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Antipasti (“antipasti” or “antipasto”, if in the singular) are Italian appetizers, without which no Italian meal, no matter how long, is unthinkable. Literally translated, “antipasti” means “before a meal,” that is, a dish consumed as a prelude to the main hearty dishes of lunch or dinner. Below we list in detail the main types of Italian snacks. There will be dishes with smoked meats, and vegetables marinated in oil, and dishes with olives, and caprese, and dishes with cheeses and seafood, and, and, and dishes with pieces of fresh fruit and herbs.

The selection of Italian snacks is truly huge. In general, it should be said that if some catering establishment associated with Italian cuisine cannot offer it to you, then this will only indicate the unprofessionalism of the chefs there. As a rule, the higher the class of an Italian restaurant, the higher the chance that you will find a display case with snacks, where you can choose those that your heart desires.

Types of antipasti

All Italian antipasti can be divided into three main types: meat antipasti, fish antipasti and vegetarian antipasti.

If you suddenly have to order them in Italy, then my advice to you is to try to order fish antipasti where they definitely know how to cook them, that is, in the coastal cities: Catania, Rimini, Livorno, Genoa, Venice and Milan. The latter is not located on the sea, but there is always the freshest fish and virtuoso chefs when it comes to fish antipasti.

In the central part of the country, where the sea is relatively far away (not by our standards), I would recommend trying meat antipasti: in Verona, Brescia, Mantua.

Don’t forget that white wine goes well with fish dishes (and this also applies to appetizers), and it’s better to order red wine with meat antipasti. You can even go with fish with beer, for that matter, but under no circumstances take local vodka (grappa). This, let's say, is not for everyone.

Antipasti di pesce – fish snacks

Antipasto di pesce Antipasto di pesce

– cold assorted fish appetizer. It is characteristic that there should not be a lot of fish in its composition. What should be: shrimp, lobsters, crustaceans, shells and small pieces of fish are allowed.

Capesante- This is a scallop antipasti. Translated from Italian it means “Holy Head”. It so happened historically that in medieval Italy, scallops were ubiquitous and were eaten by the poorest segments of the population, mainly by poor monks. They could catch scallops during their long wanderings anywhere on the coast and cook them right there on the spot. And they practically had no other food.

Carpaccio di pesce spada (salmone, tonno)

Carpaccio di pesce spada (salmone, tonno)– antipasti in the form of sliced ​​swordfish (salmon, tuna). It comes in the form of cutting all three types, then it is called tris di pesce. The fish must be smoked.

Cocktail di gamberetti con salsa rosa

Cocktail di gamberetti con salsa rosa– carefully peeled pink shrimp with a thick sauce. Very tasty snack!

Cozze e Vongole

Cozze e Vongole- these are mussels and small gray boiled shells, which we call “venery”. A wonderful and very healthy dish that goes well with white wine.

Cozze alla Marinara

Cozze alla Marinara- in general, this is the same dish as Zuppa di Cozze, that is, fisherman's mussels. Mussels are boiled in their own juice (just in a deep bowl without water). During the cooking process they open on their own. To the dish Cozze alla Marinara An empty vessel is also supplied for discarding inedible shells. But if the shell did not open during cooking, then you just need to throw it out entirely - it was spoiled even before you tried to cook it. It is not always possible to determine this in advance. This dish can be generously peppered and tomatoes added, then we get another dish - Pepato.

Crudo di mare

It's just another name for the dish Antipasto di pesce.

Frittura di calamari

Frittura di calamari- This is a very heavy fatty fried dish for the stomach. Translated as “deep-fried squid.” As an addition, other inhabitants of the deep sea may be found in deep frying.

Insalata ai frutti di mare

Insalata ai frutti di mare– funny translation “from sea reptiles”. Boiled squid, octopus, mussels and all sorts of other things that were caught in the nets overnight and brought aboard the fishing boats in the morning. Drizzle liberally with lemon juice and olive oil.

Moscardini in umido

Moscardini in umido- This is an antipasti of small boiled octopus, which is covered in tomato sauce and served with polenta. Tasty enough even for those who are skeptic about seafood.

Pepata

Pepata– fish antipasti, which is a more savory version of the dish Cozze alla Marinara. The name translates as “pepper”. As we wrote above, the main difference from Cozze alla Marinara consists of adding tomato and pepper.

