Darégal

Each region of the boot can boast specialities that contribute to the diversity of Italian cuisine and make it one of the favourites around the world.
Italian cuisine is not just a Mediterranean cuisine. It also includes Lombard influences (rice and butter), Alpine influences (polenta, cream and cheese), Austrian influences (dried Bresaola meat, strudel, beer and cinnamon) and even Arab influences (couscous in Sicily).
Like France, Italy is a country of varied wines and cheeses with several very high quality traditional productions (white truffles from Piedmont, grana padano, San Daniele ham, vercelli rice, grappa, etc.).
For an Italian, the epicentre of Italian cuisine is somewhere between Tuscany (perhaps the most prestigious) and Emilie Romagne (the most flavourful and richest). But one’s head quickly spins when one ponders the quality of regional products from the Piedmont and Aoste Valley, the originality of Venetian cuisine, the powerful charm of popular Roman cuisine and rich Lombardy cuisine and the southern flavours from Sicily, Sardinia and Puglia.
A typical Italian meal includes:
- Antipasti (hors-d’oeuvre) comprised of vegetables, cold cuts and fish
- Primo (hot starter), which can be pasta, rice, polenta, gnocchis or soup
- Secondo (main course) of meat or fish
- Formaggio (cheese) like grana padano, gorgonzola, mozzarella, parmesan, etc.
- Dolce (dessert) like tiramisu