What Italian Foods Are People Overseas Missing Out On?

Onionman

Onionman

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Nov 9, 2014
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Most people think Italian food and immediately think of pizza and pasta. We all know spaghetti, lasagna, etc etc.

To me, that's a bit limiting and probably missing a huge range of foods, particularly as a lot of people's perception of pizza, for example, is from a restaurant chain.

So what foods are we non-Italians, that also don't live in Italy, actually missing out on?
 
I can think of a few :) Although, I'm not sure if this is accurate information, because maybe some of the Italian foods are cooked, say.. in New York, some in London, some in Germany... Many Italians have chosen to emigrate, plus the kitchen influences are starting to spread a lot lately :) But, here's what I have personally been missing out, before I came to Italy:

Torta Fritta - such a simple food, flour, water (or milk), salt fried in grease. Served with a bunch of salami and a glass of wine, makes the perfect snack!

Pesto - this is one of those foods that are already famous worldwide, but I have tasted in Italy for the first time. Not knowing what the heck it was, I used it on sandwiches :D (like, instead of butter). Then found out it's great for pasta dishes!

Cotechino with lentils - it's some kind of boiled salami, served with a side of lentils. It's an Italian traditional food served at New Year's.

Mozzarella - sounds weird... but Italian mozzarella is to die for! I've bought it at home, when I went to visit, my sister has bought it as well but after tasting the one made in Italy, the other ones are plain awful..

Piadina - it's sort of a flatbread, cooked on a terracotta, folded in 2, containing vegetables, salami, cheese, sauce, whatever you like. I've tried eating it outside of Italy... it was awful!
 
Have you guys tried Italian ice cream? It's simply to die for......... I love the fior di latte version and I just cannot find it anywhere in South Africa. Even those that are passed off as "Italian ice cream" here just don't taste the same. I wish that someone would import them. They'd have a regular customer for life!
 
It's more of an acquired taste and it is available around the world though at double or triple the price, but I miss my Loacker Tortina biscuits that you can buy in the bar with a coffee. They are simply the best and I would treat myself to a pack each week.

If you ever see them, try them as you won't regret it.
 
Is it true that most Italian foods are of higher quality than elsewhere? For example, if I were to go to a "quality" Italian restaurant in America and try unique foods, is authentic Italian food still superior? Also, are there any Italian foods that even those restaurants may not have?
 
Sounds like there are quite a few that I haven't tasted. Pesto, Italian mozzarella and porcini mushrooms are pretty much the only ones that I've tried from the list!

On the quality of food front, I always assume the fresher, the better. A lot of Italian food made outside of the country is going to be made with the local palate in mind. So authenticity is always going to be an issue, even if it is first- or second-generation individuals making it. Whether "authentic" means the same as "better" is down to personal taste.
 
Oh my! There are so many of them that I have not had in years. Lasagna is a favorite and it's really tasty when the aunts bring them in. When I have lasagna, I also order extra Parmesan cheese. I have been craving the green spaghetti and the seafood spaghetti. :) I like to cook, but I can't make seafood spaghetti without fresh seafood.

Risotto is one dish I have not had the chance to eat. My sisters were always asking what makes Risotto special, and I would tell her that there are just so many Risotto recipes out there that we need to try. :D
 
Onionman said:
A lot of Italian food made outside of the country is going to be made with the local palate in mind. So authenticity is always going to be an issue, even if it is first- or second-generation individuals making it. Whether "authentic" means the same as "better" is down to personal taste.
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Yes, especially as the tomatoes in Italy just taste different to elsewhere, for example. I think the trick is to get all your ingredients imported straight from Italy. When I make pasta, I find that my best dishes are made from imported items, especially with the pasta and the sauce. Local varieties of the Italian one just don't taste as good.

I'm not sure whether it's the climate, the Italian soil, or both. I can definitely taste the difference, though.
 
VeeTee said:
Even those that are passed off as "Italian ice cream" here just don't taste the same.
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It's true, I've tasted the "Italian ice cream" when I went home and it was summer, it says Italian, but the taste doesn't even come close! It may be because they have the recipe, but not the right ingredients...

Forhavu said:
Is it true that most Italian foods are of higher quality than elsewhere? For example, if I were to go to a "quality" Italian restaurant in America and try unique foods, is authentic Italian food still superior? Also, are there any Italian foods that even those restaurants may not have?
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I'm 99% sure this is the case, yes.
There are Italian restaurants opened all over the world, but their food will never taste the same as in Italy. Just like VeeTee says above, even the dull tomato has a different taste in Italy than anywhere else (and, if you ever noticed, when buying groceries imported from other countries, they all have a different taste). And tomatoes are nothing, think about the mozzarella, the salamis, the pasta.... they might import these from Italy but, did you know that the foods fabricated for export are different than the ones fabricated for consumption in Italy?

Coffee is the best example.
The Lavazza you buy in Italy is amazing.
The Lavazza I bought at home, from the supermarket, with "MADE IN ITALY" written on it, tasted awful.....
 
Rosie said:
Coffee is the best example.
The Lavazza you buy in Italy is amazing.
The Lavazza I bought at home, from the supermarket, with "MADE IN ITALY" written on it, tasted awful.....
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That actually reminds me of an article that I read last week or so about copied foods. I'm wondering whether you're having this experience? It may be called Lavazza but it is actually something else? Copied foods is quite a money making racket.
 
It wouldn't surprise me if some cheaper or lesser quality ingredients were used for export markets. These may well be 'Made in Italy' but they wouldn't be the stuff that Italians eat. The 'Made in Italy' brand goes a long way to make up for perception compared with reality.
 
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Looks like italian soil has something that makes vegetables better. Then free range animals eat the grass from that soil and give better meat and milk too. So it is more about the ingredients than the cooking style.
 
Onionman said:
It wouldn't surprise me if some cheaper or lesser quality ingredients were used for export markets. These may well be 'Made in Italy' but they wouldn't be the stuff that Italians eat. The 'Made in Italy' brand goes a long way to make up for perception compared with reality.
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This is done worldwide. It's the policy of the market. I know that European Union has one standard for the EU countries and another for the rest of the world. Bosnia is not a part of the EU and all of the products are of lesser quality. My grandma was the one to notice this, actually, with the washing powder. I bet it's the same with most of the things marketed, food included. The spaghetti are an excellent example. How many of them actually have the label but don't taste as good?
 
I second the mozzarella comment :p I was never a huge fan and would avoid it in my caprese but here it is so creamy and delicious...

My favorite things are the sweets. Cannoncini alla crema were a cornerstone of my childhood--and so hard to find outside of Northern Italy/Ticino. They are puff pastry horns filled with pastry cream. And my Nonna makes cioccolata calda--Italian hot chocolate. It's thickened with corn or potato starch and is closer to a pudding than typical hot chocolate.
The difference is really clear in photos:
Cioccolata calda: https://www.google.ch/search?q=cioc...yciwBNaRgrgO&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1076&bih=678
Hot chocolate: https://www.google.ch/search?q=cioc...sch&q=hot chocolate&revid=1459368169&imgdii=_

Luckily you can make this at home, no need to be in Italy!
 
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