Tartara di tonno (di salmone)

Tartara di tonno (di salmone)– tuna (salmon) tartare. Tuna (salmon) is chopped very finely and formed into a kind of cutlet. Initially, the ingredient should be lightly salted.

Zuppa di cozze (di pesce)

Zuppa di cozze Cozze alla Marinara.

Zuppa di pesce– (from sea reptiles) will differ in that, in addition to mussels, a couple of tiger shrimps or a couple of crayfish will be added to it. We can say that this dish is a relative of Russian fish soup, although not the closest.

Antipasti di carne – meat snacks

Affettato misto

Affettato misto– assorted meat antipasti. May include: p rosciutto crudo(raw smoked jamon ham), salame(smoked sausage) and s oppressa(this is in the Veneto region, thick dry-cured salami).

Bresaola

Bresaola– bresaola. This is beef that was salted for about 2 weeks and then aged for about 2-3 months. Bresaola is consumed raw, is highly digestible and contains almost no fat, but contains a lot of iron and protein. As an option: Bresaola Equina or "Bresaola horse".

Carpaccio con rucola e grana

Carpaccio con rucola e grana– antipasti made from lightly marinated beef, which is cut into thin slices. In the classic version, this dish is supplemented with dandelion and some hard cheese, for example cheese Grana. Also called "carpaccio" and seasoned with lemon juice (fresh) and olive oil.

Mortadella

Mortadella is an antipasti from the city of Bologna. Thinly sliced ​​boiled sausage of substantial diameter. Pistachios and olives can be added to the dish.

Prosciutto crudo

Prosciutto crudo- a common Italian antipasti. Dry-cured ham, thinly sliced. Simple and tasteful. And, perhaps, the most famous of Italian dry-cured hams is Parma ham ( Prosciutto di Parma).

Prosciutto e Melone

Prosciutto e Melone– ham with melon and, in fact, a complicated version of the previous antipasti. Melon slices are added to the dry-cured ham. It's hard to imagine that this can be successfully combined, but nevertheless.

Tagliere di Salumi

Tagliere di Salumi- this is just another name for the dish Affettato misto. The name translates as “Plate with Smoked Meat”.

Italian vegetarian snacks

Bruschetta

Bruschetta– translated as “roast”. Bruschetta is white bread soaked in olive oil and garlic, fried and topped with tomato slices. Tasty and satisfying, and most importantly, it cooks very quickly.

Caprese

Caprese- in the closest translation from Italian, “a dish from the island of Capri,” where Maxim Gorky loved to visit a century ago. It is not that far from the city of Naples. Caprese is tomatoes with cheese (“ Mozzarella"). Well, the ultimate dream of every caprese is to be made from buffalo milk - “ Mozzarella di buffalo.”

Insalata mista

Insalata mista– is both a side dish and an appetizer – you can order it either way. Contains: red bitter salad, green salad, arugula and carrots. As a dressing, you can use olive oil, balsamic vinegar (you can also use regular vinegar), salt and pepper.

Polenta

Polenta is a dish typical of the northern regions of Italy that came to us from antiquity. is a corn porridge that can be toasted and thick. Corn replaced millet in the Middle Ages, when sailors brought it from the New World. Depending on the overall richness of the meal, it can be considered either an antipasti or a main course.

Tagliere di Formaggi

Tagliere di Formaggi- translated into Russian as “Plate with Cheeses”. Usually, Tagliere di Formaggi This is a cheese slicer. For example, you can serve Gorgonzola or Brie (soft blue cheeses) and Grana or Parmesan (hard cheeses). You can also add special jam to the dish - Mostarda.

Sandwich recipes

On the pages of this section you will also find sandwich recipes Italian cuisine. Sandwiches and snacks are an integral part of any developed cuisine, including Italian. A distinctive feature of Italian sandwiches, as well as all Italian cuisine in general, is the mandatory use of fresh herbs, vegetables and sauces in the vast majority of recipes.

All of the above fully applies to traditional appetizers of Italian cuisine. So, read and prepare - sandwich recipes and Italian appetizers.

A typical dish of the Emilia-Romagna region (more precisely Bologna). A boiled sausage of large diameter (but served thinly sliced), to which ingredients such as olives, pistachios, etc. can be added. After our doctorate for 2 rubles. 20k. - so-so.

