Food always tastes better in Italy!

I am sure you have heard this many times or even said it yourself if you have been to Italy. Food really does taste better in Italy! Italian cuisine is one of the most popular in the world for a reason. In Italy it is one of the most important aspects of daily life. In fact, Italians are obsessed with food because it’s so strongly associated with family. Recipes are passed down through generations and become part of a family’s identity, a town’s identity and a region’s identity.

Food is so much more than sustenance in Italy. It is culture, emotion, beauty and family. A meal is always something to be savoured, even a lunch break at work.

Seasonality is the key

What makes food so delicious is the respect for local and seasonal ingredients. When you eat seasonally, you are assured of a delicious meal, filled with fruits and vegetables at the height of their flavour.

The combination of many different terrains and a temperate climate gives Italy a huge range of fruits, vegetables and grains. Apples thrive in the cold mountains of Alto Adige; the best rice is found in the Po Valley; olives love the dry flatlands of Puglia; citrus thrives in the warm, salty Sicilian soil.

There’s a reason why 89 of Italy’s 222 DOP and IGP products are fruit, vegetables and cereals - from potatoes in Calabria to basil in Liguria.

Let’s talk seasons!

SPRING

Italy’s gardens burst into life with the return of spring from the 20th of March to the 20th of June. The green leaves and flowers bring with them an abundance of fruit and vegetables.

This is the season for picking wild cherries, shelling spring peas, fave e cicoria in Puglia, carciofi alla giudia in Rome, risotto with fiori di zucca and creamy desserts flavoured with strawberries.

Fruits to eat in spring

lemons (limoni), oranges (arance), mandarins and tangerines (mandarini), grapefruits (pompelmi), kiwi (kiwi!), strawberries (fragole), cherries (ciliegie), apples (mele), raspberries (lamponi), pears (pere), cantaloupe/melons (meloni).

Vegetables to eat in spring

fava beans (fave), asparagus (asparagi), artichokes (carciofi), zucchini flowers (fiori di zucca), peas (piselli), leeks (porri), beets (barbabietole), beans (fagioli), garlic (aglio), spring onions (cipollotti), broccoli, green beans (fagiolini), brussels sprouts (cavolini di Bruxelles).

SUMMER

Italy’s juiciest season runs from 21st of June until 22nd of September. Think tomatoes, lemons on the Amalfi Coast, lemon granita in Sicily, caprese salad in Capri (where it was invented), thin pieces of prosciutto wrapped around a slice of melon for the perfect merenda (afternoon snack).

Fruits to eat in summer

tomatoes (pomodori), lemons (limoni), strawberries (fragole), figs (fichi), watermelon (cocomero/anguria), apricots (albicocche), peaches (pesche), plums (susini), cherries (ciliegie), currants (ribes), blueberries (mirtilli), blackberries (more), prickly pears (fichi d’India), grapes (uva).

Vegetables to eat in summer

zucchini (zucchine), cucumbers (cetrioli), eggplant (melanzane), peppers (peperoni), basil (basilico), parsley (prezzemolo), arugula (rucola), celery (sedano), carrots (carote), green beans (fagiolini), onions (cipolle), lettuce (lattuga), rhubarb (rabarbaro), new potatoes (patate novelle).

AUTUMN

Known as the harvest season, autumn begins from 23rd of September until 21st of December. This is the time of the grape and olive harvests which promise wine and olive oil. Now you can look forward to porcini mushrooms, chestnuts, pumpkins and truffles. On many street corners, expect to see roasting chestnuts, especially in Rome. Try shaved white truffle on top of practically everything!

Fruits to eat in autumn

figs (fichi), prunes (prugne), grapes (uva), apples (mele), apricots (albicocche), peaches (pesche), plums (susini), pomegranates (melograni), pears (pere), persimmons (cachi), oranges (arance), lemons (limoni), tangerines (mandarini).

Vegetables to eat in autumn

eggplant (melanzane), fennel (finocchio), spinach (spinaci), porcini, mushrooms (funghi), truffles (tartufi), pumpkin (zucca), chicory (cicoria), cauliflower (cavolfiori), cabbage (cavolo), radish (ravanello), potatoes (patate).

When living in Italy, it’s not necessarily a conscious choice. Most Italians buy their fruit and vegetables at markets or fruttivendoli, so the produce on display will be what’s in season. Be sure to visit a market or fruttivendolo when next in Italy!

Ci vediamo la prossima settimana.

Deb