Italian cooking tradition is about as varied as they come: from north to south, the famous peninsula offers just about everything. Even the most famous Italian cuisine overseas has a local tradition from somewhere in the Bel Paese. In fact, you could hardly describe traditional Italian products or cooking as national - much like the Italian people, in fact.

But to celebrate further today’s 150 years of Italian unification, we bring you a gallery of all the best “Italian flag dishes”. Today is a public holiday in Italy but many people are still working, so you can save these for the weekend, too. You would be surprised at just how many red, white and green ingredients there are to make these dishes.

A favourite Italian flag dish, as you can see in the gallery, is to use rocket lettuce, tomatoes and mozzarella cheese - staples of the Italian diet, too. And the original Margherita pizza is also an example of the first homage to the Italian tricolore that is probably documented. Check them all out below.

Italian flag dishes: red, white, green in Italian cooking

Continue reading: Celebrating 150 years of Italian cuisine: dishes with the Italian flag

An interesting event called Rit o’Castidd (which in the local vernacular means behind the castle) will soon take place in the small town of Putignano, near Bari. Located just behind the Church of Saint Peter and the Balì Palace, the castle was built on the highest point in town. With this important event, the cultural association Trullando hopes to bring new life and interest to this appealing but often forgotten place which sadly today’s generation has tended to neglect in favour of far more fashionable spots. On 14 March from 18:00 to 24:00 makeshift kitchens will be set up along via Minzele, via Porticella, via Castello, via Palmento and via Ortenzio offering visitors delicious snacks from the traditional Putignano cuisine and superb wine from local winemakers! Artists and skilled artisans will also be there exhibiting their fine creations and products. In order to create an original atmosphere the organisers will also set up an old brothel (a theatrical one of course). But the surprises do not end there; at around 3:00 p.m. maps will be distributed and those of you with a passion for “ orienteering” will have the opportunity to explore the secret heart of Putignano. Altogether an exciting time is to be had by all so don’t forget to mark your calendar

Left alone in Milan (Victoria must be somewhere hounding fashion shows around the world), David Beckham has decided to attend one of those Classic Italian cuisine courses which are all the rage nowadays! Apparently the British football player fell wildly in love with pasta e pizza last year when he was playing for A C Milan team here in Italy!

Besides fabulous snow tracks, the Gardena Valley offers a cuisine which is second to none. Many of its restaurants such as Anna Stuben (Gardena hotel’s restaurant at Ortisei) are now promoting an interesting project called Fair cooking which is part of the global fair trade movement which aims to help producers in developing countries and promote sustainability. This year skiiers in the Gardena Valley will also have the opportunity to have their meals right there on the piste, enjoying hearty helpings of fish and other Val Gardena delicacies at such Mountain huts as Rifugio Comici, Baita Daniel (Seceda) and Miline (Selva) which has got a special mention in the prestigious Gambero Rosso guide!

On the 18th of September, Parma’s via Cavour will be transformed into an exhibit with just one central theme: Prosciutto di Parma - raw ham.

The photographer Renato Cerisola has dedicated a large selection of his photo shoots to capturing the seasoning of the ham: a slow process, but not incapable of capturing the public’s attention.

Without going into too much detail, each Parma ham officially recognized as such by its consortium has a story behind it that usually is nothing short of a beautiful piece of literature set in Emilia, in the cold of winter and under the checkered sun, but always wrapped in the humid embrace of wisdom perfected and passed down through generations.

Roma Gourmet is an Italian-English blog on the Italian culinary tradition in Rome, including recipes of Italian dishes and a guide to Rome restaurants. The aim is not only to present Italian cuisine, but to do so in a literary and historical context.

While gastronomy editor Maria Luisa won’t take out the prize of the fastest chef around, it’s a pleasure to follow her stories, quotes and anecdotes as one who really appreciates and loves the city of Rome and its culinary tradition.

Among the recipes, all rigorously from Rome’s cuisine, there are also posts dedicated to Rome cultural events and Italian life in Rome. The glossary of key words is particularly useful in anyone who wants to explore Italian cuisine and culture.

While traditional Italian cooking is sacred in Italy and its rare for people to try crazy Italian recipes, sometimes some experimentation occurs like in the case of this pasta with clams and peppers. A happy marriage, if you’d like to try it yourself.

Ingredients for four people: 2kg of clams, one large red or yellow pepper, one garlic clove, extra virgin olive oil, parsley.

Method: clean the clams and then leave them to open in water. Filter but keep the clam water, an essential ingredient. Chop the peppers into large pieces, chop the garlic and fry it in a pan with oil.

Continue reading: Italian seafood recipes: pasta with clams and peppers

Now that we’ve arrived at mid-week the diet you were sticking to has probably lost its grip, especially as the weekend slowly comes around. Unfortunately, though, the word diet often means any way, healthy or not, to lose weight. When we talk about the mediterranean diet, however, we’re talking about healthy mediterranean cuisine that helps you live better and longer.

The positive things about mediterranean cuisine are often taken for granted or misunderstood. In Italy, the national cuisine is increasingly changing, involving more fatty foods, while some areas are still keeping to traditions. The mediterranean diet should involve using lots of olive oil, bread, fruit, vegetables, fish and complex carbohydrates, with less of meat, cheese and milk products.

A study recently published by the British Medical Journal and conducted by specialists at the University of Florence, reveals that the more you eat the fundamentals of the mediterranean diet, the healthier you are in terms of cardovascular system, life expectancy and diseases such as Parkinsons and Alzheimers.

So the next time someone tries to tell you that Italian cuisine is all about pizza and pasta, know that there is plenty of variety and healthy options in the mediterranean diet. Which means that we will live longer and hopefully happier lives.

Photo | Flickr

Fergie loves Italian food and we all know that, but why then that sad looking salad for lunch? The answer is quite simple, she was on a diet!

The Black Eyed Peas singer was snapped eating at Luna Rossa, a famous Italian restaurant in Notting hill, London. She was not only on a diet but in a hurry too, as soon as she finished her low calorie dish, the glamorous diva hailed a cab and disappeared into the traffic!

Source | Celebslam

Continue reading: Fergie loves Italian Food

I arrived in Genoa on a cool but sunny day. My friend was waiting for me at the station. Actually the whole city seemed to be rattling with wind and the small twisting streets were so touchingly beautiful that I felt like a 19th century explorer must have felt before an unknown land. I also felt a little bit hungry so my friend took me to this fry-food shop called Carega in via Sottoripa 113 r. where they prepare scrumptious fish fries and farinata, one of the great culinary specialities of Genoa.

Farinata is an incredibly thin pie made from chickpea flour. My friend told me that there are other two famous fry-food shops worth stopping by in Genoa, Sciamadda in via Revecca and the Antica Sciamadda in piazza San Giorgio. Anyway after feasting on tons of delicious farinata we started our tour of the city. Columbus’ house, Porta Soprana and the astonishing Basilica of San Lorenzo, a gothic masterpiece that left me breathless.

I must confess that the beauty of the city left a deep mark in me. The magic atmosphere, the vestiges of a glorious past and those white ships sparkling mysteriously in the distance left me thirsty for more and that very night when the train pulled out of the station and started climbing the steep hills around Genoa I had tears in my eyes.

Foto | Flickr