The Italian kitchen includes the indigenous kitchen of the Italian peninsula. This kitchen is very varied and seasonal. Much importance is attached to the use of fresh ingredients. Each area has its own specialties.
The Italian kitchen is worldwide known and is widely imitated in many countries. Everywhere in the world you will find pizzerias and almost every family will have an Italian kitchen based pasta dish every week for dinner.
The basis for today’s Italian kitchen was laid by Pellegrino Artusi in his famous cookbook La Scienza in cucina e l’Arte di mangiar bene. In this work he tried to summarize the Italian kitchen and revive it through the use of traditional ingredients. Artusi had the idea that even a poor Italy could experience the pleasure of good food. In this he was influenced by the philosophy of the cucina povera. Loosely translated it means “poor man’s kitchen.” This cooking style is focused on exploiting the most of ingredients and is at the heart of Italian kitchen.
An interesting fact is that Catherine de Medici when she married the French king in 1533, took her Italian cook to the French court, because she was not fond of French kitchen. This has been the introduction of the “Haute Cuisine” in France. See also Wikipedia about Catherine de Medici: Culinary Legend.
This is a list of Restaurants in Tuscany, visited by ourself or recommended by guests.
This is a list of Restaurants in Umbria, visited by ourself or recommended by guests.