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FOOD AND DRINK

From fried brains to ‘sexy’ cakes: The Italian foods you might not expect in Italy

Italy may be known worldwide for pizza and gelato, but some delicacies loved by Italians are a lot less appetising to foreign visitors, as reporter Silvia Marchetti explains.

From fried brains to 'sexy' cakes: The Italian foods you might not expect in Italy
Visitors can find more than they bargained for at a traditional Italian food market. (Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP)

Tagliatelle, lasagne, spaghetti alla carbonara and gelato are the iconic foods foreigners visiting Italy can’t wait to indulge in. They symbolize Italian cuisine worldwide and everybody knows them. 

There is this widespread belief that Italian dishes are mostly sophisticated recipes, beautiful to look at as if out of a glossy gourmand magazine.

But there are many peculiar foods newcomers will be amazed – if not shocked – to find in Italy.

We eat baby rabbits and piglets in all sorts of ways. Roman coniglio alla cacciatore (rabbit cooked in wine, the huntsmans’ way) and Sardinian porceddu are local specialities, even though just the thought will put many people off. Piglets in many Sardinian towns are still cooked the old way, skewered on bonfires with a crunchy outer skin sweetened by drops of their blood. 

I know from experience Brits and Americans do not eat rabbits, which are pets for them just like cats and dogs. For Italians, they’re succulent meat. 

I discovered this culinary clash at high school, when during pyjama parties I would see cute bunnies scurrying across the floor and tell my friends my mom made delicious rabbit dishes. I was accused of being a ‘cannibal’.

Alpine restaurants serve deer and chamois cold cuts and fillets, which I have tasted and must admit are delicious. Finding Bambi on your plate can be quite shocking for travellers visiting Italy for the first time, likewise finding horsemeat delicacies in some regions.

In Rome locals adore pajata which looks and is quite gruesome: the interior of a calf’s intestine, full of white soft excrements given the baby has only fed on its mother’s milk. When I go to the butcher’s shop near my house I see customers buying portions of coratella (cow heart, liver, brain) and bovine tongues. 

In Tuscany all menus feature paté di fegatini, little chicken livers spread on bruschetta or crostini, alongside trays of fried brains, livers of various animals and cows’ stomach, or lampredotto. The ‘boccone del prete’ (the priest’s morsel) is the most sublime part of the chicken: its rectum.

In some deep rural areas in Puglia, farmhouses make sanguinaccio for breakfast like their ancestors did: mixing dark melted chocolate with fresh pig blood from their pigsty.

When it comes to fish, Sardinia’s bottarga cured roe sack is the most bizarre. It is eaten both grated like parmiggiano or as sliced pieces of dried ovaries on salads, bruschetta and spaghetti. 

Last time I visited the Aeolian islands I tasted paccheri pasta with the eggs of minnole, little fish fresh from their mother’s belly, cut open by fishermen at the morning market. Sicilians have a knack for diving into the water and coming back up with a handful of sea urchins which they cut open with a knife and eat raw. I tried one but the pungent taste doesn’t agree with my palate.

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Veggies are also tricky. Even what most foreigners would consider to be weeds, brushwood or simple grass is eaten in Italy.  My granny had a saying: non si butta niente e tutto fa brodo, (nothing is thrown away and it all makes broth – ie. it’s all good). 

Romans on weekends go hunting with gloves for wild nettles in the countryside to sprinkle on a dish of pasta or make a pesto-like sauce. They’re also very fond of ugly looking prickly zucchini that grow in abandoned fields, which are dubbed gratta-culi (ass scrapers) as local lore tells us picnickers who go looking for an open-air toilet could get their buttocks pricked. 

On southern islands restaurant menus feature algae dishes with finocchietto marino (sea fennel that grows on rocks on the water surface). In remote Abruzzo villages farmer sell crema di mugnoli, huge broccoli leaves pressed into pasta sauce.

Abruzzo’s mugnoli. Photo: Borghi piu belli d’Italia

My family loves pizza with fiori di zucca or fiori di zucchina (pumpkin and zucchini flowers), while my father’s favorite veggie is called barba di frate (friar’s beard) or agretti, with long thin foliage resembling the hair of a long beard.

In Val di Comino, north of Naples, people forage for a type of small spinach called orapi, which grows underneath fertile goat dung, making it particularly tasty – and expensive at restaurants. My Tuscan aunt used to roam the prairies for mallow flowers and boraggine (borage) to make omelettes. 

There are also shockingly sexy deserts that might seem to clash with Italy’s deeply Catholic traditions, but which in fact aren’t blasphemous at all.

In southern regions including in Naples and Sicily locals indulge in so-called zizze di monaca (nun’s breasts) or minne di virgini (virgin’s breasts) that are indeed shaped like women’s breasts, covered in icing and topped with cherries that resemble nipples. 

In Catania these are prepared each winter to honor the martyrdom of Saint Agatha whose breasts were cut off by a cruel ancient Roman official. While In the Sicilian town of Sambuca the minne, slightly different, are a daily treat.

Sambuca’s minne di virgini. Photo: Silvia Marchetti

There are also the sospiri di suora (nun’s sighs), small buns that nod to the extreme ecstatic pleasure one has in eating them. The ‘sighs’ may have a sexual connotation related to orgasm, but even though southerners are very pious they actually think these treats pay homage to spirituality. Ecstasy after all can be a carnal or mystical experience. 

When it comes to food, Italians have no limits.

