One of the delights of staying in any number of luxury hotels in Italy is the delight of Italian food and cuisine. There are a wide variety of regional cuisines for the visitor to savour, with origins that can be traced back to the 4th century BCE as recorded by the Greek Sicilian food writer, Archestratus.
During the 9th century Sicily was invaded by Muslims and the Arabs introduced such foods as spinach, rice and almonds. During the 12th century spaghetti made an introduction as a dish created in southern Italy. A Norman king who made a survey of Sicily during the same period introduced stockfish, salt cod and the ever popular technique of casseroling.
In the early centuries refrigeration did not exist, so a culture of preserving meat and fish by smoking, salting, pickling and drying was a necessity to preserve staples during the long winter months. Root vegetables were regularly par boiled and preserved in a brine mixture. As a sweet alternative to preserve fruits, sugar, spirits and honey were used instead.
An over-usage of spices was left by the wayside in preference of fresh herbs and the introduction of such flavourful ingredients as saffron, onions, mushrooms, sardines and olives. Until as recently as the 18th century much of Italy was governed by Spain, France and Austria, influencing the local cuisine with a distinctly French flavour until cookbooks written at the time shifted focus from chefs to bourgeois housewives.
French style pureed soups were forgotten in favour of Mediterranean vegetables, stock and either rice or pasta. Vitto Pitagorico’s influence was noted by the addition of fruits, herbs, flowers, roots and seeds in what became known as Pitagoric or vegetarian food. Luxury hotels in Italy employ some of the finest chefs in the world today to delight the palates of visitors to this wonderfully diverse country.
You may well enjoy a fine Risotto in Venice, bacon and Montasio cheese in Carnia, or Polenta served with sausage and cheese. Travel to any luxury hotels in Italy in the Alto Adige region to enjoy the popular pasta with tomatoes and olive oil or enjoy an afternoon in Mantua village where you may well be served tortelli di zucca, which is pumpkin with a rice filling. Make a reservation at a luxury hotels in Italy where you take part in the delights of Italian cuisine today.