Transcript Italy Powerpoint

Italy
Important Facts
Flag of Italy
Capital: Rome
Population: 58,147,733 (July 2007 est.)
Borders
•Austria, France,
Holy City (Vatican
City), San Marino,
Slovenia, Switzerland
• Mediterranean Sea,
Tyrrhenian Sea, Ionian
Sea, Adriatic Sea
Agriculture
Production of major
agricultural products
includes: sugar beets,
wheat, corn, tomatoes,
barley, rice, and
soybeans.
Italy is also a big
producer of wine
grapes (#1), olives,
and olive oil.
People & Language
Ethnic Groups: Italian (includes small clusters of German-,
French-, and Slovene-Italians in the north and Albanian-Italians and
Greek-Italians in the south)
Religion: Roman Catholic 90%, other 10% includes Protestant
and Jewish communities and a growing Muslim immigrant community
Languages: Italian (official), German (parts of Trentino-Alto Adige
region are predominantly German speaking), French (small Frenchspeaking minority in Valle d'Aosta region), Slovene (Slovene-speaking
minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area)
Food Briefs
Although Italians are known throughout the world for pizza, pasta, and tomato sauce,
The national diet of Italy has traditionally differed greatly by region. Prior to the blending of cooking
practices among different regions, it was possible to distinguish Italian cooking simply by the type of
cooking fat used: butter was used in the north, pork fat in the center of the country, and olive oil in the
south.
Northern Dishes:
Staple dishes in the north are rice and polenta. Pasta is more likely to be served with a white cheese
sauce.
Southern Dishes:
The staple dish in the south is pasta. Pasta is more likely to be served with a tomato-based sauce in the
south.
Italians are known for their use of herbs in cooking, especially oregano, basil, thyme, parsley, rosemary,
and sage.
Cheese also plays an important role in Italian cuisine. There are more than 400 types of cheese made in
Italy, with Parmesan, mozzarella, and asiago among the best known worldwide.
Prosciutto ham, the most popular ingredient of the Italian antipasto (first course) was first made in
Parma, a city that also gave its name to Parmesan cheese.
Dining
Italians take food seriously. They prefer to dine in a leisurely fashion, savoring their
meals over a bottle of wine and conversation. Wine and bread are always served
during main meals.
Breakfast: light, caffellatte (coffee with milk) or cappuccino with bread, butter, and jam, or cake.
Main Meals: consist of an antipasto, a pasta or rice dish (depending on the region) such as risotto,
a main meat or fish course, a salad, and cheese and fruit. Lunch (il pranza or la seconda colazione)
is the main meal of the day and is eaten between noon and 2 p.m. In southern Italy, where people
take a long break during the hottest part of the day, dinner (la cena) is served later than in the north,
often after 7:30 p.m.
Snacks: Italians have two traditional snack times. Spuntini (midmorning snacks) and the midafternoon merende. Both usually serve a type of bread dough with toppings. Some typical merende
are bruschetta (usually a long loaf of bread, cut into slices and topped with seasonings), focaccio (an
Italian flatbread), and crostini (fried slices of polenta).
Espresso is a standard beverage throughout Italy. Customers at the country's numerous espresso
bars can often be heard ordering customized versions such as lungo (diluted), macchiato (with milk),
or freddo (iced).