GET HEALTHY BE ACTIVE FEEL GREAT ITALY 19th November 2014

BREAKFAST MOST OF ITALIAN PEOPLE DON’T HAVE BREAKFAST: AT HOME THEY JUST HAVE A COFFEE OR A CAPPUCCINO AND A BRIOCHE IN A BAR. HAVING A COFFEE IS A HABIT REPEATED MANY TIMES DURING THE DAY. ANYWAY, WHEN THEY HAVE BREAKFAST THEY EAT SOMETHING SWEET, LIKE BISCUITS WITH MILK, BREAD AND JAM, FRUIT JUICE, YOGURT OR CEREALS.

LUNCH LUNCH IS THE MOST IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE DAY. USUALLY A TYPICAL ITALIAN LUNCH IS COMPOSED BY A FIRST DISH WITH PASTA, A SECOND DISH WITH FISH OR MEAT AND A SIDE DISH OF VEGETABLES. AT THE END THEY HAVE A COFFEE SOMETIMES PRECEDED BY FRUIT OR A DESSERT. ON SUNDAY ITALIAN FAMILIES GATHER UP FOR A VERY RICH AND SUBSTANTIAL LUNCH. PREPARE TYPICAL DISHES OF THE REGION OR OF THE TOWN.

SNACK THE MID AFTERNOON SNACK IS A FIXED DATE FOR CHILDREN AND CAN BE MADE UP WITH SANDWICH, YOGURT OR CLASSIC MILK AND BISCUITS. THERE ARE ALSO ADULTS THAT LIKE TO DRINK A CUP OF TEA AND EAT SOMETHING SWEET. MOST OF ITALIAN PEOPLE ALSO HAVE A MID MORNING SNACK SO THAT THEY AREN’T HUNGRY AT PRINCIPAL MEALS.

HAPPY HOUR BEFORE DINNER, AT THE END OF A WORKING DAY, A LOT OF ITALIANS HAVE A HAPPY HOUR. THE HAPPY HOUR IS AN OCCASION TO MEET UP AND TALK WHILE CONSUMING SOMETHING TO EAT AND DRINK. HAPPY HOUR BEGINS AT ABOUT SIX O’CLOCK AND ENDS AT ABOUT TEN O’CLOCK. SOMETIMES IT CAN SUBSTITUTE DINNER.

DINNER ITALIAN PEOPLE HAVE DINNER AT ABOUT EIGHT O’CLOCK IN THE EVENING. IN THE SOUTH OF ITALY PEOPLE ALSO HAVE DINNER AT ABOUT NINE O’CLOCK IN THE EVENING. THE CLASSIC ITALIAN DINNER IS LIGHTER THAN LUNCH, IT IS OFTEN COMPOSED WITH RICE, MEAT, FISH, EGGS OR CHEESE WITH A SIDE DISH OF VEGETABLES WITHOUT FORGETTING A GOOD GLASS OF WINE. ON SATURDAY EVENING A LOT OF PEOPLE GO OUT FOR A PIZZA WITH FRIENDS.

SO, THE ITALIANS ARE A TRADITIONALIST COMMUNITY THAT DON’T WANT LEAVE THE CLASSIC DISH OF PASTA AND THE OTHER LOCAL SPECIALITIES, BUT THE RHYTHMS OF THE LIFE ALWAYS TOO-HECTIC MAKE DO US AT THE CHANGE OF OURS EATING HABITS FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE.

TYPICAL FOOD OF REGGIO EMILIA The erbazzone is a typical speciality of Reggio Emilia. It’s a salty cake composed by a bottom of french pasty, stuffed for 2 cm with a mixture of chard, eggs, shallot, onion, garlic and a lot of parmesan cheese. It’s closed with another layer of French pasty scattered with lard or bacon bits and stinged with fork. The gnocco fritto is one of the most famous recipes in all of Italy. It’s really easy to prepare: it’s just bread dough filled with sausages and/or cheese. The recipe comes from the Longobardian culinary tradition; they transmitted it to emilian people during their domination.

The cappelletti are egg doughs cutted in a square or circle shape filled with a stuffing made of meat, cheese, boloney, shaved bread and parmesan. They’re boiled in a chicken broth. The name “tortelli” is used in Emilia-Romagna, Lombardia and Tuscany to indicate a kind of rectangular filled dough. They’re dressed with melted butter, lard and tomato or Bolognese sauce. With the same term are also indicated small desserts filled with jam or creams.

The “zuppa inglese” is a spoon dessert similar to the tiramisù. Its origins come from the 1500 in Emilia- Romagna. It’s made of sponge cake soaked in liqueur (alchermes and rosolio), cream and cocoa pouder. The “torta di riso” is a typical cake prepared during the Easter period. The cake is made with boiled rice,sugar,almonds, milk, eggs, lemon, salt.

MODERN PROBLEMS ABOUT FOOD DESPITE OF THE ITALIAN GASTRONOMICAL TRADITION, DURING THE LAST YEARS WE STARTED TO HAVE A WRONG NUTRITION. FIRST OF ALL, THE WORKING HOURS CHANGED DURING THE YEARS: THE TIME TO HAVE LUNCH IS NOT ALWAYS ENOUGH, AND WE FREQUENTLY HAVE TO EAT SOMETHING QUICK. THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION BROUGHT IN ITALY SUPERMARKETS, WHICH OFTEN SELL FOOD FULL OF PRESERVATIVES AND COLOURANTS. ANOTHER CAUSE IS THE GLOBALIZATION: THIS PHENOMENON BROUGHT MANY POSITIVE THINGS, AS THE MANY CHANCES TO TRAVEL ABROAD AND THE POSSIBILITY TO HAVE IN ITALY PRODUCTS THAT WE DIDN’T HAVE BEFORE, BUT THERE ARE SOME CONS TOO. IN FACT, BECAUSE OF THE NOT ENOGH TIME TO HAVE MEALS, WE TEND TO GO TO FAST FOODS OR EAT SOMETHING UNHEALTHY.