Italian Food

       Italian food goes all the way back to the Roman times. The Roman's were legendary for their wines, their food variety, and their feasts. They imported many spices from China, and other exotic spices and foods from every where the could get their hands on. When Roman civilization fell, a lot of the cuisine died away with them. The real Italian cuisine didn’t start until medieval times.
        During the mid-evil times, it was very split up, which helped the Italian cuisine develop flavors, textures, and styles that we know and love today. Because there were various mountain ranges which divided up the land creating the many cuisines in one country.
        During the Renaissance period, the arts bloomed, along with Italian food. The de Medici family was one of the wealthiest families in Florance. So when Catherine de Mecidi married King Henery II of France, she brought her love for fine cuisine with her, and helped establish the long tradition of French cuisine.
         Northern Italy loved a robust economy and aces to numerous trade routes, but southern Italy didn’t. The area was going through a period of poverty, and this is where the most basic Italian dishes were created. It was here when pizza was formed. In fact, pizza sellers were everywhere, like hot dog stands today. Then dry pasta, and spaghetti developed here too. Dry pasta became a staple ingredient in Southern Italy.
         This is the background of Italian food that people may not really pay attention too, but now you do.


Giada De Laurentiis

       Giada De Laurentiis was born in Rome, Italy and grew up in a large family. Her grandfather was a film producer, so Giada was in the kitchen a lot, and spent a great deal of her time at her grandfather’s restaurant, DDL Foodshow. She graduated from UCLA (the University of California Los Angeles), with a degree in anthropology, but she still loved to cook. Giada whet to culinary school in Paris at Le Cordon Bleu, specializing in both pastry and cuisine. In 2002 Giada’s carrer on Food Network took off when a network producer read about her in her family’s FOOD & WINE magazines.
       That is how the Giada we know and love got discovered as a Food Network Chef. For more information about Giada and her recipes go to http://www.foodnetwork.com/, scroll down and click on Giada.


The Leaning Tower of Pisa

The Leaning Tower of Pisa was built in the medieval times, in the late 20th century. This tower is special because of its 15 feet slant to the southwest. Three of the towers stories have been, due to the fact that it was built on an unstable setting of the building foundation.


Parmigiano Reggiano.... Also Know as Parmesan Cheese

Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, (parmesan cheese) is a staple in Italian cooking/ cuisine. The original parmesan has been copied, and delivered throughout the world. But the real parmesan is only from Italy. To make 1 pound of Parmigiano Reggiano takes 8 gallons of milk! This cheese has a high protein and vitamin content, and is also praised for calcium as well.