85. Italian Meals

Italian meals are not just served; they are orchestrated. The major meal in Italy is served in the middle of the day. Virtually everything is closed except restaurants between one and four in the afternoon when the entire nation pauses to eat. In Rome, many people go home for dinner then return to work, giving the city four rush hours!

An Italian meal will not be hurried. It begins with an antipasto or, when guests are present, several antipasti. There is an antipasto a piedi, which literally means a "standing" appetizer served immediately upon the guests' arrival before they are seated at the table. This is often some type of bruschetta: toasted slices of Italian bread served with various toppings, such as chopped tomatoes, pesto, olives, cheeses, or garlic. Then there is an antipasto a tavola, an appetizer for the table- perhaps salami, cheeses, stuffed pepper or artichokes, or any of dozens of other savory choices, all served with a fresh, crispy Italian bread, or focaccia. The antipasti are followed by a primo piatto, (first plate) which is nearly always either soup or pasta, or perhaps a soup with pasta, like tortellini in brodo (stuffed pasta in broth).

The primo is naturally followed by a secondo-a main entree, usually meat or fish prepared according to regional tastes. (In fact, there is no such thing as generic Italian food: all Italian cooking is regional. You're more likely to get seafood in Apulia, meat in Bologna, with the possibility of either or both in Naples and Rome.)

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