4 Fun Facts About Italian Food You May Not Know
Lake of the Ozarks Italian food can be quite different from the traditional cuisine you would find in Italy. From pizza to pasta, each chef has his or her own take on how it should be made. At Li'l Rizzo's we focus on generous portions and a wide variety of menu items, all made from the freshest quality ingredients. While Italian food has successfully spread across the world, many facts about traditional Italian cuisine remain unknown or misunderstood. Here are some interesting facts about Italian food that you may not know!
Everyone knows that pizza originated in Italy. However, something they may not know is what that pizza actually looks like. Today we have everything from deep dish to thin crust and everything in between, with as many different toppings as you can think of. Most of the pizza served in America has little resemblance to that which you'd find in Italy. Authentic Italian pizza virtually always has thin crust.
If you order a "pepperoni" pizza in Italy, you may be surprised when they bring out a vegetarian pizza for you. In Italy, the word "peperoni" means bell pepper. So if you order a pepperoni pizza, you're going to end up with a spicy, thin-crust pizza loaded with peppers. The standard pepperoni pizza as we know it in the United States doesn't event exisit in Italy. Pepperoni is an entirely American type of salami sausage, usually made from a mixture of pork and beef.
While spaghetti and lasagna are essential to traditional Italian cuisine, Fettuccini Alfredo is not. In fact, if you try to order it in Italy, it most likely won't be on the menu. This recipe didn't even originate until 1914, when chef Alfredo di Lelio created it as a trademark menu item at this eponymous restaurant in Rome, Alfredo. He eventually opened up a restaurant in New York, where his dish became famous and spread across the U.S. In Italy, Fettuccini Alfredo remains Alfredo di Lelio's recipe and most chefs have not added it to their menus.
If you've ever eaten stiff or overly chewy pasta, you know that its a fact pasta can be under-cooked or over-cooked. Overcooking pasta is a big concern in Italy. The term "al dente" is used to describe when the noodles have reached the perfect level of preparation. You've probably heard about throwing spaghetti at a wall to see if it sticks and it's true! Italian chefs actually do use this test to see if the noodles are done. However, you have to be careful because pasta will stick to the wall if it is overcooked as well. While slightly overcooked pasta may not have too much of a difference in taste, studies have shown that over-cooked pasta is more difficult to process and digest than that cooked to perfection.
Source: https://www.udemy.com/blog/italian-food-facts/
1. Traditional Italian pizza virtually always has thin crust.
Everyone knows that pizza originated in Italy. However, something they may not know is what that pizza actually looks like. Today we have everything from deep dish to thin crust and everything in between, with as many different toppings as you can think of. Most of the pizza served in America has little resemblance to that which you'd find in Italy. Authentic Italian pizza virtually always has thin crust.
2. Pepperoni pizza is an American variation on Italian food.
If you order a "pepperoni" pizza in Italy, you may be surprised when they bring out a vegetarian pizza for you. In Italy, the word "peperoni" means bell pepper. So if you order a pepperoni pizza, you're going to end up with a spicy, thin-crust pizza loaded with peppers. The standard pepperoni pizza as we know it in the United States doesn't event exisit in Italy. Pepperoni is an entirely American type of salami sausage, usually made from a mixture of pork and beef.
3. Fettuccini alfredo is not traditional Italian cuisine.
While spaghetti and lasagna are essential to traditional Italian cuisine, Fettuccini Alfredo is not. In fact, if you try to order it in Italy, it most likely won't be on the menu. This recipe didn't even originate until 1914, when chef Alfredo di Lelio created it as a trademark menu item at this eponymous restaurant in Rome, Alfredo. He eventually opened up a restaurant in New York, where his dish became famous and spread across the U.S. In Italy, Fettuccini Alfredo remains Alfredo di Lelio's recipe and most chefs have not added it to their menus.
4. You can tell if pasta is under-cooked by throwing it at the wall.
If you've ever eaten stiff or overly chewy pasta, you know that its a fact pasta can be under-cooked or over-cooked. Overcooking pasta is a big concern in Italy. The term "al dente" is used to describe when the noodles have reached the perfect level of preparation. You've probably heard about throwing spaghetti at a wall to see if it sticks and it's true! Italian chefs actually do use this test to see if the noodles are done. However, you have to be careful because pasta will stick to the wall if it is overcooked as well. While slightly overcooked pasta may not have too much of a difference in taste, studies have shown that over-cooked pasta is more difficult to process and digest than that cooked to perfection.
While knowing these facts can be a great conversation topic over dinner at your favorite Lake of the Ozarks Italian restaurant, the important thing is that you see what Italian food has to offer and find what your family loves most. At Li'l Rizzo's we have everything from Alfredo to Spaghetti and thin crust "Pepperoni" pizza to vegetarian pizza. Stop on by either of our Lake locations and check out the BEST Italian food at the Lake of the Ozarks!
Lake of the Ozarks BEST Italian Food and Sports Bar!
HISTORY OF ALFREDO DI LELIO CREATOR IN 1908 OF “FETTUCCINE ALL’ALFREDO” (“FETTUCCINE ALFREDO”), NOW SERVED BY HIS NEPHEW INES DI LELIO, AT THE RESTAURANT “IL VERO ALFREDO” – “ALFREDO DI ROMA” IN ROME, PIAZZA AUGUSTO IMPERATORE 30
ReplyDeleteWith reference of your article (for which I thank you), I have the pleasure to tell you the history of my grandfather Alfredo Di Lelio, who is the creator of “Fettuccine all’Alfredo” (“Fettuccine Alfredo”) in 1908 in the “trattoria” run by his mother Angelina in Rome, Piazza Rosa (Piazza disappeared in 1910 following the construction of the Galleria Colonna / Sordi). This “trattoria” of Piazza Rosa has become the “birthplace of fettuccine all’Alfredo”.
More specifically, as is well known to many people who love the “fettuccine all’Alfredo", this famous dish in the world was invented by Alfredo Di Lelio concerned about the lack of appetite of his wife Ines, who was pregnant with my father Armando (born February 26, 1908).
Alfredo di Lelio opened his restaurant “Alfredo” in 1914 in Rome and in 1943, during the war, he sold the restaurant to others outside his family.
In 1950 Alfredo Di Lelio decided to reopen with his son Armando his restaurant in Piazza Augusto Imperatore n.30 "Il Vero Alfredo" (“Alfredo di Roma”), whose fame in the world has been strengthened by his nephew Alfredo and that now managed by me, with the famous “gold cutlery” (fork and spoon gold) donated in 1927 by two well-known American actors Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks (in gratitude for the hospitality).
See also the website of “Il Vero Alfredo”.(with news also about franchising).
I must clarify that other restaurants "Alfredo" in Rome do not belong to the family tradition of "Il Vero Alfredo – Alfredo di Roma".
I inform you that the restaurant “Il Vero Alfredo –Alfredo di Roma” is in the registry of “Historic Shops of Excellence” of the City of Rome Capitale.
Best regards Ines Di Lelio
That's a really nice blog. I enjoyed reading it. But, do you have anything on fun facts about burgers?
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