Italian food enjoys fame the world over, but there are some obscure Italian food facts that might surprise even the connoisseurs. It is easily one of the world’s most popular cuisines. We think its popularity is owed to the freshness of its ingredients and the simplicity of techniques it employs. Since Italian food is so popular, it is to be assumed that many people know a lot about it, right? Well, we’ve researched some of the most obscure Italian food-related facts. So without any further ado, here are 9 Italian food facts we bet you didn’t know.
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The main meal in Italy is the weekend lunch called ‘Il Pranzo’
One of the lesser-known Italian food facts is about ‘Il Pranzo,’ a cornerstone of Italian weekends. Food is a communal affair in Italy, and this multi-course, multi-generational lunch exemplifies it. At this meal several courses of salads, appetizers, pasta mains, and meat-based dishes are served and enjoyed by the entire family at a leisurely pace.
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The modern pizza was invented in Naples in 1889
Legend has it that a baker by the name of Raffaele Esposito to commemorate the visit of King Umberto I and Queen Margherita of Savoy to Naples. He is said to have baked 3 specific pizzas topped individually with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and basil to commemorate the Italian flag and one pizza with all the ingredients together. Queen Margherita is said to have enjoyed this pizza so much, that Raffaelle named it after her and the classic Neapolitan Margherita pizza was born.
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Italians eat almost 27-28 kilos of pasta every year
When it comes to obscure Italian food facts, the sheer volume of pasta consumed annually in Italy is staggering. Pasta is a staple, and Italians can’t seem to get enough of it. One estimate from 2016 suggests that Italians devour nearly 27 – 28 kilograms of pasta every year. The second closest in this list were Americans who consumed 7 kilograms of pasta on an annual basis.
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February 13th is National Food Day in Italy
There’s an ancient Sicilian proverb, “In life, first comes food, then love, then everything else.” This is demonstrated amply by the fact that February 13th (one day before Valentine’s Day) is National Food Day in Italy.
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The Pope was once responsible for setting the standard of pasta
In the 13th century, it was considered one of the Pope’s sacred duties to set the standards for pasta in all of Italy. Talk about sacred spaghetti, right?
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Pepperoni pizza was invented in America
The famous pepperoni pizza was invented in New York by Italian emigrants. In Italy ‘peperoni’ is the word for bell peppers and the salty preserved meat has little to do with pizza.
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The time of day dictates the way an Italian has coffee
Italians have milky coffee like cafe latte or cappuccino only in the mornings. Stronger, dark coffees sans milk, like espressos, are preferred after heavier meals like lunch.
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Spaghetti was not always topped with tomato sauce
One cannot think about spaghetti without the thick, aromatic, and tangy tomato sauce it comes topped with. However, it was not until the 1700s when tomatoes were first introduced to Italy, that the sauce became a staple.
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There are more than 600 different pasta shapes
Pasta is such a rage that there are 600 different pasta shapes worldwide. There is literally one shape to complement every pasta dish. From penne to spaghetti, tagliatelle to farfalloni, and various types of ravioli and spiralli, pasta is both customizable and an extremely fun meal.
Whether it’s pasta you crave, or pizza is your bae, discovering these obscure Italian food facts gives a whole new appreciation for the freshest ingredients that go into Italian cooking. Start your Italian food odyssey with us, check out the Italian gourmet section on our website www.chenabgourmet.com