The jewel in the crown of Italian cooking is pasta. Forget the dried stuff in packets, the finest pasta I’ve ever tasted is the fresh variety prepared in Naples. Apparently this level of excellence is down to the quality of the water, which is said to be chemically superior to that anywhere else in Italy. Or maybe they’re just better cooks.
It was the Neapolitans, too, who masterminded the pizza. The Americans can only claim the credit for the great PR job they’ve done for the takeaway. The inventive Neapolitans were also the first people to freeze cream in order to make a sweet that you can truly stick your tongue in when you lick it from a cone.
Anyone who tells you that eating a whole load of food with the same flavour is boring has misread the Italian menu. This common mistake occurs when pasta is ordered as a main course. There is an infinite variety of Italian main courses, ranging from beautifully cooked poultry with herbs, meats simmered in wine, and seafood dishes that have won world acclaim.
The historic split between North and South plays a powerful part in dividing up the diet. The North has always been closer both geographically and in spirit to Germany and France. Risotto is the North’s secret weapon but, often presented as a grey, gloomy mass in a bowl, it is not an easy dish for the British to get their teeth into. Don’t be fooled by its appearance. The use of fine vegetables and spices and prized Arborio rice turns this dish into one for which it is worth acquiring the taste.
Much to the delight of my tastebuds, Italy has managed to cling on to its ancient regional identities and is fiercely traditional when it comes to food – almost to the point of culinary chauvinism. To the Italians ‘tasting foreign exotica’ means sampling a dish from the neighbouring town!