Dining Italian Style, Food from Italy
Tue, Jul 24th 2007, 00:00
Italians love life and they love their food even more. In Naples the dishes take a long time to prepare, but the result is well worth the wait !
Traditionally an Italian meal at a trattoria (restaurant) consists of 5 phases:
Antipasti: the Appetizer
Primo: the starter, most likely pasta, rice or soup
Contorno: a small side serving of salad or vegetables
Secondo: the Main dish, usually seafood in Naples
Dolce: dessert. Naples is known for its ice cream, or gelato. They also make several kinds of unique pastry: baba, usually flavoured with rum, sfogliatella, struffoli or the distinctive pastiera napoletana, a special pastry made from wheat and ricotta cheese, then flavoured with orange blossom essence.
Drinks and beverages
The Campania area around Naples produces some famous wines which make an excellent accompaniment to the food. Every meal should end with coffee ... and in Naples the preparation of this beverage has been elevated to the status of a cult ritual! But tazzulella e cafe (cup of coffee) is not originally from Naples ... in their true style the Neapolitans have perfected the art of making it.
Coffee was introduced to Naples in the 1800s by coffee vendors who wandered the city's streets at the crack of dawn with their two large tremmoni (containers), full of coffee and milk, and a basket for cups and sugar.
Naples adopted the drink wholeheartedly and these days you have not tasted coffee until you have been to Naples. According to the Neapolitans, the secret to good coffee lies in the coppetiello. This is a little cone (traditionally formed from dampened newspaper) placed over the spout of the coffee pot. It is essential for holding in all the aroma and flavour of the coffee.
On a more alcoholic note: The Amalfi Coast produces exceptionally flavoured lemons. It is not surprising therefore that the area has become known for its lemon liqueurs. They come in untold varieties of bottle shapes and sizes. The most popular, Limoncello, makes for the perfect afterdinner liqueur Naples style.
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