THE HISTORY OF ITALIAN FOOD WITH FOOD STOCK PICTURES, PHOTOS, IMAGES.
Our Italian stock food photos, pictures & images includes photos & pictures of classic Italian recipe dishes. The Italian Cuisine is one of the 5 great cuisines of the world. Our Italian food pictures & images show photos of some of the Italian classic foods from Pasta and Risotto to Piazzas images. Facts & history about Italian food.
To see our Italy stock photos,pictures & images quickly click on "Italian Pictures, Photos and Images" & "Pizza Pictures, Photos & Images"
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| Stock photos of pasta from our Italian stock Food photos Collection |
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has developed through centuries of social and political changes, with roots as far back as the 4th century BC. Italian cuisine in itself takes heavy influences, including Etruscan, ancient Greek, ancient Roman, Byzantine, Jewish and Arab cuisines. Significant changes occurred with the discovery of the New World with the introduction of items such as potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers and maize, now central to the cuisine but not introduced in quantity until the 18th century. Italian cuisine is one of the 5 great cuisines of the world and is noted for its regional diversity, abundance of difference in taste, and is known to be one of the most popular in the world, with influences abroad.
With culinary traditions from Rome and Athens, a cuisine developed in Sicily that some consider the first real Italian cuisine. Muslims invaded Sicily in the 9th century. The Arabs introduced spinach, almonds, rice and perhaps spaghetti. During the 12th century, a Norman king surveyed Sicily and saw people making long strings made from flour and water called atriya, which eventually became trii, a term still used for spaghetti in southern Italy. Normans also introduced casseroles, salt cod (baccalà) and stock fish which remain popular.
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| Stock photos & pictures of focaccia from our Italian stock Food photos Collection |
Italian cuisine has a great variety of different ingredients which are commonly used, ranging from fruits, vegetables, sauces, meats etc. In the North of Italy, fish (such as cod, or baccala), potatoes, rice, maize, corn, sausages, pork and different types of cheeses are the most common ingredients (tomato is virtually absent in most Northern Italian cuisines). Ligurian ingredients are quite different, and include several types of fish and seafood dishes, basil, (found in pesto sauce), nuts and olive oil are very common.
In central Italy including Emilia-Romagna, common ingredients include Parma ham, sausage (Zampone), different sorts of salami, truffles, lasagna, grana, parmigiano reggiano, tomatoes (Bolognese sauce or ragu), and tortellini are important elements.
In Southern Italy, tomatoes are used fresh or cooked into tomato sauce, peppers, olives and olive oil, garlic, artichokes, oranges, ricotta cheese, aubergines, courgettes, certain types of fish such as anchovies, sardines and tuna, and capers are important components to the local cuisine.
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| Stock photos & pictures of Spaghetti, bruschetta, from our Italian stock Food photos Collection |
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Italian cuisine and food is also well known for its use of a diverse variety of pasta. Pasta include noodles in various lengths, widths and shapes, and varieties that are filled with other ingredients like ravioli and tortellini. The word pasta is also used to refer to dishes in which pasta products are a primary ingredient. It is usually served with sauce. There are hundreds of different shapes of pasta with at least locally recognized names. Examples include spaghetti , macaroni tubes or cylinders , fusilli swirls, and lasagne sheets. Two other noodles, gnocchi and spätzle, are sometimes considered pasta. They are both traditional in parts of Italy.
Pasta is categorized in two basic styles: dried and fresh. Dried pasta made without eggs can be stored for up to two years under ideal conditions, while fresh pasta will keep for a couple of days in the refrigerator. Pasta is generally cooked by boiling. Under Italian law, dry pasta (pasta secca) can only be made from durum wheat flour or durum wheat semolina, and is more commonly used in Southern Italy compared to their Northern counterparts, who traditionally prefer the fresh egg variety. Durum flour and durum semolina have a yellow tinge in color. Italian pasta is traditionally cooked al dente or "firm to the bite", meaning not too soft. Outside Italy, dry pasta is frequently made from other types of flour such as wheat flour, but this yields a softer product that cannot be cooked al dente. There are many types of wheat flour with varying gluten and protein depending on variety of grain used.
