The prepartion of food in Italy is based on the artisanal skills of Italian cooking known as cucina regionale; these skills remain and there is pride in their production . . . The Food of Italy
Sit at the Table with Cositutti for generational recipes from the Italy of our Italian family and friends and recipes from our favorite chefs and home cooks made with ingredients from CosituttiMarketPlace
After eating in Italy with my Italian family and friends I've come to realize the pivotal place that food has in the Italian culture and it begins with the table. Italians take time and effort to prepare a well laid table where there is beauty and grace in the smallest detail. Meals are an essential part of Italian life. Not that they obsess about food or over indulge. Italians truly value food and it's preparation. It is evident at the table but beings with the growing of the food, the selling of the food at their markets and extends to the careful and considerate preparation of their food. They value the traditions and regional diversity of Italian cooking based on the geography of the land and the cultural traditions of the region.
I think that all this combined with the warm and generous hospitality of the Italian people, the freshest of ingredients and some of the finest wine in the world is what defines the meaning of a "well laid" table. Taste traveling in Italy over the last 10 years prompted me to writeSeeing and Savoring Italy - A Taste and Travel Journey through Northern Italy, Tuscany and Umbria. click here to read a sample chapter and to see and savor more recipes from my travels.
Some people think that recipes have to be complicated to be good. Italians typically focus on the quality of the ingredients rather than the number of ingredients. Italian cooking is founded on generational recipes that are handed down through the oral traditions of the great kitchens of Italy and impeccably crafted as a well designed Brioni suit.
Speaking of Ingredients The Italian Trade Commission has noted that Italy is the leading European country for organic or biological foods with over 50,000 farms committed to growing produce by natural methods without the use of chemicals. According to a report based on data from the European Commission, the Coldiretti Italian farmers' union states that Italy's fruits and vegetables are the safest in Europe in regards to chemical residues.
