Food of Italy

Thin, blistered Neapolitan pizza with tomato, mozzarella and basil, baked in a very hot oven.

Layers of pasta, rich meat ragu, bechamel and Parmesan baked until golden and bubbling.

Roman pasta with crisp guanciale, eggs, Pecorino and black pepper in a creamy sauce with no cream.

Slow-simmered meat sauce from Bologna, traditionally served with tagliatelle.

Creamy saffron-yellow rice from Lombardy cooked slowly with stock and finished with butter and Parmesan.

Pasta tossed in olive oil with sizzled garlic, chili flakes and parsley. A quick, humble classic.

Roman pasta of Pecorino and plenty of black pepper emulsified with starchy pasta water into a silky sauce.

Sicilian pasta with fried eggplant, tomato sauce, basil and salted ricotta.

Soft little potato dumplings served with butter and sage, tomato sauce or pesto.

Ligurian pasta dressed with a fragrant paste of basil, pine nuts, Parmesan and olive oil.

Milanese braised veal shanks in a tomato and vegetable sauce, topped with a fresh lemon-parsley gremolata.

Chicken braised 'hunter style' with tomatoes, peppers, onions and herbs until tender.

Thin veal cutlets topped with prosciutto and sage and pan-fried in butter. A Roman favorite.

Layers of fried eggplant, tomato sauce, basil and mozzarella baked until bubbling.

Lightly battered, crisp fried seafood and vegetables served with lemon.

Creamy cornmeal porridge of northern Italy, served soft with stews or cooled and grilled.

Breaded veal cutlet fried in butter until golden, similar to schnitzel.

Italy's classic morning pairing of a flaky, lightly sweet croissant-like pastry with frothy coffee.

Crisp toasted bread slices spread with fruit jam or hazelnut cream, a common home breakfast.

Golden fried rice balls stuffed with ragu, peas and mozzarella from Sicily.

Olive oil-rich, dimpled flatbread served plain, with herbs, or filled as a sandwich.

Roman fried rice croquettes with a molten mozzarella center.

Herb-stuffed roast pork sliced thin and piled into a crusty roll.

Rectangular pizza baked in trays and sold by the slice.

Hearty vegetable and bean soup with small pasta or rice, different in every region.

Tuscan reboiled bread and bean soup with kale, a thick and filling dish.

Rustic soup of beans and short pasta with tomato and rosemary.

Roman broth with ribbons of egg and Parmesan whisked in.

Tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil with olive oil, in the colors of the flag.

Tuscan salad of stale bread, tomatoes, cucumbers and basil.

Sicilian salad of sliced oranges, fennel and olives.

Rustic, airy loaf with a crisp crust, ideal for sandwiches.

Thin, crisp breadsticks from Turin.

Thin flatbread of Romagna, folded around cheese, greens or cured meats.

Coffee-dipped ladyfingers layered with mascarpone cream and cocoa.

Dense, silky Italian ice cream in flavors such as pistachio, hazelnut and fior di latte.

Crisp Sicilian pastry tubes filled with sweet ricotta cream.

Chilled vanilla cream set until just wobbly, served with berries.

Sicilian sponge cake layered with ricotta, covered in marzipan and candied fruit.

Twice-baked almond cookies perfect for dipping in coffee.

Light whipped custard of egg yolks and sugar, here made with grape juice, served warm over fruit.

Small, strong shot of coffee with a golden crema, the heart of Italian cafe culture.

Espresso topped with steamed milk and foam, usually a morning drink.

Espresso shaken with ice and sugar until frothy and served cold.

Sicilian semi-frozen ice of lemon, almond or coffee, often eaten for breakfast with a brioche.

Italian orange soda made with real citrus.

Large fragrant lemons from Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast, used in desserts, sauces and drinks.

Sicilian oranges with deep red flesh and a sweet-tart flavor.

Sweet fresh figs, eaten with prosciutto or cheese.

Green and black olives and the olive oil pressed from them are central to Italian cooking.

Intensely green pistachios grown near Mount Etna, used in gelato and pastries.

Sweet grapes grown from Piedmont to Sicily, enjoyed fresh, as juice and as raisins.