Prosciutto crudo

Typical Italian appetizer. Thinly sliced ​​dry-cured pork ham. The most famous dry-cured ham is Prosciutto di Parma, in Russian Parma Ham. Aged for an average of 22 weeks, the salt content in the finished product should not exceed 5%.

Prosciutto e Melone (Ham with Melon)

An expanded version of the previous snack. Thinly sliced ​​raw smoked ham with melon slices. The Italian translator did not think that these two ingredients go together, but nevertheless they do. Definitely try it, but I recommend ordering in May-June-July, when melon season is in progress.

Speck

Basically the same as Prosciutto Crudo, but this raw smoked ham is made in the Alps, in the province of South Tyrol, where the Germans live. Therefore, the German word is literally translated as “spig”, although it is made from lean pork.

Tagliere di Salumi

Translated from Italian “Plate with Smoked Meats”. Same thing as .

Today, antipasti is more than just a traditional Italian meat and vegetable appetizer “before pasta.” In our review, vitello tonnato, caprese, bruschetta, tartar and other appetizers from the chefs, which in their design and taste are ready to compete with any of the complex dishes of the main menu. For your taste - 8 antipasti recipes from capital restaurants.

Restaurant Bouchon

Ingredients:

• Boiled potatoes - 80 g
• Kenyan beans – 30 g
• Olives - 12 g
• Lettuce mix (frise, lettuce, radicchio, lollo rossa) – 80 g
• Cherry tomatoes – 120 gr
• Baked bell pepper – 30 g
• Tuna in spices – 80 gr
• Chicken egg - 1 pc.
• Radish -20 gr
• Greens - 12 g
• Pesto sauce - 10 g
• Salt, pepper, paprika, cumin
• Olive oil – 30 g
• Balsamic vinegar - 10 g

Preparation:

Marinate the tuna in a mixture of paprika, cumin and salt. Fry on each side in a dry Teflon frying pan without oil, so that the inside is completely raw. Cut into slices. Cut the boiled potatoes into cubes. Boil Kenyan beans in salted water, then quickly cool in ice water and cut. Bake the bell pepper, cool, remove the skin, cut into cubes. Wash the lettuce leaves, dry them and tear them coarsely. Boil the egg and cut into 4 pieces. Cut tomatoes and radishes into slices. Mix together tomatoes, radishes, lettuce, bell peppers, potatoes, olives. Season with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, add salt and pepper. Place on plates, add tuna slices and egg on top. Sprinkle the antipasti with finely chopped herbs and pour over the pesto sauce.

Restaurant Ah Beatrice, chef Igor Kotov

Ingredients:

• Eggplants – 1 kg
• Rice flour - 30 g
• Onions - 1 onion
• Bell pepper - ½ piece
• Garlic - 1 pc.
• Soy sauce - 20 g
• Sesame oil - 20 g
• Greens - 50 g
• Chevrou cheese – 50 g
• Sesame – 20 g

Preparation:

Peel the eggplants, cut into cubes, sprinkle with salt and drain in a colander for 10 minutes. Then sprinkle with rice flour and deep fry until fully cooked. Cut the onion into strips. Cut bell pepper (1/2 piece) into strips. Cut a clove of garlic into pieces. Fry all the vegetables in olive oil with soy sauce and sesame oil. Add fried eggplant, parsley, cilantro and finely chopped green onions. To stir thoroughly. Place on a plate, top with miso ice cream, chevre cheese and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Restobar “We’re not going anywhere”, chef Dmitry Shurshakov

Ingredients:

• Duck (smoked breast) – 80 g
• Korean cabbage - 80 g
• Hoisin sauce - 30 g
• Raspberry puree – 20 g
• Persimmon – 40 g

Preparation:

Thinly slice the cabbage and place it on a plate, then slice the duck and place it on top of the cabbage, top with hoisin sauce and raspberry puree. Garnish with greens and add persimmons.

Solux Club Restaurant, Chef Chen Yongjian

Ingredients:

• Tiger shrimps – 6 pieces
• Wasabi paste - 80 g
• Vegetable oil - 100 g
• Tobiko caviar (red) – 80 g
• Tobiko caviar (black) – 30 g
• Chicken egg - 1 piece
• Potato starch - 40 g
• Salt - 3 g

Preparation:

Take peeled tiger prawns, marinate in salt, Chinese rice wine, egg and starch, then deep fry. Pour the sauce over the shrimp and garnish with black and red tobiko caviar.

