Spicy pugliese and margherita pizzas - NYC Pizza Expedition 2009

Tiramisu with blueberries and raspberries, July 2011

This is a list of Italian dishes and foods.

Italian cuisine Italian cuisine (, ) is a Mediterranean cuisine David 1988, Introduction, pp.101–103 consisting of the ingredients, recipes and cooking techniques developed across the Italian Peninsula and later spread around the world together with w ...

has developed through centuries of social and political changes, with roots as far back as the 4th century BC. Italian cuisine has its origins in Etruscan,

ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...

, and

ancient Roman In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 B ...

cuisines. Significant changes occurred with the discovery of the New World and the introduction of

potato The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae. Wild potato species can be found from the southern Un ...

es,

tomato The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to the Spanish word , ...

es,

bell pepper The bell pepper (also known as paprika, sweet pepper, pepper, or capsicum ) is the fruit of plants in the Grossum Group of the species ''Capsicum annuum''. Cultivars of the plant produce fruits in different colors, including red, yellow, orang ...

s and

maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn ( North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. ...

, now central to the

cuisine A cuisine is a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, techniques and dishes, and usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region. Regional food preparation techniques, customs, and ingredients combine to ...

but not introduced in quantity until the 18th century. The cuisine of

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

is noted for its regional diversity, abundance of difference in taste, and is known to be one of the most popular in the world, with influences abroad.

Pizza Pizza (, ) is a dish of Italian origin consisting of a usually round, flat base of leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomatoes, cheese, and often various other ingredients (such as various types of sausage, anchovies, mushrooms, ...

and

spaghetti Spaghetti () is a long, thin, solid, cylindrical pasta.spaghetti
Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabrid ...

, both associated with the Neapolitan traditions of cookery, are especially popular abroad, but the varying geographical conditions of the twenty regions of

, together with the strength of local traditions, afford a wide range of dishes.

Dishes and foods

The

of Italy has many unique dishes and foods.

Zuppe e salse (soups and sauces)

* Acquacotta – an Italian soup that was originally a

peasant food Peasant foods are dishes eaten by peasants, made from accessible and inexpensive ingredients. In many historical periods, peasant foods have been stigmatized. They may use ingredients, such as offal and less-tender cuts of meat, which are not ...

. Historically, its primary ingredients were water, stale bread, onion, tomato and olive oil, along with various vegetables and leftover foods that may have been available. * Agghiotta di lumache (Sicilian snail soup) * Agliata * Agrodolce * Bagna càuda * Capra e fagioli * Cioppino broth based seafood stew, served with grilled bread * Garmugia * Ginestrata * Grine sauce * Maccu * Sugo al Pomodoro *

Minestra di ceci Minestra di ceci (chickpea soup) is a soup in Italian cuisine prepared with chickpeas as a primary ingredient. Dried chickpeas that have been soaked or canned chickpeas may be used. Additional ingredients can vary, and may include foods such as s ...

* Minestra di pasta con pesce *

Minestrone Minestrone (; ) is a thick soup of Italian origin made with vegetables, often with the addition of pasta or rice, sometimes both. Common ingredients include beans, onions, celery, carrots, leaf vegetables, stock, parmesan cheese and tomatoe ...

* Pasta e fagioli * Ragù alla bolognese * Ragù alla napoletana * Ragù alla salsiccia *

Ragù In Italian cuisine, ragù () is a meat-based sauce that is commonly served with pasta. An Italian gastronomic society, Accademia Italiana della Cucina, documented several ragù recipes. The recipes' common characteristics are the presence of mea ...

– a meat-based sauce commonly served with pasta *

Risi e bisi Risotto (, , from meaning "rice") is a northern Italian rice dish cooked with broth until it reaches a creamy consistency. The broth can be derived from meat, fish, or vegetables. Many types of risotto contain butter, onion, white wine, and Par ...

Sciusceddu Sciusceddu () is a soup in Sicilian cuisine prepared using meatballs and broken eggs as primary ingredients, served as a traditional Easter dish in Messina in Sicily. Additional ingredients used include broth, caciocavallo and ricotta cheeses, pars ...

* Stracciatella * Boreto * Fonduta * Minestra di fagioli * Pesto

Pane (bread)

* Bari * Bozza pratese * Casatiello * Ciabatta – an Italian white bread made from wheat flour, water, salt, olive oil, and yeast, created in 1982 by a baker in Adria, Veneto, Italy, in response to popularity of French baguettes * Ciaccino * Ciriola – typical bread of

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

* Colomba Pasquale * Coppia Ferrarese * Cornetto * Crescentina *

Crescia Crescia is a thin Italian flatbread typically prepared in Marche and Umbria (Pesaro, Urbino, Ancona, Macerata, Perugia and Terni). The ''crescia'' probably has a common ancestry to the ''piadina'', to be found in the bread used by the Byzanti ...