Particular varieties of pasta may also use other grains and milling methods to make the flour, as specified by law. Some pasta varieties, such as pizzoccheri, are made from buckwheat flour. Fresh pasta may include eggs (pasta all'uovo 'egg pasta'). Whole wheat pasta has become increasingly popular because of its perceived health benefits. Most whole wheat pastas have a mixture of whole grain and regular grain ingredients.
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| Stock photos & pictures of risotto from our Italian stock Food photos Collection |
Venice and many surrounding parts of Veneto are known for risotto, a dish whose ingredients vary by location, with fish and seafood being added closer to the coast and pumpkin, asparagus, radicchio and frogs' legs appearing further away from the Adriatic. In other parts of Veneto, polenta is the primary starch. Beans, Peas and other legumes are seen in these areas with pasta e fagioli (beans and pasta) and risi e bisi (rice and peas). Veneto features heavy dishes using exotic spices and sauces. Ingredients such as stockfish or simple marinated anchovies are found here as well. Less fish and more meat is eaten away from the coast. Sausages such as soppressata and garlic salami are common. High quality vegetables are prized, such as red radicchio from Treviso and asparagus from Bassano del Grappa. The most notable dish of Veneto is fegato alla Veneziana, thinly-sliced liver sauteed with onions. Squid and cuttlefish are common ingredients, as is squid ink, called nero di seppia.
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| Stock photos & pictures of risotto & bruscetta from our Italian stock Food photos Collection |
| Stock photos & pictures of cheese pizzas from our Italian stock Food photos Collection |
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Pizzas are covered in depth in our "about Pizzas" web page, but have to have a mention on this page as an iconic Italian dish. Originating in Naples as a classic Neopolitan Pizza it has spread around the world ending up with many exotic toppings ranging from The Hawaiian Pizza with ham and pie apple to pizzas topped with Indian Chicken Tikka. Neither of the latter have anything to do with the Italian classic pizza. Our pizza photo gallery shows classic cheese pizzas to pizzas with pepperoni.
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| Stock photos & pictures of coffee beans from our coffee stock Food photos Collection |
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Italian style coffee also known as espresso is made from a blend of Brazilian coffee beans. Espresso beans are roasted medium to medium dark in the north, and gets darker moving south.
A common misconception is that espresso has more caffeine than other coffee but the opposite is true. The longer roasting period extracts more caffeine.
The modern espresso machine, invented in 1937 by Achille Gaggia, uses a pump and pressure system with water heated up to 90-95°C (194-203°F) and forced with high pressure through a few grams of finely ground coffee in 25–30 seconds, resulting in about 25 milliliters (two tablespoons) of liquid.
Espresso is usually served in a demitasse cup.
Caffè macchiato is topped with a bit of steamed milk or foam; ristretto is made with less water, and is stronger; cappuccino is mixed or topped with steamed, mostly frothy, milk. It is generally considered a morning beverage.
cafe latte is equal parts espresso and steamed milk, similar to café au lait, and is typically served in a large cup. Latte macchiato (spotted milk) is a glass of warm milk with a bit of coffee.
The Bicerin is also an Italian coffee, from Turin. It is a mixture of cappuccino and traditional hot chocolate, as it consists of a mix of coffee and drinking chocolate, and with a small addition of milk. It is quite thick, and often whipped cream/foam with chocolate powder and sugar is added on top.
More facts about Coffee and its history can be found in our Coffee fact sheet with pictures and images. |
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| Stock photos & pictures of coffee beans from our coffee stock Food photos Collection |
| Stock photos & pictures of fresh figs from our fresh fruit stock Food photos Collection |
OUR ITALIAN FOOD PICTURES, PHOTOS & IMAGES
OTHER PHOTO PICTURES & IMAGES COLLECTIONS FROM ITALY
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