Restaurant "Rukkola"

Ingredients:

• Truffle oil – 1 g
• Roast beef - 80 g
• Salt - 2 g
• Black pepper - 1 g
• Sun-dried tomatoes - 8 g
• Mix salad – 15 g
• Vitello sauce – 40 g

Preparation:

Place half of the salad mix on a plate, place thinly sliced ​​roast beef on top, pour Vitello tonato sauce on top, and place tomatoes cut into 4 pieces in a circle. We bring the remaining salad mix to taste, adding truffle oil, and place it on the roast beef.

Restaurant "Carlson"

Ingredients:

• Salad mix – 30 gr
• Baku/cherry tomatoes (8-9) – 65 gr
• Capers – 20 g
• Veal on vitela tonato – 50 g
• Tuna sauce – 30 g
• Sea salt - 2 g
• Basil - 2 g
• Olive oil – 15 g
• Ground black pepper (peas) - 1 g
• Extra virgin olive oil – 5 g

Preparation:

Place a salad mix with Baku tomatoes (seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper) and capers on a plate. Place veal, cut into thin slices, on a “pillow” of lettuce. Cook veal either in a vacuum at a low temperature of 65 degrees, or according to the “roast beef” principle. Fry the tenderloin and then simmer it at low temperature. Place tuna sauce on top. Garnished with capers with a tail.

Restaurant Christian, chef Christian Lorenzini

Ingredients (for 5 servings):

• Artichokes, canned in oil - 600 g
• Mayonnaise - 240 g
• Eggs - 3 pcs
• Cream 33% - 220 g
• Parmesan cheese - 50 g
• Salt and pepper - to taste
• Butter

Preparation:

Lightly beat artichokes, mayonnaise and cream in a blender (until smooth, but not puree), add salt and pepper. Add three yolks to the resulting mixture one at a time, stirring after each. Beat one egg white until stiff (cooks add a pinch of salt before beating to speed up the process). Connect with mass. Mix carefully. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan. Grease the ceramic molds with butter, put them in the refrigerator for a minute or two and then grease them again (thanks to the second layer of oil, the mass will definitely not stick and will rise well).

Fill the ceramic molds with the mixture, place them in a pan with water, which should reach half of the mold (this way the casserole will bake better and even boil to some extent). Bake for about 35 minutes at 170 degrees.

Restaurant Buono

Ingredients:

• Pagra – 1 fillet (130 g), cleaned, without skin
• Avocado – 35 gr
• Ground coriander - 1 g
• Mango – 30 gr
• Sibulet onion - 2 g
• Pink peppercorns - 1 g
• Sea salt - 1 g
• Mixed salads – 5 g
• Cress salad – 2 g
• Sun-dried cherry tomatoes – 5 g
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil – 15 ml
• Lemon juice - 5 ml
• Soy sauce - 5 g
• Worcestershire sauce - 2 g

Preparation:

Cut the Pagra fillet into small cubes using a knife. Peel the mango and cut into small cubes. Mix everything in a bowl, add chopped onion, sea salt and ground pink pepper. Then add olive oil, lemon juice, soy sauce and Worcestershire. Mix. Take the avocado pulp, cut it into small cubes and add 2-3 drops of lemon juice so that the avocado does not turn black, salt and ground cumin. We put this mass in a round mold, apply it a little, then put it out of the mold onto a plate. On this bed of avocado we spread tartare from Pagras. Garnish with watercress leaves and finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes

Italy is sun and sea, it is smiles and family meals, it is wine, cheese and olives. Such Italy, joyful and relaxed, settled in our apartment for one evening.

I share my design work and open an Italian playlist. I show you what the appetizer table had and give you a full tour of the menu.

Italian party decoration

Whether you are 60 years old or 3 years old, balloons create an instant holiday mood. I ordered for the holiday 18 helium balloons in three colors: white, green and red (colors of the Italian flag). They “floated” freely on my ceiling.

The main character of the evening is the table with food. Before filling it with delicious food, let's give it a light touch of Italy.

Small flags for decorating snacks. Making these flags will take a little time and patience. Print out a template for flags on a color printer, cut out the required number of blanks, fold in half and secure with a toothpick using double-sided tape.

It’s good to think in advance about how guests will sit at the festive table. Help here name cards. You can, like me, play with the names of the guests and write them in Italian style.

