Northern Italy differs from the rest of the Peninsula in a number of ways. Most traditional North Italian recipes call for unsalted butter rather than olive oil, and though there are many kinds of stuffed pasta, except in Emilia Romagna and Liguria the flat and extruded forms that are so important further south are less important, giving way to polenta and risotto, and, in the winter, to rich, hearty soups.
The North, especially Piemonte and Emilia Romagna, has excellent cattle breeds suited to meat and milk production, and also excellent hogs; as a consequence beef, veal, and pork are the meats of choice, with lamb and other animals playing a lesser role. Cooking ranges from boiling and frying through slow braising and stewing, and in the latter cases northern cooks use much less tomato, preferring to use wine or broth as the liquid, and chopped herbs for flavor. The results can be extraordinarily elegant, and the same holds true for roasts, especially those that contain winter vegetable stuffings.
Theere is also an extraordinary variety of fish; Comacchio, south of the Po Delta, is renowned for its eels, while the Veneto’s coastal lowlands provide mussels and clams, and the lakes and waterways inland a tremendous variety of fresh water fish, in addition to ducks and other wild birds.
In Central Italy the summers are hotter and longer than those of the North, and consequently tomato-based dishes are more common than they are further north; at the same time the winters are chill inland, making it possible to grow leafy vegetables that reach their best after it frosts, for example black leaf kale. Though there are braised meats and stews, in much of central Italy the centerpiece of a classic holiday meal will be a platter of mixed grilled or roasted meats, with poultry, pork, and beef, especially in Tuscany, where the renowned Chianina cattle graze the fields. In Lazio, on the other hand, the platter will likely also have lamb, which may also be present in Umbria and the Marche.
Central Italy also has a rich specialty farming tradition, with many crops that are difficult to find elsewhere, including farro, an ancient grain domesticated by the Romans, and saffron, whose distinctive sharpness adds considerably to many dishes. The area, which is almost entirely hilly or mountainous, also boasts massive chestnut stands on the steeper slopes; chestnuts were in the past one of the staple foods of the poor and even now roasted chestnuts are a wonderful treat in winter, as are the dishes made with fresh chestnut flour.
Southern Italy is a land of contrasts; on the one hand it is the poorest section of Italy, and in the past much of the population subsisted on an almost exclusively vegetarian diet, eating greens and bread or pasta. On other, the nobility was extraordinarily wealthy, enjoying a rich and extremely refined diet.
With respect to Northern and Central Italy there is greater use of dried pasta (as opposed to egg pasta), though people also enjoy vegetable based soups, and entrees, many of which also include fish. In terms of meat, though there are cattle, historically the South is known for shepherding, and lamb and kid play a much more important role in the diet than they do in much of the north. Fish also contribute strongly, and indeed in many coastal areas dominate.
The growing season is much longer, and hotter in the South; among the most popular summer vegetables are tomatoes (many of which go into red sauces) and eggplant, whereas in the winter months broccoli raab and cauliflower come to the fore.
Southern cheeses are also worth mentioning; they tend to be firm, for example caciocavallo and provolone, though there is a wonderful exception: Mozzarella.
Finally, Southern desserts tend to be much more opulent than those made further north.
Italy’s major islands, Sardinia and Sicily, have had very different histories; indeed, the only thing they share is their being distinct from the continent. Sicily’s position in the center of the Mediterranean has made it a stopping place for every people that sailed the Sea, beginning with the Greeks and Carthaginians, and continuing on through Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, and Spanish, all of whom left their mark one way or another.
Sardinia followed a similar initial path, being settled by the Phoenicians, followed by Carthaginians, Romans, and Byzantines, but was never under the Arabs, rather spending a time under Pisa and Genova, two of the great Maritime Republics, before falling under the sway of the Spaniards, who ruled the island for close to 500 years before loosing it to the Austrians in 1714; they in turn gave it to Duke Amadeo di Savoia, who took power and declared himself King, thus becoming Royalty (his descendents became the Kings of Italy).
The cuisine of Sicily then, shows much more diverse Mediteranean influence, while on Sardinia- a place more wary of invasion than interested in trade- a relatively isolated but still interesting and diverse cuisine evolved, including unique preparations of flat bread, gnocchi, and many lamb dishes.
The northern italian dishes use more cheese and milk or heavy creme– becuase they have a wide diary market and ruoom to sustain cattle. This area– is around Venice and and Florence.
In the south near Calabria — they lack the cows — most sauces are tomato based. They use lots of onions and peppers in the south too.
Cheese is used only as an accent in the south.
