The Italian cuisine is one of the most-loved in the world. There are nearly 500,000 Italian

restaurants around the globe. While Italy is obviously the champion, the United States and Brazil are on the top 3 list of countries with more Italian restaurants. However, the Italian culture is just as rich as its cuisine, and because both are often intertwined, there are italian facts about food that most people don’t know. 

A Plate Full of History

Indeed, one of the most important food facts about Italian cuisine is that it’s everywhere. Some dishes date back to Roman times, but the dishes loved by many today were spread around the world by immigrants. There was a huge flux of Italians leaving the country between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century.

Nowadays, it’s easy to find staples of this cuisine online on websites like www.sweetalyfood.com. Still, some interesting italian facts about food got lost in translation. Here are some facts that will give a special taste to the most famous dishes. 

It All Starts With Olive Oil

Regardless of the menu, it’ll be difficult to find a meal without olive oil. It’s used in pretty much everything, from salads to bread dough. While it’s heavily used in Northeastern cuisine, it’s a staple in kitchens across the country. 

Pizza for the Queen

While the traditional pizza recipe was created in Naples in the early 18th century, the Margherita topping was made nearly a century later in honour of Margherita de Savoy, the Queen of Italy. The ingredients represent the Italian flag: the green basil and red tomato sauce, with the whiteness of mozzarella cheese. 

Sweet Pasta?

It should come as no surprise that Italy consumes the most pasta in the world. Some may think it’s one of the most surprising italian facts about food, but pasta actually used to be sweet. Sure, it’s been a while: pasta with honey and sugar was a thing only in the 4th century BCE. Dried pasta was a contribution from the Arab culture, while the now-traditional tomato sauce was only introduced in the 17th century.

Pepperoni Pizza Isn’t a Thing

Here’s one of the most curious food facts that everybody should know before travelling to Italy: pepperoni pizza isn’t Italian. Despite the name, pepperoni was created in the United States. Worse still, pepperoni means “bell pepper” in Italian, which means guests may get an entirely different topping there, if anything at all. 

Conclusion

Millions of tourists visit Italy every year, and food is surely among the main attractions. Despite the abundance of restaurants dedicated to this millenar cuisine worldwide, nothing beats the original version. After all, a food trip to Italy may present visitors with recipes they won’t find anywhere else, followed by equally rare wines and liqueurs. The most adventurous visitors can try out curiosities like raw snails in Sicily, pork blood cake in Tuscany, and plenty of recipes for entrails.