I once ordered a pepperoni sandwich, completely sure I asked for a vegetarian sandwich. When I sat down with my friends to eat, I unwrapped the sandwich and I noticed the meat inside. “I asked for a pepperoni sandwich, not salami!” I thought. An Italian food guide in the U.S.A: that was something I should have looked at.
I decided then to make myself an Italian food vocabulary guide. It was worth the try! The food listed down below are just a brief overview of some of the most famous Italian dishes and food. Trust me, those real facts may sound nonsense for someone non-Italian, but the content still remains delicious. The more you know, the tastier!
Pepperoni has too many “p’s”
“Pepperoni” is a type of salami, composed of cured beef and pork. If you happen to drop a “p,” the word becomes “peperoni,” which in Italian means “bell peppers.” So, be sure to mark and underline the double “p” when ordering a pizza. If you are in Italy and ask for that, you’ll receive a totally different topping on your pizza!
Coffee time
Coffee time is a big moment in Italy too. No coffee, no work. A true Italian only drinks coffee served inside small cups, with the handle right-oriented. Coffee is always stirred back and forth, even when no sugar is added. That’s the strict Italian way to drink coffee and enjoy its time.
Alfredo and his sauce
Despite the fame this kind of sauce has, especially in the United States, in Italy Alfredo sauce is simply know as “pasta with butter and Parmesan cheese.” Although, it is true that a guy named Alfredo did exist and invented this kind of sauce.
Tip: Don’t expect be served a pasta dish with an Alfredo sauce in Italy. They probably have never heard of Alfredo and his sauce. If you explain what it actually is, they would possibly arrange you a good pasta with butter and Parmesan cheese as well.
Italian (American) dressing
This vinaigrette-type of salad dressing is everything but Italian. It is very common in the North American cuisine. Salads in Italy are dressed with just olive oil, vinegar, salt, and black pepper. Italians hardly put lemon juice or bell peppers in their salads.
Mozzarella: which one?
Although mozzarella is identified as one type of cheese, there are many varieties which differ in shape, consistency and process production – bufala, bocconcini, burrata, treccia, fiordilatte – and many other kinds.
The learning part of an Italian food guide can be fun, but more interesting is the practice: tasting the delicious treats! Read 5 Staple Italian-American Dishes That Don’t Exist in Italy to get some tasty info too.