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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.

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

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.

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?

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.

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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