| Until recently the food that most people thought of | | | | separation in what is considered to be good cuisine for |
| when they were talking about high class food was | | | | the masses and for the better off. |
| French. This is easy to understand because French | | | | This is because the essence of the food is that the |
| food can be very technical and complicated. The dining | | | | food should being made from fresh ingredients that |
| in French restaurants also tends to be more formal. | | | | are prepared well served with the minimum of fuss. |
| But the Italian culinary arts are becoming more and | | | | This easy attitude to food, that it should be made from |
| more recognized as one of the worlds leading cuisines. | | | | there finest ingredients that have only been prepared |
| Of course the staples of the Italian menu such as | | | | with the least cooking possible, means that the food is |
| pizza and pasta have always been very popular, but | | | | always good and although not complicated, it is as |
| they were generally thought of as not of the same | | | | good as the finest French cuisine. They fact that it is |
| quality as French cookery. | | | | easy to prepare does not detract from the quality. |
| This is mostly because the emphasis was more on | | | | Rather it adds to it, as it means that really good food is |
| the technical aspects of the cookery and the | | | | accessible to everyone and you do not need a high |
| refinement of flavor that the French food had, as | | | | degree of skill to prepare it. This is the basis of the |
| opposed to other cuisines. After all even the word | | | | Italian culinary arts. |
| cuisine is, as is much of the generally used language of | | | | If you follow the easiest Italian recipes and make sure |
| the culinary arts, French. | | | | that you use good ingredients, then you will be getting |
| But these days, rather than valuing the technical skill of | | | | some of the best food around. If you have the money, |
| the chef and the complexity of the food, many food | | | | then fine restaurants are great. But if you go to a good |
| writers are reflecting the trend in society for simplicity, | | | | Italian diner that has a respect for the tradition of its |
| both of taste and preparation. This is reflected in the | | | | food and the freshness of the ingredients and you will |
| upsurge of interest in Italian cooking. Italian food is not | | | | get as good a meal as you will ever have. |
| generally complicated. It also does not have the | | | | |