Food in Italy

Breakfast, lunch and dinner in Italy

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BREAKFAST

Breakfast is very early in the morning.Italian breakfast at home is sweet and is based on milk, coffee or tea, rusks, jam, yogurt and orange juice.

Italians also have breakfast at the bar with coffee, cappuccino and simple croissant or filled with jam.

BREAKFAST

Breakfast is very early in the morning. Italians also have breakfast at the bar with coffee, cappuccino and simple croissant or filled with jam.

Most Italians start their day with a cappuccino. Coffee is an important part of the Italian lifestyle

Italian Coffee

Coffee in an important part of the Italian lifestyle. Here are some Italian habits of drinking coffee: - Italian coffee is a symbol of hospitality. - It's always the right time for a coffee. - Never in a paper cup, only ceramic or glass. - Coffee as "excuse" to be together. - Cappuccino, never in the afternoon.

Italian Coffee

In Italy there are different types of coffee served.The most common coffee drunk is called "espresso".

LUNCH

Lunch is between 1 and 2 pm, and it's the day's main meal and is usually at least an hour long.

A typical Italian lunch consists in four or five courses. First course, "primo", is a generally carb-based: pasta, soup or risotto. Italians love enjoy adding freshly grated Parmesan cheese to their dishes.

Second course, "secondo", based on meat (sausage, pork, steak, beef), fish dairy products such as cheese, or eggs. Side dish, "contorno", accompanies the second dish which include vegetables and salads. Some common contorni are grilled vegetables, roasted potatoes or french fries, or salad.

Seasonal fruit (frutta) as a conclusion.

The lunch is always accompanied by bread.

It is traditional in Italy that a meal, be concluded with a cup of espresso and sometimes followed by the so-called ammazzacaffè, consisting of a glass of local liqueur.

On special occasions, such as holidays, there are also two other courses: - an appetizer which is generally composed of crostini, bruschetta, cheeses or dairy products.

Dessert to finish such as tiramisù, torta della nonna, icecream.

DINNER

Dinner is around 8-9 pm (a little earlier if you go North Italy, a little later if you go South Italy)

Dinner is the perfect time for live with family, to talk togheter. The dinner scheme follows that of the classic Italian lunch, but with dishes and foods that are usually lighter. Most dinners consist of soup dish, vegetable soup and cooked vegetables like artichokes, eggplants, mushrooms, spinach and zucchini.

Italians enjoy pairing their meals with wine, beer or spirits. Lunch and dinner are often accompanied by white or red wines.