Why is Italian food so good

[hipslikecinderella]

It seems to be so far above most of the rest of europe.
I know pizza, pasta and ice cream became so popular in western culture partly due to Italian immigrants to the us, but other nations went there and their food didn't really hit the big time in the same way.

A friend cooked me an Anna Del Conte (sp?) ragu. It was just meltingly good. I don’t even really like meat much. But it was fantastic.

I am not crazy about pasta but I have eaten many delicious meals in Italy, mostly fish dishes. Good Italian food is quite simple, but I wouldn't call it plain.

"Sorry but I cant eat Italian food at all. Can't stomach pasta, pizza, garlic, Parmesan, things coated in olive oil etc. etc. etc. ☹️"

Me too. Pasta is so bland and boring - on a par with rice which I also find fairly tasteless. Pizza is like having cheese on toast ... and I prefer cheese on toast. I hate olive oil , garlic, parmesan and Aranchinis.

When I've been in Italy I noticed they often serve veal. Best thing about italian cuisine is definitelty their ice-cream.

Usually has cheese, lots of carbs ie dough/pasta, lots of tomato sauce/herbs depending on what you have.

I personally like rich food and to me Italian is my favourite cuisine I love pizza, I love pasta bakes, lasagne. I love gnocchi. It’s comfort food and I could eat it all day everyday. I love savoury food more than sweet and I love cheese, tomato and dough/pasta/potato (what gnocchi is made of for people who think it’s pasta like I did at first) it’s very filling and warm and just a delight to the tastebuds for me.

I know gnocchi isn't pasta but it may as well be - tasteless lumps made from eg, potato/flour/cornflour/eggs/semolina (take your pick) and just like pasta, needs a sauce.

Another one here who totally does not understand pasta. For me it is just a tasteless filler. I don't get white rice or white bread either.
There are great things apart from pasta in Italian cuisine though. Some soups and stews are to die for.
From all Mediterranean cuisines, I think I prefer Turkish / Armenian / Georgian.

Italian food is my favourite too.

I think it’s the salt that makes it so tasty!

Parmigiana, crocchette, octopuss with potatoes, swordfish involtini, mixed fried sea food. And my grandma's salad, with the vegetables she grows, with red tomatoes, onions and origano.

God, I miss those, I would like to teleport myself sometimes.

It’s the same reason why Indian and Middle Eastern food is so popular too - it’s often simple, quick and easy. Never let anyone tell you otherwise - most home food from hot countries tends to be designed so the cook spends as little time in the kitchen as possible.

If you buy nice pasta you do taste the difference. For a couple of quid extra you get something much nicer than the supermarket stuff.

I’m with a pp, I think proper Japanese food is amazing. I’ve noticed that a lot of people there are time poor, and also don’t have ovens in their kitchens, so there are so many dishes that can literally be cooked in 10 minutes on the hob. I’m a big fan of quick meals. I actually hate sushi, I think they have much nicer foods than that so not sure why that one in particular is so popular here! I find when I eat Japanese food I get full but never get that stuffed uncomfortable feeling that you get from some other cuisines,

That being said, I do like Italian too. But that can make me feel full and uncomfortable. My most disliked food is Indian, my ex was Indian (which may be something to do with it!) but it seemed that virtually every dish started from the same base ingredients, then a ton of spice so everything tasted virtually the same. I vowed when we broke up I would never eat another Indian meal again.

Love proper Italian food, pasta dishes there are usually simple ingredients but taste divine. Like Bergamo’s dish with sausage meat and sage, or Cortinas beetroot ravioli one with butter. My mouth is watering !

@Asta19 i have felt uncomfortably full after a plateful of Nutella doriyaki (big fluffy pancake things) and after a monstrous okonomiyaki (kind of like a cross between a Spanish omelette and a fry up but with noodles). It was delicious. But I swear I can still taste it years later

I grow basil, have a salad for lunch with fish most days , when I pick the basil leaves I always inhale the aroma heavenly. Sun ripened tomatoes the flavour exploding in your mouth. When I am peckish and cannot be bothered to make a meal a small bowl of pasta with a sprinkling of parmesan hits the spot.

But not all italian food is pasta and pizza.

I was there for a month recently and didn't eat either once. Instead, I ate fish, cheese based dishes, courgette flowers, aubergine parmigiana, risotto, panzanella, salads, and some stew type meals whose names I've forgotten.

I hated Italian...until I went to Italy and ate outside of the main tourist traps. The very best food we had there was in very small, local restaurants that barely spoke English, and served very simple pasta dishes and nothing else. I also still dream about some of the sandwiches we had made fresh in front of us. Proper, local Italian food is second to none. It’s one of the reasons we keep going back.

Oh and the Roman artichokes...

I love Italian food, simple and fresh meals but don’t like their bread. Had a berry gelato in Sienna that I dream about most days.