So, my guest Yulia Lipina turned into Giulietta LIPPI for one evening, and the birthday boy - Sergei Maslov - was called Sergio Masleroni.

Cards with original names will immediately arouse the interest of guests, help them relax, and find common topics for jokes and conversations.

Italian music

Music works wonders! A good musical selection will instantly transport your guests to sunny Italy and set a great mood for the evening.

Especially for the party, I compiled a list of songs by Italian performers, as well as tracks that are somehow associated with Italy.

The music program included such performers as Adriano Celentano, the band Ricchi E Poveri, as well as music from the popular films “Roman Holiday”, “The Godfather”, “Letters to Juliet”, “The Taming of the Shrew”, “La Dolce Vita” ).

My playlist is available on the Yandex.Music service at this link
Yandex. Music. allows you to create a playlist from the desired songs and then play them either one by one or in random order. Important: Internet access is required to listen.

It’s good to turn on the music before the guests arrive, so that you can feel the atmosphere yourself.

Menu for an Italian party

Italian cuisine is considered quite simple, but at the same time balanced, bright and interesting. And most importantly, everyone loves her: both adults and children.

All the dishes presented below either have Italian roots or are in one way or another associated with Italian cuisine. Follow the links to find detailed recipes with step-by-step photos. Please note that the recipes are adapted to Russian reality. Choose the ones you like and combine the menu for your Italian party.

Snacks

Bruschetta. These are traditional Italian sandwiches with a variety of fillings. I prepared three different types.

• Bruschetta with cream cheese and baked sweet peppers
• Bruschetta with curd cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and basil
• Bruschetta with eggplant and champignons
• Bruschtettes with red fish and avocado

Cheese plate. The recipe is simple: choose the cheese that you like, cut it into pieces per clove, and arrange it beautifully on a flat plate or wooden board.

Serve with honey, apricot jam, nuts, pear and figs. Important! The cheese should be at room temperature, so remove it from the refrigerator 1 hour before guests arrive.
Fish plate. Italy is all about fish and seafood. Therefore, it is logical to serve a “pickled” fish plate. It is good to dilute the traditional cut of red fish with other tasty fish. I recommend butterfish, hot smoked terpus, and smoked mackerel with spices.

Olives and black olives. No comments.

Meat plate. It's good to move away from traditional smoked sausages and carbonates. If Italian Prosciutto isn't your thing, look for turkey carpaccio and sliced ​​salami.

Salads

Caesar salad. The most famous and popular salad. Take the time to prepare homemade dressing and use classic ingredients (no Chinese cabbage, boiled chicken and “kirieshki” instead of croutons).

Caprese salad. A great light salad that can also be prepared in 5 minutes. During the winter months, use cherry tomatoes (they are sweet and tasty all year round). I also highly recommend making your own homemade pesto - it's amazing.

Panzanella Salad. Classic Tuscan salad with aromatic tomatoes, sweet roasted peppers and dressing with anchovies and capers.

Second courses. Hot

Pizza. Thin crust pizza stuffed with selected ingredients is worthy of being on the holiday table. She wouldn’t dare call fast food an offensive word. Pizza is also fun - invite your guests to make pizza together.
Prepare the pizza dough in advance and have plenty of different ingredients for the toppings. I had: champignons, pineapples, pepperoni sausage, ham, carb, bacon, cheese (mozzarella, feta, parmesan), pepper, chili, tomato sauce (Dolmio), pesto sauce (left over from Caprese salad), tomatoes, basil, olives , garlic, red onion, arugula, spinach.

Each ingredient was decorated with a nameplate.

Download the sign template
Depending on the number of guests, divide them into teams and give them a task - to prepare a pizza that the birthday person will like. The winner is announced accordingly by the hero of the occasion, and the Pizza Master is awarded a prize.

This is an article with photos about Italian dishes that you must definitely eat in Italy. Italian cuisine is considered some of the best in the world, but you need to know what to choose from the menu.

After a couple of days in Italy, stuffed with pizza, pasta and panini, I ran into a problem. What exactly should you order in Italian restaurants so as not to be disappointed (or God forbid you lose weight :)) during your 3 weeks of vacation?

My dear readers, friends and subscribers on social media came to the rescue. networks who generously shared their advice, for which we thank them very much. Below is a jointly compiled list of Italian dishes, as well as the average price of food in Italian establishments. I tried 90% of the list and left 10% for next time.

