Hi, I am Anna and this is My Italian Circle!
How much do you know about Italian cuisine?
If you think that Italian cooking is just about pizza, spaghetti and bruschetta,
then you will be amazed by the incredible variety of our cuisine.
If, on the other hand, you have already visited our country,
then you’ll get a more in-depth picture of the importance of food in our culture.
There’s a listen and respond section, it's very important, don’t miss it!
Italian cuisine is famous all over the world.
Many people know and love our dishes,
but there are also a lot of clichés:
it is often thought that Italians only eat pizza or pasta.
This is not true: the many regions of our country
offer an incredible variety of dishes,
also thanks to a huge territorial diversity.
Not just good food, but also tradition, history, and culture.
Let's see why!
The first dish that we want to describe is an extraordinary
dessert that's rich in history: Sicilian cassata!
It seems that the first version of this recipe
dates back to the time of the Arab emirate of Sicily,
when Palermo was the largest city in Europe.
The Arabs had imported citrus fruit, 
pistachios, almonds, and sugar cane into the island.
The legend goes that a shepherd decided to combine
sheep milk ricotta with sugar in a basin,
whose Arab name was quas'at.
Later on, under the Norman kingdom, 
the green almond paste crust was added,
while chocolate and candied peel were added 
at the time of the Spanish domination. What a great story!
From the sea of Sicily to the Venetian lagoon.
Sarde in saor is a a main dish of the Venetian tradition,
it's made with sweet & sour sardines,
dressed with onion, vinegar, raisins, and pine nuts.
This recipe dates back to the year 1300,
when Venice was the capital of a powerful maritime republic, and its ships
brought goods and spices from the far East.
There were no refrigerators at the time,
and fishermen used vinegar to preserve fish:
onions helped to prevent scurvy, while oriental spices
completed the dish, giving the sardines their unique flavour.
Stuffed pasta dishes are made in many Italian regions,
but the undisputed king is the "tortellino".
TURTLÉN in the Bolognaise dialect.
Bologna is the capital city of tortellini!
The first references to tortellini are found in a recipe book
from the 14th century, but the legend on the origin of this dish
tells a story of battles and gods:
The background of our story is the fight between Bologna and Modena,
which lasted over three hundred years.
People from Bologna, loyal to the Pope,
and people from Modena, loyal to the German emperor,
fought a battle in 1325.
The legend goes that the gods Bacchus, Mars and Venus
also took part in this battle.
That night, Venus went to sleep at a local inn.
The Bolognaise innkeeper saw her naked and was struck by her beauty, 
and tried to replicate her wonderful navel with a piece of stuffed pasta:
and this is how the tortellino was born!
Each of our regions, from North to South, has its own peculiar cuisine,
and the recipes often change even between cities.
Meat, fish, risotto, pasta, and desserts: the variety
is unbelievable, and it would be impossible to describe it all in just a few minutes.
In future videos, we will talk about other dishes and describe how
Italians eat in everyday's life. We will also talk about TV celebrity chefs!
Now I will ask you some questions.
Try to answer aloud using simple words.
Is Sicilian cassata a dish made with fish?
No, Sicilian cassata is a dessert made with ricotta.
What are the ingredients of sarde in saor?
The ingredients of sarde in saor are sardines, onion, raisins, pine nuts, and vinegar.
Are tortellini a Venetian dish?
No, tortellini are from Bologna!
That's all for now. What's your favourite Italian dish? Let us know in the comments!
And if you enjoy our videos and would like to help us with this project,
you can support us on Patreon! Thank you!
