Now that I’ve had time to sleep and recover from the RyanAir flight from hell, I’m feeling much more inclined to talk about all the delicious Italian food I’ve sampled over the last two weeks.

The Antipasto:

One of the best things about Italy is the antipasto, which is effectively the dish you eat first with your lunch or dinner (sort of like a starter course, except the Italians also have a first course and second course that come after the antipasto, as well as dessert).  You can also eat antipasto as a single course casual lunch or dinner, which we did a few times over the two weeks so that we could sample some of the local meats and cheeses.  Some of the most common antipasto dishes are parma ham and mozzarella, vine-ripened tomatoes with mozzarella, or parma ham and melon.  When we were doing our own thing and putting together big antipasto feasts for ourselves, we had beautiful cheeses (like pecorino), delicious meats (like mortadela, which is essentially a pressed meat with olives throughout), fantastic olives (young and green, black and sun-wrinkled, or just drenched in olive-oil), and some of the best asparagus and cherry tomatoes I’ve ever tasted.  On the last night we spent in Rome, we also tried shaved uncooked artichoke with shaved Parmesan and walnuts coated in an olive oil and lemon-vinegar dressing which was surprisingly delicious.

The Pasta:

In Italy pasta is usually served as the first course, and is usually a smaller portion size so you have room for your second main course and dessert.  The most common pasta dish is the absolutely delightful spaghetti pomodoro et basil (a really light tomato and basil sauce on preferably home-made pasta with a sprinkle of parmesan).  This was basically what I ordered every time I ate out, because I love it.  Another popular dish is of course spaghetti bolognese, although I’m not quite sure that this is ‘authentic’ Italian - I think it’s on the menu for all the tourists.  Other beautiful pasta I tried while I was away included homemade tagliatelle with tomato, eggplant and mozzarella; homemade gnocchi (the best I’ve ever tasted) in a tomato, garlic and basil sauce; and steaming hot penne in a tomato and olive puree.  My dad tried an interesting looking dish - spaghetti (home made) with shaved truffles and a light truffle oil dressing.  He apparently went back to the same restaurant three times just so he could have it (one dish of the stuff cost him $20 EU).

The Main Courses:

The main course in Italy is always meat, and in general (every restaurant I’ve eaten it with the exception of one) you have to order your vegetables SEPARATELY to your meat.  This is good really, as it means you can really mix and match to get exactly what you want.  Common meats served as main courses include veal (scallops in a creamy sauce), beef (roasted), or fish (baked, fried, in soup, steamed, shell-fish, you name it).  It’s not common to see chicken on the menu, but in a lot of restaurants there is usually other poultry available such as duck, pheasant or quail.  Other interesting main courses include wild boar (roasted usually), thrush (fried or roasted whole), and pesce zuppe (fish soup - literally loads of different seafoods in a tomato broth).

The Pizza, Bruschette & Panini:

Now I know that the bread-based meals that are served in Italy are far more popular with the tourists who think of the food as being ‘authentic Italian’ than what they are with the REAL Italians, but that doesn’t mean you should avoid them altogether.  A nice, simple bruschette (toasted or grilled slices of bread, dressed with a fresh olive oil topped with chopped tomato, spanish onion, basil and parmesan cheese, sometimes with a few flakes of garlic) is one of the best things to have on a hot day, and a basic margherita pizza (tomato and mozzarella, sometimes with basil) is unbeatable if done in a wood-fired oven.  Panini, meanwhile, is great if you have it made in a deli - you can choose the meat and cheese, and they’ll make it fresh.  My tip for ordering ‘authentic’ pizza would be to ask the waiter for his recommendation - without doubt they’ll suggest the most simplistic pizza on the menu, because that’s as close to what they would consider eating themselves as you can get.  None of this twenty different toppings bollocks - tomato and cheese, and maybe some olives, nothing more.

The Pastries & Desserts:

There’s a reason I managed to gain 1.5kgs in two weeks, and it is solely due to the beautiful pastries you can find in Italy.  I can’t imagine how they could be beaten by any other country’s selection.  In the two weeks I was there I tried: cornetto marmelata (croissant with apricot jam filling), cornetto creme (croissant with custard), chocolate mousse tart, chocolate mousse croissant, lemon custard cornetto, lemon-iced pastry twist, hazelnut chocolate pastry twist, cherry almond tart, apple baked tart, the best tiramisu I’ve ever tasted, glazed fruit tart, lemon creme cornetto, lemon iced Easter biscuits (short-bread based), and limone delizia (lemon sponge with lemon creme, lemon gelato and limoncello).  And that’s not to mention the sorbet and gelato - I’ve had lemon (with lemon rind chunks), melon (literally puree rockmelon/cantaloupe), strawberry, green apple, aranciata (red orange fizz), ananas (glazed pineapple), lime and raspberry.  Then there’s the lemon granite which is literally just frozen lemon juice slightly melted into a slush that you can drink through a straw or eat with a spoon.

The Drinks:

Italy is quite regionalized with regards to its drinks, and it’s not unusual to find unique mixes or varieties in areas you haven’t seen anywhere else.  My favourite from last time was the Bellini (the peach alcoholic cocktail famous in Venice), while this time the limonata (lemon soda in a can, made from fresh lemon pulp and lightly sweetened soda) came out on top.  I also enjoyed the local Amalfi coast white wine (really cheap and actually tasted like it had alcohol in it, unlike the Chianti wine my parents brought back from Tuscany), the fantastic Italian coffee (brewed strong and properly) and the best soft drink/soda I’ve ever tasted by Pellegrino (they did aranciata, limonata, and some strange lime/lemon blend).  Rob had a great time with the beer - he tried one which was 12% alcohol (quite high for a beer) which was called Diabolique and had a graphic of a devil on the label.  He also had his fair share of Peroni and Biera Nazionale, and a few local brews.  Campari and soda also never fails as a great sunny-day cocktail.  Of course, the other great thing about the Amalfi coast is that it is the home of limoncello liqueur, which I LOVE, so we had a fair bit of that.

The Junk Food:

One of my favourite things about travelling is discovering the different sorts of junk food that are available.  Italy has some great crisp varieties - they do an incredible cheese puff and a beautiful paprika flavoured crisp.  The chocolate that’s available in the Amalfi region is worth trying too - dark and white chocolate with lemon flavouring is delicious, and of course there is the orange and lime rind coated in chocolate.

I think that just about covers everything I’ve tasted over the last few weeks - its no surprise I’ve been craving a good cup of tea and a simple tub of yoghurt!