Seafood in Italy

• Tomato mussel soup(Zuppa di cozze al pomodoro) - the best thing I had the opportunity to eat in Italy. I also ate Sicilian-style mussels and was not delighted. It all depends on the restaurant. Price 8-13€

• King prawns grilled or in sauces (Gamberoni alla griglia). The most delicious shrimp were in. Price 10-15€

• Swordfish in Sicilian style with tomatoes (Pesce spada alla siciliana). Price 12-13€

• Swordfish Grilled(Pesce spada alla griglia). Price 12-13€

• Grilled Dorado(Dorado Griglio). Price 50-60€ for 1 kg. Dorado is worth on the market 15€ per kg .

• Octopus in different variations (Polpo). For example, Sicilian-style octopus with garlic and thyme. “Nothing tastier has yet been invented in Mediterranean cuisine,” is a quote from traveler and gourmet Sergei Kormilitsyn. 12-18€ for a hot dish

• Octopus with potatoes(Polpo con patate) is a specialty of the Amalfi Coast. Keep in mind that octopus is often served as a cold appetizer in Sicily and southern Italy. Price 7 —8€

• Shrimp cocktail(Сocktail di gamberi). Popular cold appetizer. Not for everyone. Served in a glass with shrimp mixed with salad and sauce. If you spread shrimp on bread, it turns out delicious. 7-10€

Tomato mussel soup
Shrimp cocktail and octopus with potatoes
Grilled swordfish

Other Italian dishes

• Eggplant, baked with tomatoes, mozzarella and parmesan (Melanzane alla parmigiana)

• Grilled vegetables(Verdure alla griglia) - always delicious. Price 6€

• Lamb meat on skewers(Arrosticini di pecora). This dish is prepared only in the Abruzzo region and nowhere else. To prepare this lamb kebab in the Marche region, you had to order the meat online from Abruzzo. I haven't eaten the lamb, but the guys said it was delicious.

Lamb meat on a skewer

• Spaghetti with clams and parsley (Spaghetti con le vongole). Friends prepared this dish from shellfish collected on the seashore near their house. You need to collect shellfish early in the morning (at 6-7 o'clock) in order to get ahead of other fishermen. 12-15€

• Carne cruda(Сarne cruda) - raw beef of a certain breed of bulls, a minimum of spices. Originally from Piedmont. Have not tried. 15-20€

• Pizza(Pizza) - real pizza is cooked in a charcoal oven. We can talk about pizza for a long time. From 2€ for a piece in a street eatery up to 12€ for pizza with seafood in a restaurant.

• Paste(Pasta) is a traditional dish of Italian cuisine. Pasta with various sauces. For our taste, pasta in Italy is undercooked. They specially cook the pasta for a very short time. The version of pasta that is served in our restaurants will be tasteless and overcooked for an Italian. 7-15€

Be sure to read mine, where I tell you how much a vacation in this delicious and warm country will cost

Pizza in Italy
Spaghetti with clams

• Minestroni(Minestrone) - vegetable soup

• Panini(Panini) - Italian sandwich made from flat white wheat bread, price 5€

• Risotto(Risotto) - a rice dish. Prepared with seafood, meat, vegetables. 8-13€

• Lasagna(Lasagne) - a popular Italian dish made from flat sheets of pasta with filling, 9-12€

• Ravioli(Ravioli) is an Italian analogue of dumplings made from pasta sheets with filling. Restaurants often serve store-bought ravioli - they are mediocre. When you twist it by hand, it turns out very tasty.

• Polenta(Polenta) - porridge made from corn flour

• Caprese(Caprese) - Italian appetizer made from tomatoes, mozzarella, basil and olive oil

• Gnocchi(Gnocchi) - Italian dumplings

• Provola and Caciocavallo cheeses

Sicilian swordfish with tomatoes and peppers Grilled vegetables

Italian desserts

Desserts and sweets are usually sold in cafes or establishments called Pasticceria

• Tortuffa(Tortuffa) - a divinely delicious scoop of ice cream with chocolate inside. It's better not to order chocolate ice cream because the chocolate ice cream is too sweet. Costs 4-5€

• Granita(Granita) - Sicilian dessert. Crushed ice with sugar syrup of different colors and flavors. Price 3-4€

• Cannoli(Cannoli) is a Sicilian dessert. A waffle tube filled with mascarpone cheese, whipped cottage cheese or ricotta with the addition of syrups or wine. Sold everywhere

• Tiramisu(Tiramisù) is the cake of Italian students because it does not need to be baked. Made from savoiardi biscuits, mascarpone cheese, coffee, eggs and sugar. I thought that I had eaten Tiramisu many times, but it turned out that before my trip to Italy I had never tried Tiramisu.

