Ancient Rome
Roman foundations
Bread, olive oil, wine and garum fish sauce underpinned the diet of the empire.
All books
Cuisine book · 4 cities · 12 dishes
Italy
Twenty regions, twenty completely different kitchens
Italian food resists generalisation — Sicilian cooking shares little with Piedmont's, and pasta shapes exist by the hundreds for specific regional sauces. It's built on simplicity, seasonality and fierce local pride.
History
Where it all comes from
Middle Ages
Regional fragmentation
Divided city-states each developed distinct culinary identities that persist today.
1500s
New World ingredients arrive
Tomatoes, brought from the Americas, slowly became central to southern Italian cooking over the next two centuries.
1800s
Unification and pizza's rise
Naples' pizza spreads nationally as Italy unifies politically.
20th century — today
Global export
Italian-American immigration and postwar tourism made pasta and pizza global staples.
Jump to a city
City 1 of 4
Naples
The birthplace of pizza, chaotic and proud of it.
Pizza margherita
1889, named for the Queen
Tomato, mozzarella and basil on blistered dough — the archetype of Neapolitan pizza.
Sfogliatella
17th century convent pastry
A shell-shaped, crisp pastry filled with sweet ricotta.
Spaghetti alle vongole
Coastal tradition
Clams, garlic and white wine tossed with spaghetti, minimal and briny.
City 2 of 4
Rome
Four pastas define the Eternal City's kitchen.
Carbonara
Mid-20th century
Egg, guanciale, pecorino and black pepper — no cream, a point of fierce local pride.
Cacio e pepe
Shepherd's dish, centuries old
Just pecorino, black pepper and pasta water emulsified into a glossy sauce.
Supplì
Roman street food staple
Fried rice balls with a molten mozzarella centre.
City 3 of 4
Bologna
Emilia-Romagna's rich, stuffed-pasta heartland.
Tagliatelle al ragù
19th century
Slow-cooked meat sauce over hand-cut ribbon pasta, the true 'bolognese'.
Tortellini in brodo
Medieval origin
Tiny stuffed pasta served in a clear meat broth, a festive classic.
Mortadella
Roman-era cured meat
Smooth pork sausage studded with pistachios, Bologna's namesake export.
City 4 of 4
Palermo
Sicilian street food shaped by Arab and Norman rule.
Arancini
Arab-Sicilian origin, 10th century
Fried rice balls stuffed with ragù or cheese, a beloved street snack.
Pasta con le sarde
Arab-Sicilian dish
Sardines, wild fennel, pine nuts and raisins tossed with pasta.
Cannoli
Arab-era Sicilian sweet
Crisp fried shells filled with sweetened ricotta and candied fruit.
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