* Crocchè *

Farinata Farinata (), socca (), torta di ceci (), or cecina () is a type of thin, unleavened pancake or crêpe made from chickpea flour. It originated in Italy and later became a typical food of the Ligurian Sea coast, from Nice to Sardinia and Elba isla ...

* Ficattola *

Focaccia Focaccia ( , , ; lij, fugassa ; nap, label= Barese, fecazze ) is a flat leavened oven-baked Italian bread, similar in style and texture to pizza; in some places, it is called ("white pizza"). Focaccia can be served as a side dish or as ...

* Fragguno * Grissini torinesi * Michetta – typical bread of Milan * Moddizzosu *

Muffuletta The muffuletta or muffaletta is both a type of round Sicilian sesame bread and a popular sandwich that originated among Italian immigrants in New Orleans, Louisiana, using the same bread. History The muffuletta bread has origins in Sicily. ...

* Neccio * Pandoro * Pane carasau * Pane casareccio * Pane di Altamura * Pane di Genzano (Lazio) * Pane pugliese *

Pane di Laterza Pane di Laterza is a traditional bread of Laterza, a little municipality in the province of Taranto, in Apulia, in Southeastern Italy. It is made with durum flour with water, salt and sourdough. It is mainly produced in Laterza, but it can be also ...

* Pane di Matera * Pane rustico – traditional crusty peasant bread *

Pane toscano (; also called ''pane toscano'' outside Tuscany) is a variety of bread commonly found in Tuscany, Umbria, and the Marches, three regions of Italy. ''Sciocco'' means "without salt", but is also a synonym for "stupid" in Italian. Tu proverai sì c ...

– without salt * Panelle di ceci *

Panettone Panettone (, ; lmo, label= Milanese, panetton ) is an Italian type of sweet bread, and fruitcake, originally from Milan, usually prepared and enjoyed for Christmas and New Year in Western, Southern, and Southeastern Europe as well as in South ...

* Panino * Penia * Piadina *

Pita Pita ( or ) or pitta (British English), is a family of yeast-leavened round flatbreads baked from wheat flour, common in the Mediterranean, Middle East, and neighboring areas. It includes the widely known version with an interior pocket, als ...

– typical bread of

Catanzaro Catanzaro (, or ; scn, label= Catanzarese, Catanzaru ; , or , ''Katastaríoi Lokrói''; ; la, Catacium), also known as the "City of the two Seas", is an Italian city of 86,183 inhabitants (2020), the capital of the Calabria region and of its ...

Rosetta Rosetta or Rashid (; ar, رشيد ' ; french: Rosette ; cop, ϯⲣⲁϣⲓⲧ ''ti-Rashit'', Ancient Greek: Βολβιτίνη ''Bolbitinē'') is a port city of the Nile Delta, east of Alexandria, in Egypt's Beheira governorate. The ...

– typical bread of Rome * Schiacciata *

Taralli Taralli are toroidal Italian snack foods, common in the southern half of the Italian Peninsula. A cracker similar in texture to a breadstick, a pretzel, a bublik, a Sushki or baranki, taralli can be sweet or savory. Sweet taralli are some ...

* Testarolo * Tigella * Tortano * Torta salata

Common pizzas

* Ai frutti di mare – an Italian

seafood Seafood is any form of sea life regarded as food by humans, prominently including fish and shellfish. Shellfish include various species of molluscs (e.g. bivalve molluscs such as clams, oysters and mussels, and cephalopods such as octopus a ...

pizza that may be served with scampi, mussels or squid *

Calzone A calzone (, , ; "stocking" or "trouser") is an Italian oven-baked folded pizza, often described as a turnover, made with leavened dough. It originated in Naples in the 18th century. A typical calzone is made from salted bread dough, baked in a ...

– folded over dough usually filled with

ricotta Ricotta ( in Italian) is an Italian whey cheese made from sheep, cow, goat, or Italian water buffalo milk whey left over from the production of other cheeses. Like other whey cheeses, it is made by coagulating the proteins that remain after t ...

and other ingredients * Focaccia al rosmarino – a

pizza Pizza (, ) is a dish of Italian origin consisting of a usually round, flat base of leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomatoes, cheese, and often various other ingredients (such as various types of sausage, anchovies, mushrooms, ...

based on

rosemary ''Salvia rosmarinus'' (), commonly known as rosemary, is a shrub with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple, or blue flowers, native to the Mediterranean region. Until 2017, it was known by the scientific name ''Rosma ...

and

olive oil Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained from olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea''; family Oleaceae), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin, produced by pressing whole olives and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking: ...

, sometimes served with prosciutto, usually served as

appetizer An hors d'oeuvre ( ; french: hors-d'œuvre ), appetiser or starter is a small dish served before a meal in European cuisine. Some hors d'oeuvres are served cold, others hot. Hors d'oeuvres may be served at the dinner table as a part of the ...

