Italian Food Traditions & Recipes

An Italian told me that while others eat to live, Italians live to eat, and he said that with his mouth full. Italians will enthusiastically share their restaurant recommendations and family recipes, and even as fast food creeps into their culture, Italians staunchly guard their traditional food products, as witnessed by the founding of the Slow Food movement. A favorite Italian proverb is "A tavola non si invecchia" - at the table one does not age - so relaxed meals are the key to a long life.

Regional Foods of Italy-Sardinian casu marzu

Though the sale of the Sardinian cheese casu marzu has been banned in Italy since the passage of a 1962 law outlawing it and others like it, it can still be found on black markets.

Traditional Foods of Italy – Cucuzza Tenerumi, Sicilian Summer Greens and Soup

Traditionally Italian greens are available in the cooler months of the year, but when you crave greens in the summer, try these Sicilian tenerumi, from the cucuzza plant, a kind of zucchina. Eat them as a simple dish of greens, or make a Sicilian summer soup.

Traditional Foods of Italy-Cipolle di Giarratana Roasted Onions from Sicily

Next to the huge sweet onions of Giarratana, Sicily, all other onions pale in comparison. Roasted or grilled the cipolle di Giarratana are celebrated in an annual festival.

Lemon Granita Recipe from Sicily

If you don’t have access to good lemon granita where you live, try this recipe for lemon granita and dream of Sicily.

Sicily Culinary Traditions – Where to Find the Best Lemon Granita and Brioche in Modica

Lemon granita and brioche are a culinary tradition in Sicily, but it’s getting harder to find the real thing. Here’s where to find the best lemon granita and homemade brioche in Modica, Sicily.

Peaks of Gastronomy – Michelin Chefs Bring Gourmet Cuisine to Rifugi in the Dolomites

Hiking Italian style means gourmet cuisine in the Dolomites, where Michelin-starred chefs have created special dishes served at mountain rifugi during the "Peaks of Gastronomy" initiative.

Italian Food Traditions–Furtaies Recipe for Funnel Cakes with Grappa from the Dolomites

The next time you see funnel cakes at a state fair, ask if they add grappa to the batter. That’s a key ingredient in this traditional dessert in the Dolomites, where funnel cakes are called by a variety of names –such as furtaies, strauben, or just plain delicious.

Italian Desserts – Panna Cotta Recipe, Technique and Sauces

Panna cotta is an easy Italian dessert that can be served with a sauce of fruit, chocolate or caramel. This recipe for panna cotta includes a technique for making it silky smooth.

Italian Food Traditions – Marmellata di Amarene – Sour Cherry Jam

Making my favorite Italian jam, marmellata di amarene - sour cherry jam - is simple enough when you've got a cherry tree at hand, and it barely needs a recipe. But then there's the pitting...

Involtini – Recipe from a Cooking Class in Sicily

This recipe for involtini, little meat rolls with a citrus flavored stuffing, comes from a casual cooking class in our home kitchen in Sicily.

Italian Food
Italian Food