The diferances in Italian pasta dishes are location,for instance some northern meatballs contain Raisans and have a french ring to them.We make a lot of our own pasta manocotti shells from scrath and our sauce is differant
Northern Italy differs from the rest of the Peninsula in a number of ways. Most traditional North Italian recipes call for unsalted butter rather than olive oil, and though there are many kinds of stuffed pasta, except in Emilia Romagna and Liguria the flat and extruded forms that are so important further south are less important, giving way to polenta and risotto, and, in the winter, to rich, hearty soups.
The North, especially Piemonte and Emilia Romagna, has excellent cattle breeds suited to meat and milk production, and also excellent hogs; as a consequence beef, veal, and pork are the meats of choice, with lamb and other animals playing a lesser role. Cooking ranges from boiling and frying through slow braising and stewing, and in the latter cases northern cooks use much less tomato, preferring to use wine or broth as the liquid, and chopped herbs for flavor. The results can be extraordinarily elegant, and the same holds true for roasts, especially those that contain winter vegetable stuffings.
Theere is also an extraordinary variety of fish; Comacchio, south of the Po Delta, is renowned for its eels, while the Veneto’s coastal lowlands provide mussels and clams, and the lakes and waterways inland a tremendous variety of fresh water fish, in addition to ducks and other wild birds.
In Central Italy the summers are hotter and longer than those of the North, and consequently tomato-based dishes are more common than they are further north; at the same time the winters are chill inland, making it possible to grow leafy vegetables that reach their best after it frosts, for example black leaf kale. Though there are braised meats and stews, in much of central Italy the centerpiece of a classic holiday meal will be a platter of mixed grilled or roasted meats, with poultry, pork, and beef, especially in Tuscany, where the renowned Chianina cattle graze the fields. In Lazio, on the other hand, the platter will likely also have lamb, which may also be present in Umbria and the Marche.
Central Italy also has a rich specialty farming tradition, with many crops that are difficult to find elsewhere, including farro, an ancient grain domesticated by the Romans, and saffron, whose distinctive sharpness adds considerably to many dishes. The area, which is almost entirely hilly or mountainous, also boasts massive chestnut stands on the steeper slopes; chestnuts were in the past one of the staple foods of the poor and even now roasted chestnuts are a wonderful treat in winter, as are the dishes made with fresh chestnut flour.
Southern Italy is a land of contrasts; on the one hand it is the poorest section of Italy, and in the past much of the population subsisted on an almost exclusively vegetarian diet, eating greens and bread or pasta. On other, the nobility was extraordinarily wealthy, enjoying a rich and extremely refined diet.
With respect to Northern and Central Italy there is greater use of dried pasta (as opposed to egg pasta), though people also enjoy vegetable based soups, and entrees, many of which also include fish. In terms of meat, though there are cattle, historically the South is known for shepherding, and lamb and kid play a much more important role in the diet than they do in much of the north. Fish also contribute strongly, and indeed in many coastal areas dominate.
The growing season is much longer, and hotter in the South; among the most popular summer vegetables are tomatoes (many of which go into red sauces) and eggplant, whereas in the winter months broccoli raab and cauliflower come to the fore.
Southern cheeses are also worth mentioning; they tend to be firm, for example caciocavallo and provolone, though there is a wonderful exception: Mozzarella.
Finally, Southern desserts tend to be much more opulent than those made further north.
Italy’s major islands, Sardinia and Sicily, have had very different histories; indeed, the only thing they share is their being distinct from the continent. Sicily’s position in the center of the Mediterranean has made it a stopping place for every people that sailed the Sea, beginning with the Greeks and Carthaginians, and continuing on through Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, and Spanish, all of whom left their mark one way or another.
Sardinia followed a similar initial path, being settled by the Phoenicians, followed by Carthaginians, Romans, and Byzantines, but was never under the Arabs, rather spending a time under Pisa and Genova, two of the great Maritime Republics, before falling under the sway of the Spaniards, who ruled the island for close to 500 years before loosing it to the Austrians in 1714; they in turn gave it to Duke Amadeo di Savoia, who took power and declared himself King, thus becoming Royalty (his descendents became the Kings of Italy).
The cuisine of Sicily then, shows much more diverse Mediteranean influence, while on Sardinia- a place more wary of invasion than interested in trade- a relatively isolated but still interesting and diverse cuisine evolved, including unique preparations of flat bread, gnocchi, and many lamb dishes.
Sorry. I don’t know.
The northern italian dishes use more cheese and milk or heavy creme– becuase they have a wide diary market and ruoom to sustain cattle. This area– is around Venice and and Florence.
In the south near Calabria — they lack the cows — most sauces are tomato based. They use lots of onions and peppers in the south too.
Cheese is used only as an accent in the south.
The diferances in Italian pasta dishes are location,for instance some northern meatballs contain Raisans and have a french ring to them.We make a lot of our own pasta manocotti shells from scrath and our sauce is differant
Mac and Cheese.
The sauces are thicker and richer in the north than in the south. But they’re all good.