6 Reasons to Love Italian Cuisine

Italian food is one of the most popular cuisines in the world, and for good reasons. For starters, Italian food is not only tasty but healthy as well. From pizza to pasta and wine, a wide variety of food is available to redefine your food experience.

So, why is Italian cuisine revered all over the world? Six factors explain the global obsession with Italian food.

1. Affordable

Firstly, Italian foods are quite affordable. Italian dishes utilize very common ingredients that take little effort to find in the market, which adds to their affordability. If you have bread, olive oil, cheese, and some tomatoes, you can create some Italian food hassle-free.

Italian cooking is also easy to master, thanks to the availability of affordable ingredients. For instance, while making a salad dressing, just add some balsamic vinegar and olive oil into fresh veggies, and you are good to go.

Whether you want sweet or spicy dishes, you will easily find ingredients that will help you achieve them. Even better, Italian cuisine favors both vegetarians and non-vegetarians.

2. Variety

Italian cuisine offers you a variety of dishes. You will be spoilt for choice. From lasagna to pasta and polenta, you will definitely find a food variety that you like. Moreover, Italian dishes, such as pizza, are available in many different forms, which makes Italian cuisine even popular.

Pizza takes Italian cuisines to legendary heights, thanks to its flavorful, traditional and sumptuous taste. Other popular Italian food choices include salads, soups, appetizers, and desserts, and they are all good for everyone.

You also get to enjoy easy-to-cook Italian foods such as bruschetta, spaghetti, ravioli, small sand wishes, cold meat, cheese, and risotto alla Milanese garnished with some saffron. This is a good thing because you don't have to wait forever to enjoy some Italian food.

3. Healthy

Italian foods are cooked in an uncomplicated and traditional way and use the freshest ingredients, which makes them very healthy food. Fried foods mostly use olive oil (a very healthy olive oil), while other foods are served either grilled or raw. 

The healthy state of Italian cuisine means that you can consume Italian foods without the fear of packing unwanted fats or calories. The famous Mediterranean diet actually hails from Italy and is quite effective in combating heart-related issues. Seafood and olive oil are good sources of healthy fats. 

No wonder most weight watchers opt for Italian dishes. Some fruits and vegetables used in Italian cuisine, combined with a food portion control program, go a long way in maintaining proper weight levels and help in weight loss.

4. Balanced Diet

Italian foods offer a perfect blend of nutrients and calories. You can have chicken, seafood, or meat with anything that tickles your taste buds, like grated cheese. Make your food even more flavorsome by dipping bread in seasoned olive oil.

5. Familiar

Surprisingly, most Italian dishes comprise non-Italian ingredients, which makes them both foreign and familiar. Most of the ingredients that feature in cooking Italian foods come from all over the world. For instance, the tomatoes heavily used in Italian cuisine are originally a Mexican product.

In addition, Italians learned to appreciate coffee from the Turks. This ability to borrow, adapt, and invent is one of the secrets to Italian cuisine success.

6. Wine

Since wine is a traditional agricultural product in Italy, a glass of Italian wine pairs every dish to complete your dining experience. Whether you want the white wine to go with seafood dishes or red wine to accompany your meat-based meals, you will find incredible wine pairings for your foods. 

Would you like to enjoy some authentic Italian food? Visit us at Picano's Italian Grille for the best Italian food in town.