WebFoodCulture
The Best Italian Food & Wine
Welcome to WebFoodCulture! This site is dedicated to the most typical Italian food and wine specialties. We will explain what makes them so special and inimitable, starting with their history and their places of origin. We will spice up this with lots of information and interesting facts. Finally, we will discover the most traditional restaurants and producers: this way you will be able to savor the most authentic flavor of these excellences of taste. Enjoy reading or, rather, buon appetito!
Brunello di Montalcino, one of the standard-bearers of the Italian winemaking tradition, is produced in Tuscany, in the territory of the Municipality of Montalcino, not far from the city of Siena. It’s a red wine of great structure and elegance, which is not afraid of the passage of time.
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Origin: Montalcino (Toscany) Typology: Wines
Pandoro is, together with Panettone, one of the ‘classics’ of the Italian Christmas holidays. A simple dessert with an austere character, owing its great success to the elegance of taste and appearance, characterized by the typical golden reflections.
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Origin: Verona (Veneto)
Typology: Desserts
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Albeit Struffoli were not invented in Naples, resulting from the contamination of ancient gastronomic cultures, over the centuries they have become ambassadors of the Neapolitan taste in Italy and around the world.
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Origin: Naples (Campania)
Typology: Desserts
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Culatello di Zibello is a typical specialty from the Bassa Parmense area in the Italian region of Emilia Romagna. It’s unanimously considered of such value that it has earned the appellation of ‘King of Cured Meats’.
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Origin: Zibello (Emilia-Romagna)
Typology: Cold cuts
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Strolling through the narrow Venetian alleys it’s easy to come across some ‘bacari’: small taverns where it’s possible to enjoy, in addition to wine, some of the tastiest local specialties, also known ad ‘cicchetti’. (coming soon)
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Origin: Venice (Veneto)
Typology: Historic food places
‘Zampone’ is undoubtedly one of the excellences of Modenese gastronomy, heir to a very ancient peasant tradition that contributes to increase its appeal. (read more)
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Origin: Modena (Emilia-Romagna)
Typology: Cold cuts
REGIONAL SPECIALTIES
Veneto Region, thanks to its particular morphology including flat, mountainous and coastal areas, can boast a food and wine industry rich in a wide variety of specialties. Tasty delicacies, just perfect to accompany tourists while visiting splendid cities of art or enjoying breathtaking landscapes. Let’s find out all of them, with the precious help of their most traditional producers.
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‘Spritz’ is one of the most popular and appreciated Italian long drinks. Its basic recipe is very simple and was invented in the Veneto region in the 19th century. Over the years, it evolved into numerous variations: currently the best known is the ‘Aperol Spritz’, made using Aperol bitter.
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THE EXCELLENCES OF ITALIAN TASTE
Carbonara is undoubtedly one of the best-known and most appreciated Italian pasta specialties: a simple dish prepared with equally simple ingredients, which, although it cannot boast of very ancient origins, is considered very traditional. This happens because it represents the perfect synthesis of a culinary sensibility matured over the centuries in a precise geographical area. A sensibility making this delight of the palate one of the most representative symbols of the gastronomy of Rome and, more in general, of the entire Lazio Region. (read more)
Origin: Lazio Typology: First courses
In this article we will find out how Balsamic Vinegar is made. A very ancient procedure whose origins date back to the time of the pharaohs, handed down from father to son and used still today by the most traditional producers of this specialty, gathered in the Balsamic Vinegar Consortia. (read more)
Cotechino is one the most exquisite Italian sausages, heir to a millennia-old tradition that some scholars trace back to the ancient Egyptians. Made from pork meat and rind, it comes in different variations according to the production zone. The most famous is that of Modena. (Read more)
Origin: Modena (Emilia-Romagna)
Typology: Main courses / Cold Cuts
Probably not everyone knows that the origins of Babà, the famous Neapolitan specialty, are linked to a region in northeastern France, Lorraine, and to an exiled Polish king, Stanislaus Leszczyński. Let’s find out the fascinating history of this dessert and its secrets.
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Origin: Naples (Campania)
Typology: Desserts
Buffalo mozzarella is a key ingredient in the preparation of the queen of pizzas: the ‘Margherita’. In this regard, it’s important to remember that the world’s most-known Neapolitan specialty can also be made using ‘normal’ mozzarella (i.e., ‘Fior di Latte STG‘ made from cow’s milk). (read more)
BEVERAGES
The birth of Lambrusco wine is closely linked to the evolution of the wild vine (‘vitis silvestris’) growing in the territories of the current provinces of Modena, Reggio Emilia, Parma and Mantua. The earliest records relating to this wine date back to classical times and are included in the literary works of Cato (‘De agri cultura’), Varro (‘Naturalis Historia’), Pliny the Elder and Virgil. (read more)
Origin: Emilia-Romagna / Lombardy Typology: Wines
Some bottles of Italian wine carry around their necks a strip of paper, the ‘fascetta’, bearing the acronym ‘DOCG’ (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita). This certifies that, after many examinations and repeated checks, the state guarantees the origin and the quality of the product. (read more)
STREET FOOD
Unleavened flatbread is a very ancient type of food, that has evolved into many forms over the centuries. ‘Piadina’ is one of them. This specialty was born in one of the most interesting Italian regions from a food and wine point of view: Romagna. (read more)
Origin: Emilia-Romagna
Typology: Street Food
Even if specialties similar to fried pizza can be found in many parts of the world, the one from Naples boasts unique features: many of them are related to the particular nature of the city. These peculiar characteristics make it special. (read more)
Origin: Naples (Campania)
Typology: Street Food
In Naples the ‘cuoppo’ (also known as ‘cuopp’), a cone made with straw paper, is used by the local people to carry around the delicacies just bought in a ‘friggitoria’ (typical fried food shop).
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SPECIALTIES FROM THE WORLD
‘Wasabi’ is one of the symbols of Japanese gastronomy: it’s a soft, green-colored paste that can boast ancient origins, often used to accompany sushi. This condiment stands out for a particular kind of spiciness. (read more)
Origin: Japan
Typology: Main courses
Asado is a typical specialty from Argentina, consisting in roasted meat (‘asar’ means ‘to roast’). To eat this delicacy while in the company of the local people, gives the opportunity to start understanding the spirit itself of this country. (read more)
Origin: Argentina
Typology: Main courses
1956, the American jazz singer Bulee “Slim” Gaillard dedicates a song to one of the most famous snacks in the world. Not by chance, the name of the song is ‘Potato Chips’. (read more)
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