Italian Style Regional Cooking

Bryan Corsini Business Development Manager – Italian & Center of the Plate

So, what’s trending in Italian food? Not a question you hear from family members who just want to go out and get their PASTA ON! That’s it right? Let’s get a plate of spaghetti and meatballs and call it a night. Regardless of the genre of food, Americans feel like they know what to expect when they go out for cultural representation of cuisine rather it be Latin, Asian, or any other. We want what we are comfortable with and expect.

What is trending in Italian, Latin, or Asian food is traditional regional cooking?

I remember my only trip to Italy. I sat down and ordered a pizza. I was expecting what I was comfortable with and was shocked at the meal that came to the table. It was followed by an unrecognizable pasta dish, kissed by a very unfamiliar sauce and grilled meats that were true to their flavors and origins. Nothing was slathered in tomato sauce. Nothing was dripping with excess cheese. In short, it was nothing I expected.

Italy is the number one destination for experiencing authentic Old-World cuisine for travelers worldwide. Most of the dishes are rich with history and tradition, based on the regional ingredients available in season. When the seasons change, so does the food. From Abruzzo to Veneto, Italy offers a wide range of regional cuisine predicated on various climates and landscapes. For centuries, Italians have relied on traditional ingredients as inspiration for distinctive cuisine in each region. If you can't make the trip to Italy, use this guide as inspiration for creating Italian dishes.

Molise and Abruzzo

Known for their simple, rustic approach to cuisine, Abruzzese cooks are masters at transforming the freshest and most basic ingredients into incredible meals. One favorite type of pasta is maccheroni alla chitarra. They are roughly translated to Guitar Pasta. This noodle is made with sheets of egg dough, cut into strips using a special rolling pin on a stringed wooden box. My grandmother used this method. I was always amazed at the consistency she produced. No heavy red tomato sauce; instead, you will find popular seasonings in many Abruzzo dishes like hot its rich traditional cuisine. Including basil-scented tomato sauce, sautéed zucchini, herbs, scallion sauce, and spicy chili-garlic paste. Another popular Basilicata dish is Cialled, a hearty soup that showcases vegetables from the midsummer harvest, such as broccoli raab, fresh peas, or whatever is fresh and newly harvested at the market. The tomato sauce is treated with respect to the fruit's natural flavor. Basil, the regional namesake, is the primary, and in many cases, the only added flavor to these tomato sauces. Fresh, spicy peppers, fresh squash or peas, salt, and olive oil are the true flavors allowed to shine through. It is the food that is about the ingredients.

Calabria

Campania

chili peppers, saffron, and olive oil with a fruity flavor. In the neighboring region of Molise, the peasant tradition continues with a variation. Their cuisine features the region's golden olive oil and locally cultivated herbs like fennel and rosemary. These presentations are more common than any other across the Italian nation. A simple, artfully made noodle dressed in regional fresh peppers, herbs, and oils.

Basilicata

It is possible to find tomato-covered pasta, but it is used as more of a condiment. Aromatic and flavorful sauces are a Basilicata specialty, a region in Southern Italy known for

Influenced by Greek, Middle Eastern, and Albanian techniques, Calabrese's cooking features dishes seasoned with the region's famous chili pepper, a mix of sweet and savory spices, and flavors not traditionally associated with Italian eating. Cured meats like Schiatta and other spiced salamis are laced with aromatic flavors that are true to this region. Nduja, a spicy, spreadable salami, is another Calabrian specialty. Primarily eaten on bread, Nduja is more like pate and is rather foreign to American pallets.

Along the Italian Coast, Campaniastyle food is bursting with the fresh flavors of seasonal vegetables, which grow in abundance and variety because of the rich volcanic soil of Mount Vesuvius in Naples. Their most famous food is pizza, which features locally sourced toppings like sun-kissed vegetables and herbs, along with salty capers and fresh buffalo mozzarella. The Amalfi Coast is renowned for its many dishes featuring fresh seafood, like mussels, octopus, squid, and clams, tossed in homemade pasta.

Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna

The Italian food basket, this northern Italian region is known for cuisine featuring meat and game. Game birds, rabbits, and feral pigs are incorporated into a hearty and variant diet. This region produces the country's most iconic foods, like Prosciutto di Parma, ParmigianoReggiano, and Balsamic Vinegar. Cooks in this region have a passion for rich flavors, like variations of stuffed pasta like ravioli and tortellini, seasoned with herbs and locally made sausage. In Tuscany, you'll find ravioli, typically filled with ricotta and various types of meat like pancetta and then coated with butter and sage, a tomato sauce, or meat Ragu, tomato sauce flavored with meat stock and ground, shredded, or chunked meat olive oil, which is cherished worldwide.

Lombardy

into the sauce. Something a bit more familiar to American pallets.

Lazio

An agricultural region that celebrates Rome, the capital of Italy. The countryside of Lazio has been preserved since the days of the ancient Empire. In this region, lamb and pork are featured ingredients, as well as artisan, farmhouse cheeses made with cow and sheep's milk. Cooks here are passionate about simple, clean pasta featuring locally grown herbs and vegetables, and this is the main theme. What is fresh and flavorful goes in the pasta and on the table.

Liguria

This Mediterranean region features some of the best food in Italy.

Ligurian cuisine harvests the best ingredients from the land and sea. These ingredients include meaty porcini mushrooms, buttery, flavorful pine nuts, and succulent anchovies. Shellfish and bronzini, coupled with squid and octopus, make so many dishes juicy and succulent while maintaining a regional, homestyle presentation. The region also produces delicate

With three distinct northern landscapes, Lombardy, relies heavily on its fertile farmland, green, rolling foothills, and snowy mountainous meadows. In this cold northern climate, rice and corn are grown abundantly, which is why rich risottos and polentas are choked full of local and delicate mushrooms and locally produced meats and cheeses. Veal, beef, sheep, and cow's milk cheeses are common ingredients in every meal.

