Facts about Italian food.

Italian food is well known around the world, but there are still so many myths about it. I want to list some of the most common ones in this post.

Most of the time people traveling to Italy realize the differences only when they get there. Back home of course we can still keep eating ‘Italian’ the way we are used to. Nevertheless I think it’s quite interesting and at times amusing to find out that, those things we have considered to be so authentic Italian, people in Italy have never even heard of.

1. Fettuccini alfredo is not traditional Italian cuisine.

Spaghetti and meatballs? Quintessential Italian cuisine. Lasagna? Same. Fettuccini Alfredo, on the other hand, is not traditional Italian fare. In fact, the cheesy, creamy Alfredo pasta that so many of us have enjoyed at Olive Garden or other Italian restaurants in the United States is not a common dish in Italy itself. The pasta recipe didn’t even originate until 1914, when a chef named Alfredo di Lelio created it as a trademark menu item at his eponymous restaurant, Alfredo. Alfredo di Lelio eventually opened a restaurant in New York, where his dish because famous and was quickly imitated and replicated by other chefs. However, in Italy, Fettuccini Alfredo remains Alfredo di Lelio’s recipe and most chefs have not added it to their menus. 

2. Traditional Italian pizza virtually always has thin crust

Though it’s a widely known fact that pizza is a dish that originated in Italy, American cooks have played around with the formula so much over the years that most of the pizzas ordered on this side of the Atlantic in any given day actually bear little resemblance to the pizza eaten in Italy. Most of the disparity is due to the crust, which on authentic Italian pizzas is virtually always thin. It goes without saying that Chicago-style deep dish is an entirely American variation on an Italian dish, but as it turns out, the same is true for most of the pizzas served by big chains like Little Caesars, Pizza Hut, Papa Johns, or Dominoes. If you go to an authentic Italian restaurant, either in the United States or on a vacation in Italy, expect thinner crusts. 

3. Do Italians really eat pasta every day?

The answer is yes. They do. Of course busy schedules and younger generations open up the doors for other alternatives. Fact is, that Italians can be very picky and traditional about their food habits. For most Italians pasta is still a mandatory meal that can be neither replaced nor skipped for no reason.

I have been asked this question with misbelief. I assume it’s because people think that all we eat is pasta with tomato sauce and one or two other ones. Day in day out. Believe me, I would get bored with that menu after two days! Pasta is eaten with vegetables, meat, fish and so many other things. It can come in so many variations, that I would dare to say to be enough to eat a different pasta dish for almost every single day of the year!

Oh, btw, one of the few combinations I have never seen before is pasta with chicken. I can’t think of any Italian dish that combines these two ingredients. 

5. Pasta really can be over- or undercooked – and you can tell by tossing it at the wall!

It goes without saying that pasta can be undercooked, a fact to which anyone who has ever eaten stiff or overly chewy spaghetti or penne noodles can attest. However, overcooking pasta is also a big concern in Italy, where the term “al dente” is household language to describe the moment in a pasta cooking cycle when the noodles have reached the perfect level of preparation. Believe it or not, Italian chefs actually do judge the al dente perfection of their spaghetti by throwing noodles against the wall to see if they stick. As soon as sticking is achieved, the noodles are done. Be careful with this method though, because pasta will also stick to the wall when it is overcooked. And while slightly overcooked spaghetti will probably taste fine when piled high with tomato sauce, meatballs, and parmesan cheese, it actually is inferior in ways other than taste: studies have shown that overcooked pasta is more difficult to process and digest than pasta cooked to al dente perfection.

Ultimately, while knowing facts and misconceptions about Italian cuisine (and can help you greatly to know the proper etiquette of ordering food in Italy itself), the most important thing is for you to explore everything Italian food has to offer and find the dishes that you and your family love most along the way.

Whether you are trying to choose an entree from a restaurant menu full of delicious options, preparing a massive multi-course meal for visiting family members, or simply trying to impress a date by cooking him or her a delicious dinner at home, Italian food may have all the answers you need.