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LEARNING ITALIAN

The essential vocabulary you’ll need to dine out in Italy

Waiters in Italy's big cities and holiday hotspots often have a good command of English, but that's not always the case in the rest of the country. Here is some key Italian vocabulary to help you enjoy a smooth dining experience.

The essential vocabulary you'll need to dine out in Italy

Dining out is one of the best ways to explore Italy’s famous cuisine and one of the experiences tourists most look forward to when visiting the country.

Generally speaking, waiting staff at most restaurants in major cities and holiday hotspots around Italy will have at least some basic knowledge of English, meaning you’ll be able to order your meal in inglese without any particular issues. 

But that might not be the case in less visited areas of the peninsula, or in less popular establishments, where waiters may not be used to foreign clientele and may not be confident English speakers. 

Whether you’re dealing with staff with a not-so-great command of English, or are simply tempted to put your Italian skills to the test and order food and drinks in the local language, there are some key words and phrases that you’ll need to be familiar with to enjoy a smooth dining experience in Italy.

Choosing your restaurant

Picking the right spot for a lunch (pranzo) or dinner (cena) can be hard without some basic knowledge of all the different kinds of restaurants available in the country and their names. 

Though the precise distinction between ristoranti, trattorie, osterie and agriturismi isn’t always clear to Italians either, each establishment has some unique features. Knowing this will help you make the best choice for the occasion at hand. 

READ ALSO: Trattoria to osteria: Explaining the different restaurants in Italy

Reserving a table

Once you’ve picked the restaurant, it’s strongly advisable that you book (prenotare) a table (un tavolo). 

Italian restaurants can get extremely busy, especially over the summer and on or around national public holidays, which means it’s always best to book a spot well in advance to avoid being told “Scusi, siamo al completo/siamo pieni” (Sorry, we’re fully booked) at a later date. 

Some restaurants may allow you to book online, either through their website or via external online platforms or apps, but this is definitely not the case for all venues.

Should calling the restaurant be the only option, you can simply say: “Vorrei riservare un tavolo per (numero) persone alle (ora) di (giorno),” which translates as “I’d like to reserve a table for (number) people at (time) on (day)”.

To confirm the reservation, you’ll in most cases be asked to provide your name (nome) or surname (cognome) and mobile phone number (numero di cellulare).

If the restaurant has an outdoor seating area, you may also be asked if you’d like to eat indoors (dentro or all’interno) or outdoors (fuori or all’esterno).

Ordering food and drinks

Once at the restaurant, the first thing you’ll have to do is let the restaurant manager or waiting staff know that you have a reservation. 

You can do so by saying: “Ho una prenotazione per (ora) con nome (nome)”, which means “I have a reservation for (time) with name (your name)”.

Once seated, you’ll be given a menu (menù in Italian – note the accent on the ‘u’) and usually be given some bread (pane) or breadsticks (grissini) to snack on while you decide what to eat or drink.

In most cases, these won’t be free of charge (you’ll see them billed as pane or coperto) but you can turn them down with a simple “No, grazie” (No, thank you).

READ ALSO: ‘A rip-off’: Should you really get mad about Italy’s table charge?

In most restaurants in big cities and popular tourist hotspots, menus will be available in both English and Italian.

If that’s not the case, you can ask the waiter (cameriere) to explain what the items you’re not familiar with are: “Che cosa c’e’ in questo piatto?” (What’s in this dish?) or “Che ingrediente e’ questo?” (What ingredient is this?).

Or you may ask for their English translation (traduzione in inglese).

The menu will likely be divided into the following sections: antipasti (appetisers), primi (first courses), secondi (second courses), contorni (sides), dolci (desserts), bevande alcoliche (alcoholic drinks) and bevande analcoliche (soft drinks).

If you’re looking for recommendations on what to order (ordinare), you can ask your waiter: “Cosa mi consigli da bere/da mangiare?” (What do you suggest I eat/drink?).

You can also ask how big portions are (“Quanto sono grandi le porzioni?”) if you’re afraid you may order more than you can possibly take on.

READ ALSO: Antipasto to amaro: What to expect from every step of an Italian dinner

If you need some more time to look at the menu, you can say: “Mi serve un altro po’ di tempo”.

To order, simply say “Io prendo…” (I’ll take) followed by your order. 

Particular requests

Whether you need an extra plate, new cutlery or another napkin, you can just ask: “Possiamo avere…?” followed by what you need and per favore (please). 

Here are some useful terms to know.

Posate (cutlery): forchetta (fork), coltello (knife), cucchiaio (spoon), cucchiaino (tea spoon).

Stoviglie (tableware): piatto fondo (soup plate), piatto piano (dinner plate), vassoio (tray), piattino (side plate), bicchiere (glass), caraffa (jug), bottiglia (bottle), tovagliolo (napkin), salviette (wipes).

Asking for the bill

Italian waiters don’t normally like to hurry their customers and it’s perfectly acceptable to linger and chat over the dregs of the wine after finishing your meal.

READ ALSO: The etiquette around paying your restaurant bill in Italy

When you’re ready to pay the bill, try to catch the waiter’s eye and ask: “Possiamo avere il conto?

You’ll have the option to pay at the counter (alla cassa) or at the table (al tavolo), in cash (contanti) or by card (carta).

Though tipping isn’t required or expected in Italy, you can still leave a tip (mancia) if you were particularly happy with the service (servizio) or the food you consumed.

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