Sicily

This region is truly a separate and heavily Greek and Middle Eastern influenced discussion of culinary development. It features some of Italy's most famous cuisine. Sicilian food showcases a menu of rich and complex dishes like elaborate homemade kinds of pasta for dinner entrees, gourmet stuffed meats and locally produced cheeses as antipasti. Sicilians have a love great everyday recipes like caponata and pasta alla Norma. The eggplant is the Prince of Sicily, simple, flavorful, and filling.

Umbria

Centrally located in central Italy, Umbria neighbors Tuscany, and this landlocked region uses pork in most, if not all, its classic dishes. Pork butchers from Umbria are known as the best in Italy and were also the first to produce Guanciale, a type of cured meat from the pig's cheek. Guanciale can be used as an ingredient or featured as an addition to Antipasto. Aromatic black truffles are also found in this region. They grow wild in the surrounding forests. Umbrian chefs use this highly prized fungus for adding a gourmet touch to meats, pasta, and risottos.

affair with the simple eggplant. A diverse and flavorful member of the Nightshade Family, eggplant can be fried, broiled, sautéed, or stewed. These treatments result in

These are only a few of the regions of Italy that feature regional specialties and traditional and historic culinary applications. When it comes to Italian cuisine, seek variety. Crave the unexpected and get uncomfortable. You will be glad that you got outside your comfort zone and began exploring the regional foods of Italy.

PFS Recommended Proteins

PFS ITEM #467565 2 7.7 AV LEVONI PORK PORCHETTA SEASND RSTD

PFS ITEM #476547 2 11 AV LEVONI MORTADELLA W/PISTACHIO NUT

PFS ITEM #538539 4 2 LB LEVONI SALAMI SCHIACCIATA PICCANT

PFS ITEM #538544 2 3.7 LB LEVONI SALAME MILANO

PFS ITEM #538583 2 5.5 LB LEVONI PANCETTA CKD

PFS ITEM #578790 4 2 LB LEVONI CAPICOLA HOT HAM HALF DRY

PFS ITEM #578792 4 1.8 LB LEVONI CAPOCOLLO HALF SMKD SPICY

PFS ITEM #615915 2 5.5 LB LEVONI PANCETTA CKD FZ

PFS ITEM #632740 2 2.2 LB LEVONI SALAMI NAPOLI HLVS SMKD

PFS ITEM #635463 2 4.4 LB LEVONI SALAMI FINOCCHIONA

PFS ITEM #726209 4 2 LB LEVONI GUANCIALE W/BLK PEPPER FC

PFS ITEM #232994 1 14 LB PIANCONE PROSCIUTTO DI PARMA DOP

PFS ITEM #625109 8 1 LB PIANCONE PROSCIUTTO ITALIANO SLCD

PFS ITEM #544734 2 10 1 LB PIANEPIC VEAL HINDSHANK OSSO BUCO

PFS ITEM #544746 40 4 OZ PIANEPIC VEAL CUTLET LEG POUNDED

PFS ITEM #549562 2 9 LB PIANEPIC LAMB LEG BRT TRMD

PFS ITEM #549692 5 2 LB PIANEPIC LAMB MEAT LEG CUBED 1 IN F

PFS ITEM #549693 5 2 LB PIANEPIC LAMB GRND 80/20 FZ

PFS ITEM #581114 28 6 OZ PIANEPIC LAMB LOIN CHOP B/I 6 OZ FZ

PFS Recommended Pastas

PFS ITEM #616861 2 3 LB PIANEPIC RAVIOLI MUSHROOM LG SUNFLO

PFS ITEM #616862 2 3 LB PIANEPIC RAVIOLI 5 CHEESE LG SUNFLO

PFS ITEM #616871 2 3 LB PIANEPIC RAVIOLI SHORT RIB JUMBO RN

PFS ITEM #616873 2 3 LB PIANEPIC RAVIOLI LOBSTER LG SUNFLOW

PFS ITEM #616875 2 3 LB PIANEPIC RAVIOLI BTTRNT SQUASH SM R

PFS ITEM #616877 2 3 LB PIANEPIC RAVIOLI SAUSAGE & BROCCOLI

PFS ITEM #616887 3 3 LB PIANEPIC LINGUINE SQUID INK 27-29 P

PFS ITEM #616897 3 3 LB PIANEPIC PASTA BUCATINI 27-29 PORTN

PFS ITEM #617153 2 4 LB PIANEPIC SACCHETTI GORGONZOLA & PEA

PFS ITEM #787529 26 5.6 OZ LLYPASTA SPAGHETTI PORTN PACK FZ

PFS ITEM #787535 2 3 LB LLYPASTA RAVIOLI SPINACH & CHEESE

PFS ITEM #787537 26 5.6 OZ LLYPASTA SPAGHETTI SPINACH PORTN PA

PFS ITEM #796867 2 3 LB LLYPASTA RAVIOLI CAJUN CRAWFISH RND

PFS ITEM #801353 27 5 OZ PIANEPIC PASTA SPAGHETTI CHEF PACK

PFS ITEM #801364 27 5 OZ PIANEPIC PASTA SPAGHETTI SPINACH FZ

PFS Recommended Beans

PFS ITEM #784474 12 19 OZ PROGRESO BEAN CANNELLINI

PFS ITEM #785985 6 14 OZ RACCONTO BEAN CANNELLINI