What is Italy's typical meals?

Answer 1

Wow - this is a question around which I am still building a whole web site...

My (very) short answer to this question is that rather than of typical meals (there are TONS of typical recipes, ingredients and preparations), we should talk about the typical way Italians eat as, even though ingredients and their use throughout Italy may vary, it is the approach Italians (I am one of them) have to food that is shared.

What usually disconcerts people from abroad when visiting Italy is the attention the Italian people are dedicating to both "what" and "how" they eat.

The simple combination "Antipasto-Primo-Secondo-Contorno-Dolce-Frutta-Caffè-Ammazzacaffè" is the typical italian approach to a meal (when it's possible of course).

In very general terms, that's how these servings might present themselves:

- Antipasti: possibly the most varied, can be prepared with a virtually impossible to list type of ingredients. They are usually small (in quantity and number) servings, with the original intention to "stimulate" the appetite...

- Primo: this is most typically represented by a serving of pasta or soup, again with a huge variation in the way ingredients are used and prepared.

- Secondo: Meat or Fish (again, futile to enumerate recipes here) accompanied by...

- Contorno: most typically a salad, but now virtually comprising even multiple servings of various kinds.

- Dolce: dessert.

- Frutta: fruit (or macedonia, i.e. fruit salad)

- Caffè: espresso

- Ammazzacaffè: liquore, amaro, grappa

Following this approach, it is perhaps easier to understand a few things about the Italian food culture.