* Pizza ai funghi e salsiccia – pizza with mushroom and sausage or boscaiola, with

mozzarella Mozzarella (, ; nap, muzzarella ) is a southern Italian cheese traditionally made from Italian buffalo's milk by the pasta filata method. Fresh mozzarella is generally white but when seasoned it turns to a light yellow depending on the ani ...

, mushrooms and sausages, with or without tomato * Pizza al taglio – ( Italian for pizza by the slice — literally "by the cut") is a variety of pizza baked in large rectangular trays, and generally sold in rectangular or square slices by weight, with prices marked per kilogram or per 100 grams. This type of pizza was invented in

, and is common throughout Italy. * Pizza ai quattro formaggi – (four cheese pizza) with four different cheeses, typically Parmesan, Gorgonzola, Ricotta and Mozzarella (sometimes melted together, sometimes in sectors), with (rossa, red) or without tomato sauce (bianca, white) * Pizza alla napoletana (or Neapolitan) – tomato, mozzarella and

anchovy An anchovy is a small, common forage fish of the family Engraulidae. Most species are found in marine waters, but several will enter brackish water, and some in South America are restricted to fresh water. More than 140 species are placed in 1 ...

Pizza capricciosa Pizza capricciosa () is a style of pizza in Italian cuisine prepared with mozzarella cheese, Italian baked ham, mushroom, artichoke and tomato. Types of edible mushrooms used may include '' cremini'' (white mushrooms) and others. Some versio ...

– with tomato, mozzarella, mushrooms, artichokes, black and green olives * Pizza Margherita – tomato and mozzarella * Pizza marinara – tomato,

oregano Oregano (, ; ''Origanum vulgare'') is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae. It was native to the Mediterranean region, but widely naturalised elsewhere in the temperate Northern Hemisphere. Oregano is a woody perennial pla ...

and

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus ''Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Welsh onion and Chinese onion. It is native to South Asia, Central Asia and northe ...

* Pizza pugliese – tomato, mozzarella and onions * Pizza quattro stagioni (four seasons pizza) – based on tomato and divided in four sectors, one for each season: * Pizza romana ( Roman pizza) – tomato, mozzarella, capers and anchovy * Pizza siciliana ( Sicilian pizza and ''Sfincione / sfinciuni'') – tomato, mozzarella, capers, olive and anchovy

Pasta varieties

* Agnolotti * Bavette, bigoli, bucatini * Cannelloni, crespelle * Capellini, * Cappelletti * Chitarra *

Conchiglie Conchiglie (), commonly known as "shells" or "seashells", is a type of pasta. It is usually sold in the plain durum wheat variety, and also in colored varieties which use natural pigments, such as tomato extract, squid ink or spinach extract. Th ...

Ditalini Ditalini ( Italian: "small thimbles", also referred to as tubettini) is a type of pasta that is shaped like small tubes. It has been described as "thimble-sized" and as "very short macaroni". In some areas it is also called "salad macaroni." Dur ...

* Eliche *

Farfalle Farfalle () are a type of pasta commonly known as bow-tie pasta or butterfly pasta. The name is derived from the Italian word ''farfalle'' ( butterflies). In the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, farfalle are known as ''strichetti'' (a local word ...

, festoni, fettuccine, filatieddi,

fusilli Fusilli () are a variety of pasta that are formed into corkscrew or helical shapes. The word ''fusilli'' presumably comes from ''fuso'' ("spindle"), as traditionally it is "spun" by pressing and rolling a small rod over the thin strips of pasta ...

* Garganelli *

Gnocchi Gnocchi ( , , ; singular ''gnocco'') are a varied family of dumpling in Italian cuisine. They are made of small lumps of dough most traditionally composed of a simple combination of wheat flour, egg, salt, and potato. Variations of the dish supp ...

* Gnocchi di semolino –

dumpling Dumpling is a broad class of dishes that consist of pieces of dough (made from a variety of starch sources), oftentimes wrapped around a filling. The dough can be based on bread, flour, buckwheat or potatoes, and may be filled with meat, ...

s made with

semolina Semolina is coarsely milled durum wheat mainly used in making couscous, and sweet puddings. The term semolina is also used to designate coarse millings of other varieties of wheat, and sometimes other grains (such as rice or corn) as well. Etym ...

flour *

Lasagna Lasagna (, also , also known as lasagne, ) is a type of pasta, possibly one of the oldest types, made of very wide, flat sheets. Either term can also refer to an Italian dish made of stacked layers of lasagna alternating with fillings such a ...

