Treat yourself to a plate of decadent tiramisu in Veneto. — RASA KASPARAVICIENE/Unsplash
Each year in summer, a cherished ritual takes place in homes all over Italy: Harvesting and preserving pomodori (Italian for tomatoes).
Children and adults alike come together to partake in this affair. Crates of ripened tomatoes will first be washed, peeled and crushed before being cooked down into a puree. They will then be stored in jars to be enjoyed throughout the year.
Some families also dry the fruit under the sun, and this process is known as pomodori secchi.
If you’re planning on going on a gastronomy holiday in Europe, then your best bet is to start in Italy. Fair warning, though: You may not be able to continue your culinary journey to other countries after eating your weight in pasta, pizza, cheese, tiramisu, gelato and so much more!
Here is what each region in the country has to offer.
1. Sicily
The best way to celebrate Sicily’s long and rich pasta heritage is by trying its many varieties of mouth-watering pasta dishes.
Pasta comes in a diverse range of shapes and sizes – what we normally get from our supermarkets here are not even half of what’s available in Sicily. Busiata, for example, is a type of spiral-shaped pasta (kind of like fusilli but thinner and longer) from Trapani city.
You can experience the whole “pasta culture” through festivals like “Macaria” in Terrasini, as well as the “Sagra della Busiata al Borgo” in Salemi, which is an event dedicated to the busiata pasta.
Sicily is your best bet if you want to try all kinds of pasta. — Pixabay
Head to the birthplace of the world-famous Neapolitan pizza in Campania's Naples. — AURELIEN LEMASSON-THEOBALD/Unsplash
2. Campania
Not only is Naples the capital of Campania, it is also regarded as the “pizza capital of the world”.
So if you love pizza, you are going to want to visit Naples, where you can find freshly-baked pizza in every corner.
It doesn’t matter if you fold your slice of pie or cut it in smaller pieces – just enjoy it however you want.
With a history tracing back over 300 years, Naples’ very own Neapolitan pizza was inscribed on Unesco’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list about eight years ago.
3. Tuscany
If you think leftover dishes are unappetising, wait till you try the Tuscan ribollita. Tuscany may be renowned for its wines, but the region’s hearty, traditional soup also deserves the spotlight.
Ribollita simply means “reboiled”, which stems from its frugal origins, as it is essentially a day-old minestrone soup – consisting of cabbage, cannellini beans and olive oil – served with stale bread. This simple dish was a meal on its own back in the day when food was rationed and ingredients were very limited.
Traditionally consumed by labourers and farmers, the soup is a winter food sold in eateries around Tuscany’s Siena and Florence today.
Of course, these days the soup and bread are usually prepared fresh.
4. Emilia-Romagna
Imagine having a slice of cured meat served on a charcuterie platter in the heart of a vibrant park in Emilia-Romagna’s historic Bologna. You are not just trying any meat, but the region’s often raved-about mortadella.
There are, of course, also other ways to savour this cured delight. It goes well with freshly-baked breads, too.
You still have time to plan for a visit next month to attend the annual festival, “Mortadella, Please”, which takes place in Zola Predosa (Oct 10-12). As the name suggests, you can sample plenty of mortadella during your visit here.
Emilia-Romagna is also known as the heartland of gastronomy in Italy because of its vibrant selection of culinary specialities. Besides mortadella, prosciutto di parma (cured ham), lambrusco (sparkling red wine) and crescentina (local bread) are worth trying, too.
One of Emilia-Romagna's must-try is surely mortadella. — Visit Italy
5. Veneto
The perfect end to a meal is definitely dessert. When you are in Veneto, be sure not to miss the region’s delectable tiramisu.
Holidaymakers usually come here for the region’s romantic canals and the dramatic Dolomites range, but Veneto also lays claim to this well-loved dessert.
Did you know that tiramisu translates to “pick me up” in Italy’s Treviso dialect? And rightly so!
Though its origins still remain a mystery today, there are varying opinions on how it actually came into existence.
Some believe that it started at a restaurant but others think that it came from a local brothel.
Regardless, this classic dessert has gained global fame, with many people enjoying it all around the world.
6. Lombardy
Italy is not all about pasta and pizza, as risotto also makes up a large portion of the country’s culinary landscape.
Milan in northern Lombardy, for instance, reigns supreme when it comes to this Italian rice dish.
Its location being close to Po Valley, one of the country’s largest rice-producing regions, is what makes risotto alla Milanese a classic dish here.
Coated in a creamy sauce, risotto may look like porridge at first glance, but one bite will reveal its al dente texture.
The next surprise for the curious palate is the fragrance of saffron – among the key ingredients of this simple yet tasty dish.
Legend has it that the use of saffron started as a prank, when a glassmaker infused the spice (used to colour the stained-glass windows at the cathedral) into the rice at a wedding.
You can now find this classic dish, which has gone through many variations throughout the years, at many restaurants in Milan.
Sardinia’s special treat is the region’s traditional ravioli, culurgiones. — Wikimedia Commons
7. Sardinia
Meanwhile, the mountainous Sardinia has something equally special to offer visitors.
If you have never tasted the region’s version of handmade ravioli, locally called culurgiones, you are in for a treat.
And it’s definitely not the typical pillow- or square-shaped pasta you pictured.
When it comes to appearance, this one, which hails from the Ogliastra province, looks similar to a dumpling with a “wheat ear-shaped” seal. Think Malaysian’s well-loved curry puff.
Another enticing reason to try culurgiones is its flavourful fillings. It is packed to the brim with potatoes, pecorino cheese and fresh mint.
Head to places such as Sadali or Lanusei to check out festivals dedicated to culurgiones, where you can also sample the local variations.
