Why Your Favorite Italian Foods Don’t Exist in Italy (2024)

by Chris Atwood

When you go to Italy, how will you know you’re noshing on actual authentic Italian food? It shocks many Americans that what they think of Italian food doesn’t exist in Italy. After reading this, you’ll know just how to order your favorite Italian foods- the authentic way!

The pizza? Yes.

The pasta? Yes.

The chicken parm? Well, no.

In Rome, you won’t find spaghetti and meatballs. You will find pasta alla carbonara in Trastevere. In Firenze, you won’t find pepperoni pizza. You will discover fiorentina steak in FlorenceTuscan t-bone. In Venice, you won’t find fettuccine alfredo. You will discover squid-ink risotto in Venice, Italy.

What’s the Difference between Food in Italy and Italian Food in America?

It turns out that authentic Italian food is not the same as Italian-American cooking. Italy is more like a federation of different countries than a uniform place. The union of 20 regions creates Italy, each with its history, dialects, and foods. The food you’ll find in Naples has nothing to do with the food you’ll try in Milan.

Understanding Real Italian Food vs. American Italian Dishes

To help you understand the difference between American “Italian” and the food in Italy, below, you’ll find our travel experts’ primer on authentic Italian food.

Here’s an introduction to authentic Italian food vs. Italian-American food:

What Are Authentic Italian Meatballs Like?

When Americans think of Italian restaurants, spaghetti and meatballs spring to mind. Italians find this very funny since you won’t find meatballs on a pile of pasta in Italy. But, Italians do serve polpette on their own – either with or without tomato sauce. Depending on where you are in Italy, you can find “meatballs” made from eggplant, zucchini, or even seafood.

Why Your Favorite Italian Foods Don’t Exist in Italy (3)

Does Parmesan Cheese Come from Italy?

There is no “Parmesan” cheese in Italy, or at least not the stuff in the green can. In Italy, you’ll find parmigiano reggiano. The king of cheeses, parmigiano, originates near Parma. The real parmigiano cheese is aged for at least ten months and kept at concrete moisture. In Italy, fresh parmigiano on pasta or an ingredient in savory dishes. Despite being a staple of Italian-American cuisine, “chicken parmesan” is nowhere to be found in Italy. Instead, Italians nosh on parmigiana – eggplant layered with tomato sauce and cheese.

Why Your Favorite Italian Foods Don’t Exist in Italy (4)

How Do Italians Make Lasagna?

Lasagna – layered with red sauce and ricotta – is common in American and Italian-American kitchens. Many Italian immigrants came to the US from Italy’s South. Not coincidentally, you make Southern Italian lasagna with tomatoes and ricotta.

Why Your Favorite Italian Foods Don’t Exist in Italy (5)

American lasagna is a Southern Italian offshoot. For most Italians, lasagne comes from the northern city of Bologna. Bolognese lasagne noodles combined with spinach pasta, a rich meat sauce, and grated parmigiano cheese. So, if you order lasagna” in Italy, don’t be surprised when green pasta with no ricotta lands on your plate.

What’s Pizza Like in Italy?

Italy is synonymous with pizza. Chewy crust. Zesty tomatoes. Regional varieties of pizza abound in Italy. In Naples, you’ll find the world-famous margherita – a marriage of mozzarella, tomato, and basil. In Sicily, you’ll nibble on sfincione, a thick “pizza” with no tomatoes. And, in Rome, you’ll encounter thin-crust, crispy pizzas.

Why Your Favorite Italian Foods Don’t Exist in Italy (6)

Traditionally, Italians do not serve pizza by the slice. You get a whole pizza to yourself. Fair warning: “pepperoni” in Italian means bell peppers. If you want spicy salami on your pizza, you’ll need to ask for a pizza alla diavola. Your favorite Italian foods are now within reach!