, linguine, lumache (snails), lasagnette * Maccheroni (

macaroni Macaroni (, Italian: maccheroni) is dry pasta shaped like narrow tubes.Oxford DictionaryMacaroni/ref> Made with durum wheat, macaroni is commonly cut in short lengths; curved macaroni may be referred to as elbow macaroni. Some home machin ...

), malloreddus (

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label= Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label= Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, af ...

n pasta), maltagliati, marille, marrubini * Offelle,

orecchiette Orecchiette (; singular ; ) are a pasta typical of Apulia, a region of Southern Italy. Their name comes from their shape, which resembles a small ear. Description An orecchietta has the shape of a small dome, with its center thinner than its ...

* Orzo * Paccheri, paglia e fieno, pansotti, panzarotti, pappardelle,

penne Penne () is an extruded type of pasta with cylinder-shaped pieces, their ends cut at an angle. ''Penne'' is the plural form of the Italian ''penna'' (meaning ''feather'' but ''pen'' as well), deriving from Latin ''penna'' (meaning " feather" or ...

, perciatelli, pici, pinzillacchere, pizzoccheri, *

Ravioli Ravioli (; singular: ''raviolo'', ) are a type of pasta comprising a filling enveloped in thin pasta dough. Usually served in broth or with a sauce, they originated as a traditional food in Italian cuisine. Ravioli are commonly square, tho ...

rigatoni Rigatoni () are a form of tube-shaped pasta of varying lengths and diameters originating in Italy. They are larger than penne and ziti, and sometimes slightly curved. If so, they are not as curved as elbow macaroni. Rigatoni characteristical ...

Spaghetti Spaghetti () is a long, thin, solid, cylindrical pasta.spaghetti
Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabrid ...

, spaghetti alla chitarra, strozzapreti, strangozzi, strascinati * Stelline – means "little stars" in Italian. The pasta is shaped like small stars. *

Testaroli Testaroli, sometimes referred to as ''testarolo'', is a type of pasta or bread in Italian cuisine that is prepared using water, flour and salt, which is sliced into triangular shapes. A common dish in the Lunigiana region and historical territory ...

– sometimes served with pesto * Tacconi,

tagliatelle Tagliatelle (; from the Italian ''tagliare'', meaning "to cut") are a traditional type of pasta from the Emilia-Romagna and Marche regions of Italy. Individual pieces of ''tagliatelle'' are long, flat ribbons that are similar in shape to fettucc ...

, tagliarini, tonnarelli, tortellini, trenette, trottole, trofie *

Vermicelli Vermicelli (; , , also , ) is a traditional type of pasta round in section similar to spaghetti. In English-speaking regions it is usually thinner than spaghetti, while in Italy it is typically thicker. The term ''vermicelli'' is also used to ...

Ziti Ziti is an extruded pasta, originating in Campania. It is shaped into a long, wide tube, about 25 cm long, that needs to be broken by hand into smaller pieces before cooking. Ziti have similarities to bucatini but are much thicker. Ziti are ...

Pasta dishes

* Bucatini all' Amatriciana, bucatini coi funghi, bucatini alla Sorrentina * Cannelloni al ragù, cannelloni ai carciofi * Carbonara * Ciceri e Tria * Cacio e pepe * Fettuccine Alfredo *

Lasagne Lasagna (, also , also known as lasagne, ) is a type of pasta, possibly one of the oldest types, made of very wide, flat sheets. Either term can also refer to an Italian dish made of stacked layers of lasagna alternating with fillings such as ...

* Linguine alle vongole - with clam sauce * Pansotti alla genovese – a type of huge ravioli *

Pasta all'Ortolana ''Pasta all'Ortolana'' is an Italian dish made by cooking various different vegetables before mixing them together with pasta. The recipe does not state a specific type of pasta, so it can be made with fusilli, fettuccine, penne, rigatoni, f ...

* Pasta al pesto *

Penne all'arrabbiata Arrabbiata sauce, or ''sugo all'arrabbiata'' in Italian (''arabbiata'' in Romanesco dialect), is a spicy sauce for pasta made from garlic, tomatoes, and dried red chili peppers cooked in olive oil. The sauce originates from the Lazio region, and ...

Pasta con i peperoni cruschi Pasta con i peperoni cruschi is an Italian pasta dish flavored with peppers and typical of the Basilicata region. Description The main ingredient is peperone crusco, a dried and crunchy pepper known for its sweet flavour and intense colour, w ...

Pasta con le sarde Pasta con le sarde (; scn, Pasta chî sardi) is a Sicily, Sicilian dish of pasta with Sardines as food, sardines and Anchovies as food, anchovies. It is recognized as a traditional Italian food product in the Prodotto agroalimentare tradizionale ...

* Rigatoni con la Pajata, rigatoni al forno con salsa aurora * Spaghetti alla Carrettiera,

Spaghetti bolognese Bolognese sauce (, ; known in Italian as ''ragù alla bolognese'', , ''ragù bolognese'', or si