Italy is a country of traditions. Almost every street corner encounters a living and breathing tradition.
Above shops selling tobacco and gambling games, a sign reading SALI E TABACCHI still flies even though they stopped selling salt a long time ago. The telephone answering in Italy is Pronto (ready) as a reminder of the operators who used to connect two people wanting to talk, and there are many more examples.
Even in a traditional Italian meal, order is preserved. There are rules, and anyone who breaks them wears a badge on their forehead – I am a tourist.
Coffee with milk – only until 11:00 AM.
First course? Pasta or rice never with sides.
Pizza? Only for dinner.
So, to be Italian in Italy, let’s get acquainted with the tradition.
Breakfast Colazione
Start with an espresso, cappuccino, macchiato, or caffe latte – there are many types. As mentioned, coffee with milk is only until 11:00, after that Italians drink espresso, and maybe, just maybe, a macchiato with a hint of milk. Alongside, something sweet and light: a croissant (light and airy), toasted bread with butter and jam/honey. This is how the day starts. A caffeine hit with some sugar after a few hours of ‘fasting’ (sleep). Some will have coffee at home, while others will enjoy it at a bar underneath their house or close to their office.
Around 11:00
They will eat a sandwich – this could be a tramezzino (the known sandwich made of triangular bread without the hard crust), or ciabatta, the Italian bun, with mozzarella and tomato. Various local sandwiches can be found everywhere.
Lunch Pranzo
They will sit down for a light, warm, and good meal, just before the traditional afternoon rest (Riposo, Sonnelino). This could be at a place called Tavola calda, a self-service restaurant, or at a fixed trattoria where they will have an antipasti dish along with one first or main course, something light. Some will eat at home, while others will do so close to work since the ‘rest’ tradition is no longer valid at their workplaces.
For many Italians, there are also two intermediate stops before dinner:
- There are those who wake up from their nap to a light meal at 4:00 PM called MERENDA which could be a light cake or slices of bread with jam.
- After work, on the way home, enthusiasts will stop for an aperitivo, a drink at a nearby bar to refresh. A drink with a bit of alcohol combined with an herbal drink, ice, and soda. A chilled drink sums up the working day well.
Dinner Cena
Several possibilities:
If they eat at home, there will probably be cheeses in the center of the table, boiled vegetables, simple wine, and maybe a slice of chicken breast with potatoes. Wine at the meal will always delight the heart of man. Italians rarely eat raw vegetables, and if they do, it will be a green leaf salad with olive oil, salt, and balsamic vinegar. Tradition, we already said?
In Italy, it is customary to eat pizza in the evening, as it is considered a family or friends outing. If you find pizzerias open during lunchtime, they are probably targeting tourists. Also, before the pizza, while it is getting ready, it’s customary to order some antipasti.
And now to the classic structure, always consisting of 4 courses:
The meal begins with antipasto – appetizers that open the appetite. These can be fried, soup, grilled vegetables, crostini (toasted bread), boiled vegetables, or pickled vegetables. Not all of these, of course, just one or two to awaken the appetite and give time for pasta/rice to cook here and now.
Now, and only now, the first course Primo will arrive – as mentioned, pasta or rice. Short or long, with tomato or cream sauce, stuffed or in a special form. Rice is the classic risotto with toppings from each region (mainly from the north).
It is worth mentioning that the pasta or rice portion should not exceed 100-110 grams. Not a large dish and not a main one.
The main course Secondo will include a meat dish (in regions inland) or fish (in coastal areas or near lakes), again, the portion is not large. Alongside (at an additional charge) are sides such as cooked beans, potatoes, spinach, or chard.
Important: side dishes will never come alongside the first course! The second course will never arrive until all diners have finished the first course. This tradition is a tradition.
Alongside, there is always wine and often also sparkling water.
We finish with a slice of cake or tiramisu. Or any local dessert dessert and coffee (espresso!)
This is the structure of traditional meals in Italy. It is not mandatory, and sometimes it will be flexible with changes for various reasons. Sometimes they will prefer to have a classic meal at lunch; sometimes, this meal will come on Sundays, the day of rest, at noon. However, it is advisable for each of us to be aware that when dining in a restaurant, generally, the order of the meal and the menu structure will follow this presented structure. There is no obligation to take all 4 courses (antipasti, first, main, and dessert), but some places may frown even if only one course is ordered (the excuse “because we are not very hungry” won’t help). It is important to emphasize that there is no law that obliges one to eat this way. Nevertheless, the waiter will find it very difficult to serve the desired schnitzel as a second course alongside the first course. Restaurants that also serve locals guard the tradition of the meal and the order of things jealously. It should be remembered that we are guests at their table; they are not doing anyone a favor.
Pay attention when reading the menu. In some places, it is written in ‘special font’ that might be unclear to tourists. Don’t hesitate to ask for help.
The division in the menu will be as follows, each topic will be detailed on one or even two pages:
- Antipasti (appetizers)
- Primi piatti (first courses)
- Secondi piatti (main courses) and they will also be divided in certain places into Carne (meat) or Pesce (fish)
- Contorni (sides)
- Dessert or Dolci (desserts)
And finally – in restaurants, remember to pay COPERTO which is a charge per person for table covering (tablecloth, napkins, cutlery, bread, and perhaps a pitcher of tap water).
Buon Appetito to you throughout the day!
