Cuizine: A deep dive into the history of Italian food

Legend has it that pasta – arguably Italy’s most famous national dish – was a product brought back from China by a Venetian merchant, Marco Polo. However, according to historians, pasta was actually a rediscovery of a food item that was eaten during the Etruscan and Roman times. It’s thought that the first pasta in Italy was made similarly to the way noodles are made – the same durum wheat – and was cooked in ovens instead of boiled in water.

Amore is the Italian word for love, and we love the pasta dishes at Amore in Glasgow. With two locations – one in Merchant City and another in Dennistoun – the family-run restaurants (run by the Perella family, originally from the village of Picinsco in Southern Italy) have a dedicated pasta menu, which is made with with pure passion. Among the highlights is the Fusilli Napoletana (twisted pasta with ripe plum tomatoes in a fresh tomato and herb sauce), Penne Amatriciana (strips of bacon cooked in a fresh tomato sauce with onions, garlic and fresh spices) and Penne Del Femio (a house speciality consisting Italian sausage sautéed in an olive oil, onion and mushroom sauce with white wine, herbs and a touch of garlic, chilli and ragu sauce). There are also traditional classics such as lasagne, cannelloni, spaghetti bolognese, penne arrabbiata and spaghetti carbonara.

The word pizza was first documented in A.D. 997 in Gaeta and successively in different parts of Central and Southern Italy. Various ancient cultures produced basic flatbreads with several toppings, and the precursor of pizza was probably the focaccia. This was known to the Romans as ‘panis focacius’, to which toppings were then added. Modern pizza evolved from similar flatbread dishes in Naples, Italy, in the 18th or early 19th century, becoming what we know and love today.

We can’t get enough of the pizzas at Tavolino – a neighbourhood Italian restaurant and bar on the river at London Bridge. Their dishes are simple, but of the highest quality, made with only the best produce they can get their hands on from Italy and the UK. The pizzas start with crispy, hand stretched, sourdough bases, and are made with various mouthwatering toppings. We love the gorgonzola riserva, made with San Daniele prosciutto, artichokes and walnuts, as well as the goat’s cheese, balsamic onions, leeks and guanciale. Lipsmackingly good!

Coastal regions of Italy are renowned for their seafood. The island of Sardinia has a more traditional and simple approach for example, compared the Sicily, which has been largely influenced by North Africa. Expect Mediterranean delicacies like swordfish, lobster anchovies and sardines to feature heavily in Italian seafood dishes.

For a modern take on classic Italian cooking, look no further than Nannetti’s in Dublin. They use the best and finest produce and ingredients around, creating their own take on classic Italian dishes fresh every day. The highlights on the highly impressive menu is the seafood. For starters from the all day menu, try the Fritto Misto, which is mixed fried fish with lemon aioli. Gorgeous. For mains, go for the Nasello in Brodo: Pan fried hake, Dublin bay prawns, clams and mussels in a tomato white wine broth. Unmissable.

Rice was introduced to Sicily and Spain in the 14th century by the Arabs. Rice cultivation continued in Naples and eventually extended to northern Italy via the marshes of the Po river valley. It was here in the north of Italy, particularly Milan, that the recipe version that most resembles what we eat in the 21st century was first published in 1829.

Amalia in Liverpool has one of the most extensive Italian menus you’ll come across, including a dedicated section to risotto. Here you’ll find three different options to mull over. There’s the Risotto Radicchio Pancetta – creamy rich Italian arborio rice served with radicchio, pancetta and parmesan cheese Finished with Parmesan and butter; the Risotto Funghi Misti – creamy rich Italian arborio rice served with wild mushroom and parmesan cheese and finished with Parmesan and butter; and the Risotto Gamberoni e Zafferano – creamy rich Italian arborio rice served with tiger prawns, saffron and courgettes, finished with Parmesan and butter. All of them are too good to miss!

Gelato, which translates to “frozen” from Italian, is a frozen treat from Italy which was originally created in the 16th century. Historians are not sure who originally invented it, but one of the most popular versions is the story of Bernardo Buontalenti, a native of Florence, who supposedly created a form of the modern gelato. Tiramisu, on the other hand, is a little more mysterious. Origin stories seem to vary, but what we do know is that it was invented in the 1960s or 1970s, making it a much younger dish than its Italian peers. Some accounts of the origin of tiramisu date its invention to the 1960s in the region of Veneto, Italy, at the restaurant “Le Beccherie” in Treviso. Whether that’s true or not… well, that’s up to you.

Two things about Tre Ciccio are much clearer than tiramisu: one, they were firmly established in 2016, and two, they serve some of the best gelato and tiramisu in the country. They have a selection of gelati available, you just need to ask your waiter/waitress for the day’s offerings, while the tiramisu served is a classic ‘pick me up’ of sponge fingers dipped in strong coffee, topped with amaretto and mascarpone cream, dusted with cocoa powder.