A Brief History of Italian Cuisine

Italy extends over a considerable part of Southern Europe and has various regions each with their own Unique cuisine and eating traditions. The recipes and ingredients also differ regionally. The culinary history of Italy dates over a long passage of time. In today's time the Italian cuisine features meals that contain a taste that is a rich and exotic mix of the Roman, Jewish, Arab, Byzantine, Etruscan and Greek cuisines. Roman ships brought wheat, wine, fine spices, and other rare ingredients whilst Italians added other items to that to come up with recipes. They got ingredients from as far as China. Traces of Arab influence can also be seen especially in the Sicilian cuisine with its spices and sweets. This influence in particular leads Italian Cuisine to have a specific bland taste with less tangy and spicy flavor.
The North is known for its Tuscan Beef whilst the South produces Mozzarella Cheese and Provolone along with Citrus fruits. Black Truffles were popular in Marches. The coastal regions of Italy are known for fish and seafood recipes till date and make great use of Anchovies, Swordfish, Lobster and Sardines. Even the commonly consumed breads and pastas varied significantly in taste. The South of Italy was big into hard boiled Spaghetti whilst the North consumed soft Egg noodles more. The most popular item in Italian cuisine i.e. the Pizza, originated from Naples, Risotto from Milan and Tortellini from Bologna.
Over time Italian cuisine has evolved into one of its own standing. About the origins of pasta some claim it to be a product that came from China whereas others came it to be Italy's local produce which was consumed during Etruscan and Roman times. Today however Italian cuisine is extremely diverse and rich which is why it is considered one of the most unique and amazing cuisines in the world.The Italian cuisine is distinct and unparalleled in its taste and also pretty simple to cook.It has an endless list of main courses, appetizers and desserts that tickle peoples' taste buds.
A lot of people are of the opinion that all Italian dishes are pretty much the same. However, on travel through Italy many notice differences in eating habits and traditions between cities. Each region has its own style of cooking. Every town has a specific method of making sausages, cheese, bread and wine. People in the same area even have different recipes for cooking the same dish. These ways vary as do the dialects spoken in Italy despite one national language i.e. Italian. Geographical differences also cause this differing lifestyle. The Italian peninsula is separated from the rest of the continent by a chain of high of mountains in Europe.
Thus the underlying reason for the multitudes of Italian cooking is its history. It was divided for a long time and did not unify politically until 1861. Thus the various kingdoms and divisions each provided their own customs and heritage which evolved into the Italian culture later.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6539234