Category: Italian Food Traditions & Recipes

An Italian told me that while others eat to live, Italians live to eat, and he said that with his mouth full. Italians will enthusiastically share their restaurant recommendations and family recipes, and even as fast food creeps into their culture, Italians staunchly guard their traditional food products, as witnessed by the founding of the Slow Food movement. A favorite Italian proverb is “A tavola non si invecchia” – at the table one does not age – so relaxed meals are the key to a long life. Our culinary and walking tours in Italy feature authentic regional foods that highlight the amazing variety of dishes in Italy that are profoundly local.

Made in Italy – Italian Cheese Stamps

Posted In: Hiking & Walking Trails in Italy, Italian Food Traditions & Recipes

Italian cheeses are featured on a new series of Made in Italy postage stamps.

Italian Festivals: St Joseph’s Day in Sicily – A Real Feast

Posted In: Interesting Festivals & Events in Italy, Italian Food Traditions & Recipes, Understanding the Culture & Customs of Italy

The Festa di San Giuseppe in Sicily is a feast day that honors St. Joseph, and it mainly centers around food. The tavolata – laden table – of sweets and festival breads, and a day-long food auction are part of the celebrations. Of course, I was there to bid.

Traditions in Italy–Chiacchiere, Carnevale Sweets

Posted In: Italian Food Traditions & Recipes, Understanding the Culture & Customs of Italy

Carnevale is celebrated all over Italy, and one of its traditions is eating fried sweets, like chiacchiere.

Regional of Foods of Italy – ‘Mpanatigghi Biscuits from Modica Sicily

Posted In: Italian Food Traditions & Recipes, Provocative People & Cool Places in Italy, Travel Notes from Tours in Italy, Understanding the Culture & Customs of Italy

‘Mpanatigghi are a sweet biscuit from the town of Modica, Sicily with a long history dating back to the 16th century, and contain a surprise ingredient, most unusual for sweets in Italy.

Heirloom Apples from Mt Etna Sicily–Italian Apple Cake

Posted In: Italian Food Traditions & Recipes, Stories of Life in Tuscany & Sicily

Small heirloom apples grown on the slopes of the Mt Etna volcano in Sicily, are delicious on their own or try them in this Italian apple cake recipe.

Food Traditions in Italy-Unesco Mediterranean Diet

Posted In: Italian Food Traditions & Recipes, Understanding the Culture & Customs of Italy

At a free pasta feast in Rome, Italy celebrates the Mediterranean diet’s inclusion in the Unesco Intangible Heritage list.

Have Sausage, Will Travel – Exchanging Regional Foods in Italy

Posted In: Italian Food Traditions & Recipes, Stories of Life in Tuscany & Sicily, Understanding the Culture & Customs of Italy

Italians who travel to another town to visit family in Italy feel compelled to bring samples of the best of their regional food, exchanging it for local specialties to bring back home. I’ve lived on the family trade route between sausages, olive oil and gorgonzola.

How to Cure Green Olives

Posted In: Italian Food Traditions & Recipes, Stories of Life in Tuscany & Sicily, Understanding the Culture & Customs of Italy

A simple recipe for how to cure green olives that does not require daily attention.

Carob Harvest in Eastern Sicily – Food Culture in Italy

Posted In: Hiking & Walking Trails in Italy, Interesting Festivals & Events in Italy, Italian Food Traditions & Recipes, Stories of Life in Tuscany & Sicily

A visit to a carob mill when the carob harvest is in full swing in eastern Sicily, and time to contemplate the food culture of Italy during a walk among magnificent carob trees.

Pairing Italian Cheese and Honey

Posted In: Italian Food Traditions & Recipes

Pairing Italian cheese with honey is a common practice in Italy, and here are some tips on creating interesting flavor contrasts with cheese and honey. Special mention goes to my favorite carob honey.

Traditional Restaurants Serving Regional Food in Italy-Ristorante Maria Fidone in Sicily

Posted In: Italian Food Traditions & Recipes, Recommendations in Italy

Traditional restaurants that serve regional food in Italy can still be found at bargain prices in Sicily. A fine example is Ristorante Maria Fidone near Modica, Sicily, which serves regional dishes that vary with the season.

Wine Festivals in Italy – Celebrating Törggelen in South Tyrol

Posted In: Interesting Festivals & Events in Italy, Italian Food Traditions & Recipes, Italian Wine, Cellar Visits, and Wine-Tasting in Italy

When villages in Italy’s South Tyrol celebrate Törggelen, new wine can be tasted along with regional food specialties during this seasonal wine festival.