| Italian cuisine has a long history. Some food historians | | | | local ingredients and incorporated into all manner of |
| believe it can be traced back to ancient Greece and | | | | dishes, leading to the Italian cuisine that we know |
| Rome, although the collapse of the Roman Empire | | | | today. |
| means that we do not have a lot of information about | | | | What are the characteristics of this cuisine? Fresh |
| the eating habits of those eras. | | | | produce and high-quality ingredients are the essence |
| So there is no clear evidence for the origins of Italy's | | | | of Italian cooking. Foods are generally prepared in a |
| most famous food, pasta. Some historians believe that | | | | simple manner that emphasizes taste. Olives and olive |
| it could date back to Roman times, or even earlier. | | | | oil feature in numerous dishes. |
| However, others suggest that it may have arrived | | | | And why is it so healthy? Certainly the abundant use |
| from the Orient, introduced by Marco Polo in the | | | | of olive oil is a key factor. Italy's long coastline is |
| thirteenth century. | | | | another reason -- fresh fish features prominently in |
| This remained for many years a lower class food, | | | | local cooking. The regular use of pulses, along with a |
| usually boiled and eaten with just a small garnish of | | | | lot of fresh fruit and vegetables, is important. Meat is |
| cheese. However, a minor culinary revolution was | | | | eaten sparingly. Wine is consumed, but together with |
| launched when Christopher Columbus returned from | | | | meals and in moderation. |
| the Americas with tomatoes, sweet peppers, green | | | | There is more, but those are the basics. Eat like an |
| beans and much, much more. | | | | Italian, do regular exercise and enjoy a balanced social |
| These foods, steadily introduced around the | | | | and family life, and you could be on the way to a much |
| Mediterranean region, grew readily in the hot Italian | | | | healthier lifestyle. |
| climate, and after a time they were being mixed with | | | | |