This summer, I spent 10 days in Sorrento, Italy with my family. I traveled along the Amalfi Coast and learned the history of the country, practiced the language, and ate incredible food. Although I often indulge in pizza and pasta in the United States, the food in Italy was one of the highlights of my time there. Everything was fresh and light, and always made me feel good after finishing it, something I don’t often feel when I eat meals in America. I don’t think it will surprise anyone when I say food was the highlight of my trip. So I documented just about everything I ate. Here are some of the highlights that you should try if you ever get the chance to go.
Pasta
Pasta was the plate I ate the most while in Italy, and it truly did not disappoint. I pushed myself to order something different every night as a way to make sure I experienced all the flavors Italy had to offer. This included truffle pasta, gnocchi, candele alla genovese (a pasta dish made with boneless beef chuck roast), carbonara, pasta pomodoro, and spaghetti bolognese. On the last night of my trip, my family and I took part in a cooking class with a professional chef who lives on his family farm. With him, we learned how to make a simple tomato sauce with roasted garlic, fresh tomatoes, basil, freshly-packaged Durum wheat pasta, and olive oil. We cooked it to be al dente, so it tasted a little firm. The sauce was light and fresh and was the perfect serving to keep me full.
Pizza
While I was in Italy, I had margarita pizza a number of times, as well as pizza with pesto, prosciutto, and ricotta. Unlike the pasta, I felt as though the pizza in Italy was not dissimilar to the pizzas you might order at an Italian restaurant in the United States. However, I enjoyed the pizza in Italy more because all of the tomatoes are grown in the country. Additionally, since the cheese is made in the country with fresh milk, it has a different consistency than the packaged cheese you find in the grocery store. The cheese was more firm and succulent in Italy than in America.
Risotto
Risotto is made with arborio rice, chicken broth, vegetables, and parmesan cheese. It is rich, creamy, and a delicious comfort food. I ate this dish twice in Italy, and both times left feeling beyond satisfied. Each restaurant had a different take on this classic dish. One night, my family and I ate dinner in a restaurant on a lemon farm. There, I had a light and more soup-like risotto with flavors of zucchini and lemon. This was my first time having risotto of this style. Additionally, later on in the vacation, I had risotto again, this time with mushrooms. Unlike the risotto at the lemon farm, this risotto tasted more like recipes I’ve had before. It was creamier, more rich, and the rice stuck together more.
Gelato
Before I left for Italy, everyone told me I had to make sure I tried gelato, and it did not disappoint. I tried tons of flavors, including dark chocolate, milk chocolate, pistachio, stracciatella (chocolate chip), and mint. The biggest difference I saw between gelato and ice cream was how strong the flavors were. The dark chocolate was extremely rich and had a heavier consistency than any ice cream I’ve had in the United States. Plus, after I returned home, I looked it up and learned gelato is made with a smaller percentage of butterfat, is churned at a slower rate, which incorporates less air and is served at a different temperature than ice cream.
Caprese
I would say that the two most common ingredients you will find in dishes across Italian restaurants in Italy are tomatoes and mozzarella. My family had some sort of caprese during almost every meal while we were in Italy, whether it was on a panini, on a pizza, or even on its own. The mozzarella cheese was delicious abroad. It was creamier and slightly chewier than the fresh mozzarella I’ve tried in America. Plus, the tomatoes were sweeter and softer than the ones I find in the grocery store in the States.