Italy
Prosciutto e Melone
Italian summer antipasto of prosciutto wrapped around slices of sweet cantaloupe melon. The sweet-salty contrast is iconic.
southern-europe
Italy
Explore 447 foods connected to Italy, from everyday staples to rare local specialties.
447 foods12 leading categories7 Essentials guides
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Bologna Essentials
10 editor-selected foods for understanding the place through what people eat.
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Traditional foods from Italy.
447 foods in this view. Filter by category, type, rarity, or search every recorded name.
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Veneto, Italy
Prosecco
Veneto's sparkling wine made primarily from Glera grapes, produced in large tanks (Charmat method). The base of Aperol Spritz and Bellini.
Italy
Provola Affumicata
Smoked stretched-curd cow's milk cheese from southern Italy, often used in pasta e patate and baked pasta. Mild smoky flavor.
Naples, Italy
Provolone del Monaco
PDO stretched-curd cow's milk cheese from the Lattari Mountains near Naples, aged 6+ months. Slightly spicy, with a buttery and tangy flavor.
Milan, Italy
Punt e Mes
Milanese bitter aperitif of vermouth and Campari, the name means 'point and a half' (one part sweet, half part bitter). A historic Milanese drink.
Bologna, Italy
Ragù alla Bolognese
Ragù alla Bolognese is Bologna's slow-simmered meat sauce of beef, pancetta, soffritto, tomato, and milk or wine; it is served as a sauce with fresh egg pasta.
Naples, Italy
Ragù Napoletano
Naples' Sunday ragù slow-simmers beef or braciole in tomato for hours; the sauce is served first with pasta and the tender meat follows as a secondo.
Slovenian Littoral, Slovenia
Rebula
White grape of the Goriška Brda hills, made both fresh and, increasingly, in long skin contact in amphorae, turning it orange and tannic.
Florence, Italy
Ribollita
Tuscan bread-and-bean soup reboiled with cavolo nero, cannellini, and stale Tuscan bread. A peasant dish born of leftover minestrone, thick enough to stand a spoon.
Tuscany, Italy
Ricciarelli di Siena
Sienese almond macaroon-like cookies, PGI.
Italy
Ricotta
Not technically cheese but a dairy by-product made from whey. Fresh, mild, and slightly sweet—used in pasta fillings, desserts, and lasagne.
Sicily, Italy
Ricotta Salata
Pressed, salted, and dried ricotta from Sicily, grated over pasta alla Norma. Salty, firm, and crumbly—a finishing cheese.
Venice, Italy
Risi e Bisi
Venetian rice-and-peas dish, halfway between a soup and a risotto, traditionally served on St. Mark's Day with fresh young peas and pancetta.
Piedmont, Italy
Risotto al Barolo
Risotto al Barolo is a named Italian rice dish from Piedmont, pairing its characteristic shape or filling with a defining sauce, broth, or seasoning; the form distinguishes it from a generic version.
Italy
Risotto al gorgonzola
Risotto al gorgonzola is a named Italian rice dish from Italy, pairing its characteristic shape or filling with a defining sauce, broth, or seasoning; the form distinguishes it from a generic version.
Venice, Croatia
Risotto al Nero di Seppia
Venetian black risotto stained with cuttlefish ink, cooked with cuttlefish, white wine, and parsley. Striking on the plate and briny on the palate.
Milan, Italy
Risotto alla Milanese
Milan's golden risotto of Carnaroli or Arborio rice, beef marrow, saffron, white wine, and Parmigiano, mantecato with butter. Traditionally served with ossobuco.
Lombardy, Italy
Risotto alla pilota
Mantuan risotto with minced pork, a Mantua specialty.
Piedmont, Italy
Robiola
Soft-ripened Piedmont/Lombard cheese.
Italy
Salame di Cioccolato
No-bake chocolate 'salami' of cocoa, crushed biscuits, butter, and sometimes nuts, sliced to look like a cured meat. A children's party favorite.
Italy
Salame di Varzi
Pavia PDO dry-cured salami.
Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Salame Felino
PDO cured pork salami from Felino near Parma, aged 3-4 weeks. Coarse-ground, sweet, and tender—sliced thick with the knife.
Piedmont, Italy
Salsa Verde
Piedmontese green sauce of parsley, garlic, capers, anchovies, olive oil, and bread or vinegar. Served with bollito misto and fish.
Rome, Italy
Saltimbocca alla Romana
Roman veal scaloppine topped with prosciutto and a sage leaf, sautéed in white wine. The name means 'jumps in the mouth' for its lively flavor.
Italy
Sambuca
Italian anise liqueur, clear and sweet, served with coffee beans (con la mosca) and often flamed. A traditional digestif.
Palermo, Italy
Sarde a Beccafico
Sicilian stuffed sardines rolled with pine nuts, raisins, breadcrumbs, and lemon, baked until golden. A festive dish from Palermo with Arab-Sicilian roots.
Venice, Italy
Sarde in Saor
Venetian sweet-and-sour marinated sardines with pine nuts, raisins, and onions. A legacy of Venice's spice trade, eaten as a cicchetto.
Naples, Italy
Sartù di riso
Neapolitan baked rice timbale with meatballs, peas and cheese.
Lombardy, Italy
Sbrisolona
Mantuan crumbly cake of cornmeal, almonds, and lemon zest, traditionally broken (not cut) into chunks. A rustic dessert from the Gonzaga era.
Italy
Scamorza
Southern Italian stretched-curd cheese, often smoked.
Florence, Italy
Schiacciata
Tuscan dimpled olive-oil flatbread.
Tuscany, Italy
Schiacciata dell'Uva
Tuscan sweet focaccia baked with black grapes and sugar, a harvest-time bread. Also called schiacciata con l'uva.
Naples, Italy
Scialatielli
Short thick Amalfi/Neapolitan pasta.
Sardinia, Italy
Seadas
Sardinian fried semolina fritter with pecorino and honey.
Italy
Semifreddo
Italian 'half-cold' frozen mousse of whipped cream, eggs, and sugar, often with nuts or chocolate. Sliced from a mold, softer than ice cream.
Naples, Italy
Sfogliatella
Naples' clam-shaped pastry of many thin crisp leaves (riccia) or a softer shortcrust version (frolla), filled with semolina, ricotta, candied fruit, and cinnamon.