What IS it about italian food?

[ptumbi]

I've just read another article from a well-known chef who is spouting one of the wonders of the known world that is Italian food. I get it, it's (supposed to be) healthy and lovely and full of sunshine and goodness...

BUT - is it? I Low-carb, and don't eat pasta, bread, pizza. In fact, when cooking for my young kids, I realised that pasta is generally flour and water pap. Mixed with oil, or cream, or meat sauces. It is that 'golden' ratio of carbs and fat that our bodies look for (hence doughnuts, cheese sandwiches etc being so delicious) but it's not actually very good for you!

This Chef was invited (of course) to an authentic 3-course lunch at an authentic rural family's smallholding, and fed in the sunshine surrounded by screaming happy children running about. Idyllic, yes? And of course there was the obligatory 'nonna' sitting next to her, smiling and making 'mmmm' noises.

I went to Naples last year, looking forward to the food (I don't low-carb on holiday). I had an 'authentic' Neapolitan Pizza which was basically a hard base, covered in watery tomato goop, and with a few Basil leaves chucked on top. Yummy. Not.

Everywhere we ate, the food was bog-standard - in fact we get better 'Italian' in the UK.

'Italian' food is vastly overrated. IMHO.

Constanz - i love food. Of course I had the occasional good meal; same as good meals I've had all over the world. Italy does not have the monopoly on good food! And in fact it can be mediocre at best, and absolutely crap at worst. Same as anywhere.

no need to act all superior about it. and that is my exact point. I don't see what is so superior about 'Italian' food. Good food, cooked simply, is the same all over the world - good! It's not me being superior about it - I am suggesting that TV chefs could cast their eyes a bit further afield and stop spouting that italian food is the best ever, anywhere. Cos it just isn't.

Why have you put quotation marks around 'chefs'. That's what they are, that's their profession. I'm not mad about Ottolenghi recipes but if he thinks Mediterranean food is best that's his choice and I'm not going to argue with him.
I like French regional cooking, I also like good English regional cooking. I've given talks about food history so I've cooked and eaten all manner of things.

If you don't think Italian food is the best, that's your opinion, other people think it's healthy and delicious. I'm not enamoured of Scandinavian cuisine but it's supposed to be very healthy.
I think you're looking for an argument.

Bluntness - so far you have called me racist, ignorant and now deranged. Would you like to elaborate? Or even contribute to the discussion? Or just throw insults about?

Or maybe just don't bother with this thread? I'm sure thousands of other posters are awaiting your 'Bluntness'.

*howdoyou^ my whole point is that TV chefs all seem to think that Italian food is amazing, all the time, everywhere. When it isn't.

I love food, and quite honestly good food is the same all over the world. Scandinavian food - meat and/or veg. Spanish - meat and/or veg. Chinese food - meat and/or veg. Seasonal and regional ingredients/spices/herbs aside, the plate is the same. Italian is nothing special - why are we constantly being told it is?

It sounds like you have health problems associated with carbs / wheat. Those aren’t common. Most people can eat and digest carbs just fine.

Just back from a crusie and in Naples we went for pizza and OMG it flew our minds!! We weren't even hungry so got a slice each and it was amazing.

I LOVE Italian food so I totally don't get it.

But if you were to look at italians eating they would have pasta/bread with meat, veg and salad etc. Not like here where it is pasta in a sauce. That is not Italian food.

You do sound superior....it's like you're suggesting anyone who claims Italian food is the best doesn't know good food.

For me, Italian food is the best and I have chosen to spend holidays in Italy for that reason. I've travelled extensively and eaten many different cuisines but for me Italy comes out on top. My husband preferred Vietnam and India.....but he doesn't tell me I'm wrong.
Maybe these celebrity chefs genuinely think Italian food is the best.....or maybe they know what sells and what people are most likely to try and cook at home 🤷

Blimey you’ve really got your knickers twisted over this haven’t you? Seriously chill out

It doesn’t suit your palate, fair enough 🤷🏻‍♀️

Haven't RTT but I have always loved Italian cuisine and I'm a good cook, with a love of good fresh ingredients, however, I had a long weekend in Rome a couple of years ago and was seriously disappointed by every meal I had - unlucky?
Tried to find places locals ate at etc and read reviews but no joy it was the worst thing about the holiday.

Goodness I once had pasta in lake Garda and I've never had anything like it. It was entirely different to what I thought pasta tasted like. It was homemade and bright yellow. Really wonderful food. I guess it depends where you go.

There's so much more than pasta and pizza. What I love is that main courses are often just fresh fish and salad, very low carb! Tourist hot spots can be so so for food but generally the quality is good and it's affordable. I prefer French food though!

