The cuisine has been influenced Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. They got several of their most ‘famous’ or most ‘popular’ ingredients and cooking techniques from other countries. At first Ancient Greek cooking was merged with the Italian cooking but over the years it expanded. Ships were sent to various countries to import and collect different foods such as wine, wheat and spices. After the Roman empire fell the different regions of Italy became more diverse, and started coming up with their own techniques and traditions for their cooking. A large part of the food is made up of a variety of ingredients including coffee, meats, cheese and wine. Although originally the cheese was imported from Sicily.
Regional Foods Include:
- Lombard cuisine
- Neapolitan cuisine
- Roman cuisine
- Sicilian cuisine
- Venetian cuisine
- Cuisine of Abruzzo
- Panna Cotta
- Tiramisu
- Pasta Dishes
- Pizza