• Ice cream(Gelate) sold at Gelateria - from 1€ per ball. On average - 2 € for a small box and 4-5€ for a big one. On tourist streets they ask for 4-5€ for one small ball.

• Coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee! Even if you don't drink coffee, it's worth a try. 1-4€, average 2€

Ice cream in Italy. 2.5 euros for three different balls
Italian sweets

Where to eat in Italy?

Establishments in Italy are divided into several types:

• Ristorante— high prices and level of service.

• Trattoria- often this is a family establishment with a homely atmosphere, a regular clientele and a menu in Italian. Prices in trattorias are lower than in restaurants.

• Taverna is a tavern where you can not only drink, but also eat.

• Osteria- also a simpler establishment with food and wine.

• Pizzeria— usually there are only pizza and appetizers on the menu, and less often other dishes.

• Gelateria— they sell ice cream there

• Pasticceria— cakes, pastries and desserts are sold here

Italian restaurant

Where can I buy products in Italy?

There are many chain supermarkets in Italy: Lidl, Auchan, Carrefour and others. Also, in every town, even the smallest one, there will definitely be a small Supermercado, where essential and essential products are sold at inflated prices.

If you want to cook your own food, you can also buy food in Italy in special shops. I don’t know if they exist in the north, but they are still popular in the south of Italy. We mostly rented apartments with a kitchen and sometimes cooked our own meals.

• Macelleria- Butcher shop

• Pescheria or Mercato del pesce— a store or market with seafood. Markets are usually open in the morning

• Panificio- bakery

Dorado, bought in a store and prepared at home. The asking price is 10 euros for 2 fish.
Pasta in an Italian store

What do you need to know before going to an Italian restaurant in Italy?

• In Italy, expensive does not = delicious. More often it's the other way around. If possible, always ask locals where they eat and go to local establishments.

• If you want to have a normal tasty meal in Italy, it is better to learn the names of the main dishes and products in Italian.

• Cafes and restaurants that have menus in English or Russian are aimed at tourists. There's a good chance the food there is so-so.

• We encountered that the prices on the menu in Italian were lower than for the same dishes on the menu in English.

• Check the final invoice amount. There was a precedent when they added a couple of euros to the price indicated on the menu. When the error was pointed out to the waitress, the money was returned. It's a small thing, but still unpleasant.

• In some restaurants, the amount of the bill depends not only on what exactly you ate, but also on where exactly you sat: at the bar, at a table by the window, on the terrace. It's rather rare, but it may happen that breakfast will cost as much as a full lunch due to the fact that your table had a good view.

• If you are served palm oil sticks, popular in Italy, before eating, do not rush to eat them. This is not Mexico, where they give free tacos, or even Georgia with its pita bread at the expense of the establishment. Once, to celebrate, we ate one stick each, each cost 3€ .

• Bread is often served with meals. Sometimes they take money for it, sometimes they don’t. The Italians themselves pour olive oil on their bread (it is always present on the table) - it tastes better.

• Restaurants also charge for water 2-3€ , but they can bring it without asking.

• Drinks in restaurants cost 2-4€ for a small can of cola or beer, 2-3€ for a bottle of water.

• Tips in Italy are included in the bill in most restaurants and cafes and amount to 10% of the amount

• If you want to eat in a small town, be prepared for the fact that most establishments are open from 12.00 to 14.00, after which they close for a siesta from 14.30 to 18.00, then open until 21-22 hours. It is not easy to find an establishment that is open in the middle of the night. Italians have lunch strictly from 13.00 to 14.30, and have dinner only in the evening, so if the city is unpopular among tourists, restaurants and cafes will be closed for several hours during the day in 90% of cases.

• Italians drink coffee around the clock, but cappuccino only in the morning. If you plan to pretend to be a local, don’t drink cappuccino during the day and evening - sleep yourself off :)

Unsuccessful mussel soup with seaweed

Menu in Italian restaurants

The menu in Italian restaurants usually consists of several sections.