Italian Food

With all the great food I’ve been eating for the past few months I’ve been so surprised I am not 20 pounds heavier than I was when I first arrived. As you may know already, food is a big part of the Italian culture. Italians love to take their time when it comes to eating and it’s important to them to sit down and enjoy each others company while enjoying a lot of food. There are also so many different places around Florence you can go to where you could discover your new favorite place every week! This week, my post is dedicated  to the delicious food around Florence.

1) Pizza

Of course I had to begin with my favorite food of all time: pizza. The pizza in Florence is so good and it is also extremely easy to find. Nearly every restaurant or bar you will come across in Florence will have pizza. If it doesn’t, that would be extremely rare. I love the pizza here in particular because not only it is thin crust, but it is also made from fresh ingredients which makes all the difference! I am also enjoying the fact that I don’t need to blot the oil out of my pizza before I eat it, like I would in the states. 

2) Pasta

The pasta here is another type of food that deserves attention as well. With the countless ways of creating a dish, there is no way you would not be able to fall in love with a pasta dish here. Pasta is another dish you will find in ever restaurant. My favorite kind is pasta with mushrooms and truffle. Although you may find this dish in the states, it can’t compare to the freshness of the pasta in Italy.

4) Olives

Another type of food I love here is the olives. This year was a great year for olives because it has been very sunny. The olives are so easy to find here and they also are prepared in various ways; some marinated in oil, vinegar, or with spices. Olives make a perfect midday snack!

5) Panini

As if I haven’t named enough foods with carbs, here is another one. Paninis are very popular in Italy. There are countless sandwich shops all around florence where you can grab a fresh panini on the go. My favorite panini is the mozzarella, tomato, basil, and pesto panini. Again, the fresh ingredients make all the difference when it comes to food here. Paninis are not often eaten in restaurants but, it’s common to grab one at a bar while you’re walking around the city. 

6) Gelato

Gelato is something I had to add to this list. Gelato is very popular in Florence and you will always see people walking around outside with a delicious cone in their hand. There are so many different types of gelato flavors in Italy like tiramisu, chocolate, coffee, hazelnut, and more. One thing that I love about Italy is that people eat gelato all the time. Even when the weather gets chillier people still have gelato in their hands! It makes me feel less guilty for getting gelato once or twice a week…

7) Cheese

Last but certainly not least, cheese is one of my favorite foods in Italy! I have cheese at least once a day. My love for cheese began at home in the US, but after trying cheese for the first time in Italy, I didn’t realize what I was missing out on. There are so many different types of cheeses I can choose from, I barely get the same cheese twice! My favorite is mozzarella cheese with some salt, pepper, and olive oil. It’s a simple and easy snack that tastes so good!

One major thing I have realized about the food in Italy is that there are a lot less preservatives than foods in America. When I get food from the grocery store like meats and vegetables, the food will go bad almost twice as fast as it would take for food in America to go bad. It’s scary to think about how long foods last in America now. I would much rather take several trips to the grocery store than eating foods with so many preservatives. I have a feeling that Italian food will be one of the first things I’ll miss when I come back home! I can’t believe it is almost time to go. I feel like there are still so many more things to do and more food to try. For now, I have a trip to Rome coming up that I am looking forward to. I can’t wait to share my experiences there soon!

-DM

5 cheese Pizza and a salad

Gelato: hazelnut and dark chocolate