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Why Your Favorite Italian Foods Don’t Exist in Italy (7)
Why Your Favorite Italian Foods Don’t Exist in Italy (8)
Why Your Favorite Italian Foods Don’t Exist in Italy (9)
Why Your Favorite Italian Foods Don’t Exist in Italy (10)
Why Your Favorite Italian Foods Don’t Exist in Italy (11)
Why Your Favorite Italian Foods Don’t Exist in Italy (12)
Why Your Favorite Italian Foods Don’t Exist in Italy (2024)

FAQs

What Italian foods don't exist in Italy? ›

Many classic Italian-American dishes, like chicken Parmesan, don't exist as-is in Italy. Other examples include spaghetti and meatballs, fettuccine Alfredo, and Italian rainbow cookies.

Do mozzarella sticks exist in Italy? ›

This heavenly, melty, crunchy dish comes to your red-checkered tablecloth straight from Little Italy. Put plainly, if you're really hankering for mozzarella sticks when you're in the actual country of Italy, there is one place you'll find them—McDonald's.

How is Italian food different in Italy? ›

Perhaps one of the first things one will notice when coming from America to Italy is the quality of ingredients. Italians pride themselves on utilizing fresh local produce and products in their cooking, much more so than Americans. As a result, much of the normal food you would eat in America just… tastes better here.

Does Italian cuisine exist? ›

It is one of the best-known and most appreciated gastronomies worldwide. Italian cuisine includes deeply rooted traditions common to the whole country, as well as all the regional gastronomies, different from each other, especially between the north, the centre, and the south of Italy, which are in continuous exchange.

Do Doritos exist in Italy? ›

Doritos, period

Although some Carrefour markets carry them in Italy, there is no wide choice.

What are the 3 most popular foods in Italy? ›

When it comes to food and drink, few can top Italy's stellar reputation. Ask anyone to name their favourite dishes and you can guarantee things like pizza, pasta and gelato soon come tripping off the tongue.

What makes Italian food unique? ›

The greatest aspect of Italian food is its bold flavor combinations. Fresh ingredients such as tomatoes, garlic, onions, basil, oregano, rosemary, and olive oil are common in classic Italian dishes.

What do Italians typically eat? ›

The most common foods in the Italian diet include pasta, cheese, vegetables, olive oil, meats, and wine. Italians give a lot of importance to fresh ingredients. They use seasonal ingredients to prepare meals. The Italian diet consists of breakfast (colazione), lunch (pranzo), and dinner (cena).

What is true Italian food? ›

Italian food, as in the Italian cuisine you'll find in Italy, is a little different. It varies from region to region and generally involves more beans, greens, fresh veggies, and stews; less meat and mozzarella cheese. That doesn't mean you can't love both!

What is Italy's national dish? ›

Answer and Explanation: The national food of Italy is a pasta dish that is called Ragu alla Bolognese, which is a Bolognese sauce of meat and tomatoes with tagliatelle pasta. The dish is also sometimes just called Bolognese, because the sauce has become so popular that it is often identified as the meal itself.

Do they eat pizza in Italy? ›

Each day, approximately 1 million pizzas are consumed in Italy. Pizza here is popular both among locals and tourists who want to try a taste of authentic Italian cuisine. There are around 63,000 pizzerias in Italy, employing about 100,000 pizza makers.

What is the rarest Italian dish? ›

Su filindeu—literally “threads of God” in Sardo—is unfathomably intricate. It's made by only three women on Earth, all of whom live on Sardinia. And they make it only for the biannual Feast of San Francesco. It's been this way for the last 200 years.

Does alfredo sauce exist in Italy? ›

What we call alfredo sauce here in the US doesn't exist in Italy. Its closest cousin is similar to di Lelio's invention: a sauce known in Italy as “al burro” (with butter) — pasta served with melted butter that's sometimes infused with fresh sage, as well as grated Parmigiano.

Does vodka sauce exist in Italy? ›

Vodka sauce also referred to as penne alla vodka, is a long-standing tradition in Italian culture. A sauce that began as a quick and affordable way to impress women has become a staple in Italian cuisine. The sauce is creamy, delicious, and unanimously loved by everyone who tastes it.

Does lasagna exist in Italy? ›

Lasagna, famed worldwide, has ancient origins and remains an Italian superstar dish. Basically, lasagna is a baked casserole made with wide flat pasta and layered with fillings such as ragú, bechamel, vegetables and various cheeses. Unsurprisingly, every Italian region has its own traditional recipe.

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