Italy has a well established history for unique cuisine. Italy has created many of our favourite meals which are simple to learn with enough scope to create personal variations. Pizzas and Bolognaise are an exceptional example with many different regional and cultural variations.

To help you learn more about traditional Italian cuisine we have provided a brief view of some of Italy’s favourite dishes.

Risotto is one of Italy’s original dishes, originating from Northern Italy. Risotto is made from rice and stock which allows it to be customised as a fish or vegetable dish to suit different tastes. Innumerable different recipes have been created from the basic formula using wine, different kinds of meat and cheese.

Risotto is made from special grains of rice such as Arborio and Carnaroli. Risotto is one of the most popular ways of cooking rice in Italian cuisine (most dishes use forms of pasta such as spaghetti or tagliatelle). Certain regions of Italy are rich with rice fields which has made risotto a popular meal particularly around Milan.

What distinguishes risotto from other similar rice dishes is that the grains of rice are fried before being added to the stock. This preparation helps to give risotto its unique flavour and texture. Popular risotto recipes include Risotto alla Milanese which is made from either chicken or beef stock with saffron for additional flavour.

Spaghetti bolognaise is a classic meal we all know well with many regional variations. Whilst spaghetti bolognaise isn’t an original Italian dish it uses many staples of Italian cuisine to create a similar dish both taste and nutrition wise.

Spaghetti bolognaise consists of a bed of spaghetti with mince poured on top in a bolognaise sauce. Parmesan is also widely served as a garnish to put on the bologna sauce. In the traditional Italian dish the bologna sauce is usually made to a slightly different recipe and is served on tagliatelle.

Bolognaise sauce is a tradition of the bologna region of Italy where it is known as ragu alla Bolognese. Contrary to many regional variations Bolognaise usually contains small quantities of tomato usually added as a paste.

Tiramisu is one of Italy’s and increasingly the world’s favorite desserts. Similar to other classic Italian dishes tiramisu can be enjoyed in a traditional form or incorporated into cakes or other desserts to create a luxurious treat. Tiramisu was originally a specialty of Italian restaurants but is now served in a variety of restaurants and establishments.

Tiramisu translates from Italian into pick me up. This is fitting as the main ingredients which supply the flavour are chocolate, coffee and rum which help to give the dish a bit of kick. Traditional tiramisu is made using a shot of espresso coffee, mascarpone cheese, eggs, cream sugar, marsala wine, chocolate, rum and sponge cakes called lady fingers.

As the ingredients suggest tiramisu is an indulgent dish, perfectly suited to round off an Italian meal. Other variations of tiramisu are also served using different flavours such as strawberry or orange to replace the coffee.