Actually I don't think chefs are all saying Italian food is the best. They may have done a few years ago but the caravan moves on.
Isn't it more clean eating now? Fusion is still big, James Martin is all about American regional food and middle Eastern food is having it's day.

Are you watching repeats?

Italian food is cooked basically, very tastily.
Good meat, with good seasoning. Fab vegetables, in season. All locally produced. Tasty.

Could suit your low carb choice perfectly, if you adjusted your mindset.

Apples: "low-carb is essentially a fad diet? It's a weight loss tool".

I'm not sure that's true. The British Diabetic Society have been monitoring the Advantages of lower carb eating for some time. not just on type 2 diabetics, but particularly on type 1 diabetics. no peeks in blood sugars, less insulin generally required superb results in their HB1AC.

they've been monitoring this for some time. so I'm not sure it is just a 'fad diet'.

The diabetes diet isn’t low carb it’s low refined carb. It’s actually a medium/high complex carb diet when you consider the vegetables.

YABU. I was in Italy a few weekends ago and we had some amazing food that would suit a low carb diet. Lovely seafood and Melanzane parmigiana. Mmm

Also had some really delicious pizza but I'm not low carb.

I love Italian food. All fresh food cooked simply. No processed shite.

I'm not sure that's true. The British Diabetic Society have been monitoring the Advantages of lower carb eating for some time. not just on type 2 diabetics, but particularly on type 1 diabetics. no peeks in blood sugars, less insulin generally orequired superb results in their HB1AC.

What's appropriate for someone who can't control their blood sugar is not necessarily appropriate for a healthy individual. That's like saying because a low protein diet is essentialfor someone with PKU we should all eat low protein.

I wasn't suggesting it was good for all.

But I think it may grow in popularity for quite a lot of the population, not just diabetics, in time. Not all.

Because the lack of spike, and the lesser need for insulin, and the cravings side, which is complex but interesting, may be beneficial for others of the population.

Just as an aside!

"someone who can't control their blood sugar".

I don't know why that phrase bothers me. But I really don't like it. It may well be factually correct. But it's not very pleasant. Not a very nice way of describing my complex condition. I've been type 1 since birth, and it makes me sad to think that that is how my diabetes is seen. Btw.

What I love is that main courses are often just fresh fish and salad, very low carb! - and that is just Italian food, is it? I cook fresh fish/meat and veg - am I cooking Italian food? A plate of lambsteak cooked with oil and homegrown tomatoes on a griddle in Australia - is that 'Italian' cooking?

No I haven't got my knickers in a twist at all - I was just annoyed that yet another TV chef is flouting Italian cooking as the Gold Standard, which was (mostly) not my experience in italy at all.

My point is that the TV chefs (no I'm not watching repeats, this was from an article in a supermarket magazine last week) all seem to get invited to an authentic smallholding for lunch, eating surrounded by 3 generations of family and friends in the sunshine, and it's constantly touted as being the best food, so nutritious, so healthy; but flour-and-water pap isn't. Frozen sugar-and-cream isn't, no matter how much fruit you chuck in/on. Meat and veg - yes. Salad, etc -yes. But that is not only Italian - there are other cultures all over the world who eat and cook like that. Maybe not with the beady-eyed nonnas checking that the poor daughter/DIL is rolling out the Gnocci properly (Oh look, more cheap filler) but good food is good food anywhere.

I love food, and I eat mindfully - if I am in Naples, I seek out an authentic Neapoiltan Pizza whilst in the origin of the Pizza. And eat the wheat in the hope that the experience is worth the bloating later (Teddybear - many people are gluten intolerant. I am, DP is. So we low-carb but even if we didn't, we couldn't eat wheat every day).

I've eaten Cous-cous in Morocca; I wouldn't cook it from tescos. I've eaten fantastic Turkish bread in Turkey, or Cassava in South Africa, Moon Pies in China, Sushi in Japan - I wouldn't waste the calories or carbs eating them in the UK.

That's not being 'superior', it's knowing what is best for my body and eating treats mindfully. We are all different, and this thread is not about that. It's about moving on from 'Italian-food-is-great, we should all be eating like this.'

I do love a fresh caprese salad. Not to mention panzanella and chicken Milanese. Simple but so divine.

It is the quality of the produce that blows my mind ... the tomatoes are to die for ...

You seem very worked up over a non - issue. Why do you care what celebrity chefs are saying/doing?

As I said before it's probably got more to do with what appeals to a mass audience.

I do enjoy Italian food but, gelato and tiramisu aside, they're rubbish at puddings.

If you find these programmes so aggravating might I suggest not watching? Given you know sooo much about world cuisines and what is best for you body I'm not sure how much they have to offer you.