Order Like an Italian

Something i learned recently about the Italian cuisine, which by the way is my favorite- both in eating and cooking.

A formal Italian dinner will comprise an antipasto, primo, secondo and dolce.  For everyday meals though, Italians tend to eat just an antipasto and either a primo or secondo.  Well, to keep you enlightened as to what these terms are and help you navigate the menu next time you’re in an Italian Resto- here are the stages of the Italian meal:

1.  Antipasti- “before the meal”, equivalent to a light starter which usually consists of quick hot or cold dishes.

2.  Primo- the hot middle course made up of soup, risotto or pasta.  Classic examples are Pappa Al Pomodoro, Tortellini, Gnocchi, etc.

3.  Secondi- the main course of seafood or meat.  It usually arrives on its own so you may want to order side dishes as well.

4.  Dolci- typical Italian desserts like tarts, torte (cake) and formaggi (cheese)

Other segment of the Italian dining that you may want to know about are

Aperitivi- the drink taken before your meal.  It doesn’t have to be alcoholic, but should ideally be light and a bit bitter to stimulate your appetite.

Contorni- vegetable side dishes that is usually ordered with the secondi.

Digestivi- drinks sipped after meal to help digest food. Popular pick is Amaro, which is a bitter herbal beverage

Caffe- No meal is complete without a coffee to finish.

Espresso- single shot of coffee

Ristretto- similar to an espresso but with less water so its shorter and stronger

Macchiato- has just a drop of frothed milk

Cappuccino- drink of three parts; espresso, shot of steamed milk and frothed milk

Now that know all that-  you are ready to order.  Buon Appetito!