Food is important in every culture.  We all have to eat, and eating connects us socially in ways that permeate every aspect of life.  In Italy, food is "twice blessed because it is the product of two arts, the art of cooking and the art of eating," author Marcella Hazan wrote in "The Classic Italian Cookbook." In this YouTube series, you can see almost 200 videos featuring rare and unusual dishes that capture the essence of regions across Italy.  Watch Italian 'nonne' in their own homes making traditional pasta dishes as well as gnocchi, breads, soups, and more.

When you think about Italian food, the first foods that spring to mind might be pizza, pasta, Parmesan, or gelato, coffee and maybe even bread and olive oil.  However, the long list of Italian foods includes a long list of other exciting options including risotto, polenta, fish and meats, salami, cured meats and cheeses.  What Americans know as Italian food is not necessarily what you find in Italy. Italians tend to identify themselves first from their region before identifying themselves as Italians. Americans, used to eating the wide range of Italy’s national cuisine, may be surprised at how regional Italian cuisine can be. Finding particular dishes and ingredients that one thinks of as quintessentially Italian, may be challenging because they may actually be quintessentially Sicilian, Roman, Tuscan, Sardinian, Piemontese, etc.

Additional Reading from the Menuism Italian Food Blog:
• The History of the Pizza
• 10 Things to Know About Pasta
• 10 Things to Know About Olive Oil