Why is Italian Food so Popular? (2024)

The mass migration of Italians to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries further popularized Italian cuisine. Italians brought with them Italian street food such as pizza and pasta, which also soon became hugely popular on the streets of the United States. Italians also brought with them bread recipes, such as focaccia and Chianina bread, and how to prepare them with thin slices of ham, peppers or cuts of chicken in the form of a sandwich, which later became popular as a submarine. The British also incorporated Italian ingredients into their diet, which included everything from pasta, black pepper and salads to pine nuts, lemon juice, pesto and olive oil - as well as pizza, of course! Indeed, if you take a trip to a British supermarket these days, don't be surprised to find a tin of minestrone or a jar of pesto next to the leek and potato soup, or a tiramisu next to the apple crumble. Meanwhile, both their red and white wines are a cut above and enjoy huge success, being exported throughout the world.

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The main factors that make Italian food so popular around the world are its quality, simplicity, health benefits, affordability, variety and taste. We all agree that the simple ingredients used in Italian recipes are of amazing quality, whether it's juicy tomatoes, olive oil, bread or mozzarella and parmesan cheese, the ingredients are quality products and their simplicity makes them easily available and less complicated to use. This is also linked to its affordability. A bowl of pasta in a delicious pesto or tomato sauce or a slice of pizza will fill a hole in your stomach without putting a hole in your pocket. This extends to other Italian dishes, such as hearty minestrone soup, polenta, creamy risotto, and arancini (the Italians really know what to do with rice!) - all available at a reasonable price. Then there's the small matter of delicious Italian desserts like gelato and tiramisu...

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Many additions made after the colonisation of the Americas, such as potatoes and tomatoes - whose origins you could be forgiven for thinking lie in Italy, such is their ubiquity in Italian cuisine - were transported from America to Italy, quickly becoming integral to the Italian diet.

The regional variations of Italian cuisine and dishes are very diverse, even though to an outsider they may seem similar. To a proud Italian, however, even apparently small differences in the shape of the pasta will mark a stark regional difference and any other variations will be seen as worlds apart, in spite of their shared origins. In contrast to some other culinary traditions, traditional food in Italy is celebrated precisely for its adherence to the tried and tested.

Although you might be hard-pressed to find a region that doesn't claim to have the best food in Italy, for our money the food capital of Italy, and a place that every food lover must visit, is Bologna. It is also the place where the famous meaty Bolognaise sauce was first created. Regions in southern Italy, such as Puglia, which is the largest producers of olive oil in Italy, are known for a traditional type of pasta dish called orecchiette, which are small ear-shaped pieces of pasta, typically served with some meat (often pork) and accompanied by a glass of white wine. Other variations might include tomato sauce, ricotta or meatballs. Fear not, vegetarians: there are also meat-free options available!

In regions such as Calabria, where French and Spanish influences are significant, culinary practices have also been impacted. Seafood is an integral part of the traditional food and diet, and macaroni pasta is very popular in the region. Campania bestowed upon Italy (and the world) pizza napolitana and everyone's favourite pasta, spaghetti. When it comes to gastronomy in the island of Sicily it is a completely different situation. With its many former foreign colonies, Sicily draws from wide influences in its cuisine, including the recipes which can trace their origins back to Turkey and north Africa, as with the dish couscous. It is also responsible for gifting the world arancini, the delicious fried balls of rice, which can be stuffed with meat or mozzarella. In other regions of Italy such as Sardinia, Tuscany (where the delicious ribollita vegetable soup, and bistecca fiorentina hail from) and Umbria, a lot of fresh fruit is used in its cooking and Sardinia, in particular, has a wide variety of breads to accompany your minestrone, Meanwhile, we have Northern Italy to thank for risotto (is there a better use of rice?), in particular its famous risotto alla milanese, as well as some exquisite white wines grown on the slopes of the Italian Alps. whether a main course or a side dish, there really is something for everyone!

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As we have seen, the diversity of Italian culture throughout the different regions of the country is mirrored in their traditional dishes and specialties. However, despite the Italian preference for tradition (if it's not Parmigiano Reggiano it's not really parmesan cheese!), there is also an important influence on these dishes drawn from the different regions of the world.

The Americanised version of Italian food is also extremely popular all over the world. Italian-American cuisine has been adopted and transformed over the years in America by Italian immigrants. Pizza, pasta and gelato-style ice cream have become an integral part of the USA with its numerous fast-food chains or Italian restaurants in America. There are New York-style pizzas, Chicago style pizzas and also Greek pizzas which are American adaptations of the traditional Italian pizza.

But it's not all one-way traffic: America also supplied Italy with bacon during World War II, which led to the invention of carbonara pasta and pizza, a delicious combination of thick-cut bacon lardons, parmesan cheese and egg yolk - but no cream! All of us share a love of Italian cuisine which is highly versatile, wonderfully cheap, occasionally healthy and always delicious - in short, it's among the most beloved foods in the world,

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