, as it makes them extra red and extra nutritious.
And then there are cured meats and cheeses; prosciutto, salami, and all kinds of cheeses as well – mozzarella and pecorino are well known.
As for Italian soups, there’s minestrone soup, and the pappa al pomodoro, which is a rustic tomato and bread soup from Tuscany.
And then there’ll be the seafood dishes, the meat dishes, like osso bucco, and desserts. Famous Italian desserts like tiramisu and panna cotta are amazing. Italian food is so much more than just fuel; it’s a celebration of tradition, regional identity, and amazing ingredients. Each dish tells a story of Italy’s rich culinary heritage.
Let’s talk a little bit about school lunches in Italy. We’ve already done school lunches in France and in Spain, and as in many places in Europe, school lunches in Italy are taken very seriously, and are well balanced, nutritious, and a good part of food for the day. Italian schools prioritize wholesome meals, and they often feature a mix of local ingredients and traditional dishes. Often they’ll have fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, lean proteins like fish or chicken, and then olive oil as the primary fat. The goal is to provide children with a healthy, satisfying meal to fuel them for the school day.
These foods are very close to Mediterranean diet principles, again, like in Spain. There’ll be a first and a second course with side dishes, and then fruit or dessert in a typical school lunch. So, the first course, or primo piatto, is often pasta, rice, or soup. Some common dishes would be pasta with tomato sauce or a pesto; risotto with vegetables, mushrooms, seafood or even meat; or a soup like minestrone soup.
Then, the second course, secondo piatto, is usually a protein based dish, as I said, chicken or fish most often. It’s served with a side of vegetables or salad. It could be chicken or turkey grilled or baked, fish grilled or stewed in a tomato sauce, meatballs or meatloaf, or polpette, which are meatballs. The side dish could be vegetables or salads that compliment the main courses. For example, it might be steamed or sautéed vegetables like zucchini or carrots. Seasonal salads would come with a simple dressing of olive oil and vinegar.
And then the fruit or dessert would be a piece of fruit like an apple, pear, or banana – that’s common, but sometimes there would be a dessert such as sweetened yogurt, pudding, biscotti, and sometimes French bread.
Lunch in an Italian school is usually around 12:30 or 1:00, which is earlier than in Spain, but later than some other countries. The lunch time would last 45 minutes to an hour, giving the students time to relax, to eat their food, and to enjoy it, and not be in a hurry. Many schools emphasize the idea of eating together communally, like a family style meal at the table, sitting down and enjoying the food together. The Italian school lunch philosophy is about more than just feeding the children, but it’s about teaching them the importance of good food. And I think this is so valuable for us to learn from. Children need to learn about good food. They need to have a palate that is happy to try new things, steeped in cultural traditions. They need to learn about the value of shared meals.
The lunchtimes are also seen as an opportunity to slow down, connect with others, and enjoy the pleasures of food. Here’s another example of a school lunch: the first course is penne pasta and tomato sauce, with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. The second course consists of grilled chicken breast with a side of sautéed spinach and carrots. Dessert is a small apple or banana. The drink would be water, and occasionally a small glass of juice.
In the north, meals might more often feature polenta, risotto, and meats like pork and beef. In the south, more often it would be pasta with seafood, vegetables, and olive oil.
Italian school lunches provide kids with nourishing meals that reflect Italy’s broader commitment to quality food, good health, and helping children have a positive attitude towards eating.
So, what’s your favourite Italian food, or your family’s? Somehow, Italian is one of the friendliest types of food, I think. Going out for pizza, going out for pasta, even if it’s not always authentically Italian, is definitely a favourite, and is always amazing.
Again, let’s think about principles we can apply at home. Try to make the mealtime a special time of connection and community; slowing down, not rushing, and savoring the food together, and perhaps having courses so that the meal can be extended, enjoying a small portion of one thing, and then a small portion of something else. This is to have variety, but also so that you don’t have to eat a huge amount of one thing. And then buying what’s in season is important, buying good wild caught fish, or things from a local market, because when they’re fresh, they’re always going to taste the best, and they’re going to have the highest nutrient value. Another thing is making simple meals using really good quality ingredients, because they’ll taste so good, and because they already have high nutrition. Then we don’t need to spend a huge amount of time cooking fancy stuff; we can cook simpler things that do the job perfectly. You can have a charcuterie board with some meats and cheeses as one of your courses, or you can have a simple soup or risotto as one of your courses at home.
There are so many different types of Italian olives. There are kalamata olives, mission olives, and green olives, and then also tapenades, which are mashed or crushed up olives. Those are so amazing to have on bread, dip crackers into, and to add to your charcuterie board. Then have pasta or fish with a few vegetables – something like a really simple pasta works or fish with a sauce on the side just to make it more interesting.
We can’t forget one of my absolute favorite things to do, which is very much Italian, but I did mention it with the Spanish food as well. That’s to take some crusty bread, and then to have a bowl with olive oil and a little balsamic vinegar drizzled in, and then to dip the bread into that mixture of oil and vinegar instead of using butter. It’s delicious! You should try it. It’s a very different way of eating bread. You can do the same with breadsticks, or even crackers, but with crusty bread it really works the best.
And then another amazing Italian dessert, other than tiramisu and panna cotta, is Italian Kisses, which you can find in most supermarkets. They’re flavoured ice cream enrobed in chocolate – really amazing.
So, Italians can teach us a lot about good food, good dining, and good fellowship at our tables. I hope this has inspired you as it has me, and I hope you have a good week, and enjoy thinking up some simple things that you can cook, that your family will enjoy. See you next time.
