Italian food: A World of Excitement and Delight
If you think you like Italian food, you’ll be in for a world of excitement and delight when you travel to Rome, Florence, Venice, or any other area or region of Italy. The food you’ll discover in Italy, though, is unlike what you’ll experience in the United States. In many times, it’s even better than what you’ve come to expect from Italian food at home.
The biggest shocks to the typical American tourist come in three areas: cappuccino, pizza, and cheese. These foods are vastly different in Italy than they are in the United States, and the form that you’ll prefer really does depend on your taste buds and what tastes better to you.
Although most Americans like the sweet tastes of Starbucks, with flavored coffees, whipped cream, and quantity over quality, that’s not what you’re going to find in Italy. In Italy, coffee still is made in small, local cafes that don’t offer the same product from one location to another. Cappuccino in Italy is more focused on the coffee and taste of the espresso than it is on being able to customize your beverage to your precise desires. In Italy, you drink the cappuccino for the environment and the taste of the espresso.
Pizza will be the second shock to your taste buds. Many places in Italy don’t serve and prepare pizza like Americans do – with lots of thick, chewy crust, loads of cheese and grease, and a pizza so crowded with toppings that you can barely taste the “whole picture”. What Americans known as pizza is really an adaptation that soldiers brought back from Italy after World War II. Although it’s similar to Italian pizza, it’s not quite the same. Instead, Italian pizza has thinner crust, much less sauce and cheese, and instead focuses on good, high quality and flavorful ingredients.
