Helpful Things To Know About Authentic Italian Food
Italian-American food is delicious, but it does differ from authentic Italian food. If you are about to dine out at a restaurant that serves a more authentic version of Italian cuisine, it is helpful to know what to expect beforehand. Here are a few key things to know about authentic Italian food — and how it differs from Italian-American food.
They don't use that much garlic.
Garlic is a heavy hitter in a lot of Italian-American dishes, but not so much in authentic Italian food. It's not that you'll never see garlic in an Italian dish. However, when garlic is used, it is used quite sparingly. An Italian chef may sautee a clove of garlic in some oil, and then remove the garlic from the oil and use just the garlic-scented oil in the dish. Or, they may mince a single clove of garlic to season a whole pot of sauce.
Pasta is mixed with sauce in the pan.
At an Italian-American restaurant, it is typical to be served a plate of pasta with sauce ladled over the top. But this is not how pasta is prepared and served in authentic Italian restaurants. Italians finish their pasta dishes in the pan. They add the sauce to the pan with the pasta, or they prepare a sauce and then add pasta to it. This allows the pasta water to thicken the sauce and make it adhere more fully to the pasta. The pasta and the sauce are then plated together.
They'll use real, fresh-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
The dry, crumbly Parmesan cheese in a shaker can is not something you'll often see at a real Italian restaurant, even though it's a mainstay at many Italian-American restaurants. Authentic Italian spots usually grate real Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese over dishes. Because this cheese is so delectable and potent, you only need a small amount to truly enjoy its flavor. It really does make dishes pop!
You'll likely dress your own salad.
There won't be Italian dressing, and your salad will probably come to the table without any dressing on it. Instead, you can expect to find bottles of oil and vinegar on the table. You can use them to top your salad, mixing them as you prefer.
Now that you're more familiar with the differences between authentic Italian restaurants and Italian-American restaurants, you're ready to dine! Italian cuisine is incredibly delicious, so you can count on a memorable meal.