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ITALIAN
CUISINE: CULINARY ART, TRADITION AND CULTURE
Undoubtedly Italian cuisine represents a very important
part of the Italy's culture, a heritage so rich that it would be
minimalistic to try to give any definition; whatever the description, it will
always seem incomplete due its diversity. Italian cuisine is endowed
with the local diversity of culinary traditions and ingredients which are
specific to the different regions of the peninsula: coastal areas,
mountains, hills, plaines, lakes. It is definitely also a result of a culture that
shows a particular sensibility towards food, especially since it is
not merely considered as essential for survival, but it is also valued as
a source of pleasure. What the world regards as Italian cooking can be
defined as a collection of regional cuisines which together contribute to
create clearly
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identifiable styles of cooking pertaining to "Italian
Cuisine". As a matter of fact, the diverse cultures throughout the country are still
strongly influenced by their past and reflect their own particular
gastronomic tradition: such diversity renders a gastronomical definition
practically impossible. One can thus consider the "national" style
of cooking universally acknowledged and identified as being
Italian.The cultural
diversity in Italy is strongly determined by the history of each region and
their different gastronomic traditions. This makes any endeavours to define
"Italian Cuisine" rather impossible.
Nevertheless, one could trace and
refer to the Italian style internationally recognised in particular dishes,
and gastronomically appreciated throughout the world. Apart from
being one of the most well-known cuisines,
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Italian cooking is
remarkable for the incredible variety of recipies and dishes it
includes. The geographical location of Italy and its
heterogeneous climate provides for very different realities within relatively
short distances with the result that such differences in culture lead to
diverse culinary traditions. Throughout history the Italian
population experienced different civilisations each introducing various use of
specific ingredients, techniques and preparations which, with time,
became typical to the region and easily identified. To explore Italian
cuisine, one must therefore consider the variety of cuisine specific to the
different regions and this reflcts also the culture and history of the
country. Italian cuisine is not just spaghetti and pizza, but there lie much
deeper roots of this culinary art. |
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Regional dishes owe their origins to the
specific historical reality and there are quite a number of anecdotes which
developed around new recipies and which eventually became the
foundations of Italian gastronomical cultures.Starting from the second half of last
century,
and considering the influence that several other countries had on our
culture, traditional national cuisine was effected by changes due to
the introduction of products which today characterise the eating
habits of some areas of the Italian population. Culinary art requires time
and attention which nowadays modern women cannot afford due to their
ever-increasing involvement in the working spheres of society.
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For this reason it is
quite common that pre-cooked and frozen foods represent quick
solutions.
Apart from the diffusion of fast foods, culinary habits of our
country are constantly influenced by the presence of immigrant
minorities that retain their own traditions leading to the introduction of their
ingredients and dishes into Italy.
It is therefore necessary that our
priceless regional cuisine is not suffocated by modern gastronomic
habits.
Italian
cuisine represents the customs and tradition we inherited through our
history. |
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Alta Società, through the research of ancient tastes, genuine
products and simple dishes that reflect classical aristocratic and more
simple cuisine, offers courses for both professional and amateur cooks to
promote the diffusion of original Italian enogastronomical culture with
the aim of recovering the art of traditional cuisine. |
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