The culture of Italy encompasses the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, and customs of the Italian peninsula and of the Italians throughout history. Italy has been the epicentre of the Roman civilization and of the Catholic Church, as well as the birthplace of numerous movements including the Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassicism, and one of the starting points of Romanesque, the Age of Discovery, the Scientific Revolution, and European Integration.
Italy is considered a cultural superpower and the Italian peninsula one of the birthplaces of Western civilization.
Due to its comparatively late unification, and the historical autonomy of the regions that comprise the Italian peninsula, many traditions and customs that are now recognized as distinctly Italian can be identified by their regions of origin. Despite the political and social isolation of some of these regions, Italy played a prominent role in the cultural and historical heritage of Europe and of the Western world.
Italian cuisine has influenced food culture around the world and is viewed as a form of art by many. Wine, cheese and pasta are important parts of Italian meals. Pasta comes in a wide range of shapes, widths and lengths, including common forms such as penne, spaghetti, linguine, fusilli and lasagna.
The reason for this reverence for food and how it’s prepared stems from the importance of family in largely Catholic Italy.
Large extended family groups come together to eat as often as possible. The average year is littered with saint’s days and festivals, around which Italian family dinner traditions have grown.
So if you have large extended families gathering together during the festive or religious occasions, traditions become a big part of it. And that tends to revolve around Italy’s food culture.
Regional Italian food Tuscan beef is an item belonging to the north whereas black truffles originated in the Marches. The south is credited for producing mozzarella cheese and provolone along with a rich growth of citrus fruits. There was great variance even amongst the most commonly consumed items in Italy such as the different types or breads and pastas with the southern part of Italy preferring hard boiled spaghetti and the northern regions being more akin to consuming soft egg noodles. Pizza originated from Naples, tortellini from Bologna and Milan is famous for risotto.Through the course of time, however, Italian cuisine has evolved into a breed of its own due to a large amount of external influences. The Italians had initially absorbed ancient Greek cookery into their culture. With Roman ships bringing back wheat, wine, fine spices and other exotic ingredients, the Italians added new imports to their kitchens. They even got their ingredients from as far as China.
The coastal regions of Italy are credited for all the lovely fish and seafood recipes that we have today. Anchovies, swordfish, lobster and sardines are some of the main seafood items used in the coastal areas. Traces of Arab influence can also be found especially in the cuisine of Sicily with its spices and sweets. The origins of pasta are till date disputed as some claim it to be a product imported from China whereas others say it is 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!
