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Five Food Finds about Italian Food

 It was not until the 1700’s that tomatoes were first found in Italian dishes.

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The ‘essential’ ingredients in Italian food include: olive oil, garlic, basil, oregano, mozzarella, ricotta, parmigiana, capers, tomatoes, sausage and of course pasta.

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An average Italian meal is divided in two parts, primo piatto & secondo piatto; the primo include a pasta or risotto; the secondi  includes any meat and fish meals, complemented by a contorno, a side dish of vegetables.

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The Italian dessert, Tiramisu, (ladyfingers dipped in coffee, layered with mascarpone cheese and egg yolks then flavored with liquor and cocoa) roughly translates to “pick-me-up.”  Did you know that this dessert did not appear in the U.S. until the early 1980’s?

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Italians prefer their pasta cooked ‘al dente’  literally meaning “to the tooth.” The pasta should be a bit firm, offering some resistance to the tooth, but tender.

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Today’s Food History

on this day in…

  • 1837 Riot in New York over high price of flour
  • 1933 The House of Commons defeated a bill that would have prohibited the sale of alcohol in the U.K.
  • 1967 The Beatles single ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ is released.
  • 2000 The last original ‘Peanuts’ comic strip is published.

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