What are the key dos and don’ts of dining in Italy? We break down the “rules” so you’ll be comfortable when you’re eating out in Italy by teaching you the proper dining etiquette.
Hi, we’re Anne and Ed from Our Big Italian Adventure. We spend half the year living and traveling in Italy, and we want to help you have the most amazing trip discovering and enjoying this spectacular country.
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21 Comments
You are really good with your explanations!!! I only know two pasta dishes with birds: tagliatelle with duck ragou and duck bigoli. They are two very different recipes, but both use duck which has a more "red" meat than chicken
You are right about pizza not being cut. Nowhere, nohow. Except for my next door neighbors restaurant da Peppone where I order a pizza named after my, la Farrabuta. It took me a couple of years to get the to cut it without asking. I am the only one in my village that gets his pizza sliced. lol
You will find Hawaiian pizza is actually a Canadian creation, we will take the blame for that 🙃
Some very good points over all, thanks for these 👍
hi, funny video. I'm italian and want to tell you to ask for a spoon if you want eat spaghetti (or bucatini or fettuccine) easier, I do it frequently. it is not banned, nobody will kill you and probably say nothing about. chicken with pasta is not used 'cause (in my opinion, this is not a topic at all here) the texture of the meat, it is no pleasant (how can I say, doesn't match?) with any pasta. by the way, if americans like it, well. but the most of us not, simply. there are not taboos, only choises and preferences from experiences. I even met italians who wanted cheese on pasta with clamps. and I don't even remermber who! it is not a problem even if the idea is disgusting me. and I'm pretty sure there is more than one recipe with chicken in the sauce of some pasta meal in italy, but probably served without the meat, greetings from rome.
PS: I forget something and it's sensational, lol. one of my favorite pasta meal is "fettuccine con rigaglie di pollo". it is a classic ragù but with (only) livers, hearts and lungs of chicken mixed with few pig in a tomato sauce! it is traditional here in rome and I love it! lol. best wishes.
Seborrheic dermatitis, and rosacea/possible rhinophyma.
And I cut my spaghetti— it’s a texture thing and that is the only way I like it. I’m in my 70s, and this is a lifelong thing, same with egg whites, no. And BTW, I come from a large Italian and Sicilian American family, including immigrants. No one makes a big deal out of my doing this. It isn’t hurting anyone, and it isn’t messy or unsightly.
Why Italians don't eat pasta and chicken together? Quite simple, pasta is always a "primo" whereas chicken is always a "secondo". Some rare exceptions might apply, but by far, that is the "rule".
Esiste il ragù di cortile che comunque non è solo pollo ma anche anatra, faraona, coniglio e prevede l'uso di frattaglie. Si tratta comunque di piatti tradizionali molto ben strutturati e definiti, non è "Pasta con il pollo"…
We don't eat pasta with chicken simply because it's very bad tasting! On pizza we don't put fresh meat,but just cured meat like ham, prosciutto, spicy salami,and so on. You won't find pizza with grounded beef either, it's not just chicken that we don't put on pizza. Why? Because I'm Italy pizza is thin and stays in the oven jusy two minutes and fresh meat would never cook!
Very much accurate reporting of the Italian eating culture.
Thank you for your work.
Great job!!! Even though it's all about pleasure trips, You people of "Our big Italian Adventure" treat the matter in a very professional and trustful way. A big hand clapping to You!!!
My grandfather was from Celano and he always twirled spaghetti with a spoon
As other people said, chicken meat has a very light taste and his flesh is very lean, low-fat (especially in the old times), often dry and doesn't blend well with the pasta. The secret of a good pasta dish is a perfect "sugo legato", a creamy sauce blended perfectly with the pasta.
Hello Dear Friends! I wish you a rewarding New Year full of happiness! I love your videos, your calm tone of voice which enhances your excellent narrative!
In Italy being drunk showily in public is punished by art. 688 of the Penal Code, now with a fine (from 51 to 309 euros), but until 1999 was considered a criminal offence punished up to six months in jail!
Thanks, great advice as always
Don’t rock up to a restaurant and seat yourself anywhere you like. Wait to be seated. I’ve seen people go without service for 30-40 mins because they’ve sat themselves. Some never even got service and just up and left.
Consiglio il “giro pizza”, molte pizzerie lo fanno!! Si possono assaggiare tanti tipi di pizza quando si è’ in compagnia ! P.S = nel nord est d’Italia non si dice “fare la scarpetta “, ma “tociare”, termine dialettale.
Il video è fatto bene ma, per essere precisi, non è sempre vero che i contorni siano serviti a parte: soprattutto nel caso di piatti tipici, possono essere benissimo serviti con il secondo
in Italian cuisine, pasta is usually considered a "primo piatto" (first course) and is meant to be paired with lighter sauces, while meat like chicken is typically served as a separate "secondo piatto" (main course), often with its own distinct preparation; this means large chunks of chicken in a pasta dish are seen as an unbalanced combination and not a classic Italian approach to cooking.
Italian food culture prioritizes distinct courses, with pasta as the first course and meat as the second.
We often prefer pasta sauces made with richer, more flavorful meats like beef or pork that can stand up to the pasta without overpowering it.
While not common, some regional Italian recipes may incorporate chicken in a pasta sauce, but usually in smaller pieces or as part of a complex ragu.
We've had them bring us bread without asking and if we take even one piece, we get charged typically 3-4 Euros. If we don't touch it, no charge. Happened a few times ( not every time); so going forward i always ask if the bread is free before taking a piece. Not sure why that is. Scam or normal in some places?