Do Italians really eat pasta every day?

You must believe that I am not at all exaggerating when I respond with absolute certainty from firsthand experience that the answer is undoubtedly 110% yes.

Italians eat pasta every day.

I’m starting to forget what food is without pasta as the base. After my first night here and a hearty portion of pesto pasta, I was excited! After one month in Italy (I must be honest and pray that my Italian friends reading this won’t hate me)… I was ready to take a break from pasta for at least two years. I think I’ve consumed more kilos of pasta this summer than I ever have cumulatively in my life. Seriously, lunch or dinner is always going to involve some kind of pasta. You can count on it.

However at this point, I’ve broken through the culture shock and begun to embrace the pasta culture yet again. I had no idea there were so many different ways to eat pasta. Francesco says that I haven’t even brushed the surface in the world of pasta.

When I think about it, I guess you could compare it to sandwiches in America. How many different ways can you prepare a sandwich? Hundreds. There’s pb&j, turkey, egg salad, tuna, Cuban panini, BLT with avocado, grilled cheese, and so many variations of those few examples.

The only sandwich I’ve had here so far is very basic: fresh bread (not sliced), prosciutto or speck, and beautiful cheese. No processed, thick-sliced meat like back home, instead delicately thin sliced meats that come in a brown paper bag and make me feel like royalty eating them. No crazy sauces or veggies in the mix- although one time I convinced them to buy avocado and throw it on the sandwich because most of the family had never tried avocado before and didn’t know where to start with this mysterious fruit/vegetable thing. 🥑

That being said, consider America’s sandwich to be Italy’s pasta. Both countries are quite creative with their base structure. Here are a few examples of the pastas I’ve encountered so far:

Carbonara is a typical Roman dish prepared with bacon, an egg-based yolk sauce, goat cheese, and black pepper

The real traditional pesto pasta is prepared with green beans and potatoes

White cheese sauce with fresh summer garden vegetables

The famous Italian Ragù. This is NOT the stuff you grab off the store shelf in a can. Ragù is an art and the flavor speaks for itself when you make it the Italian way.

Cold pasta with cooked zucchini, sliced tomatoes, smoked salmon, and smoked ricotta cheese. 🥹😍

Another favorite: gnocchi stuffed with cacio e pepe. These may look innocent but they pack a punch with flavor

It only just occurred to me today that we haven’t had alfredo pasta yet. So I casually asked the family, “Do you eat alfredo?”

They looked at me like I was… well, a cannibal.

“Alfredo is a person,” Francesco said, “It’s a man’s name.”

“No, alfredo pasta, you know? With chicken? Is that not a thing here?” I pressed.

“Pasta alfredo, cosa è?” Maddi asked giving me the Italian hand. 🤌🏻

According to Google, fettuccine alfredo originated in Rome. Francesco suggested that maybe it is a tourist pasta because he has never heard of it or seen it on a menu, and he has eaten many a meal in Rome. Upon further investigation, it appears the Americanized version of this dish is not a traditional Italian pasta at all. Chicken in pasta doesn’t fly. The original dish was probably a butter sauce with Parmesan… the creamy white sauce we have in America is not an accurate reflection of true Italian culture.

Precious to Italian cooking and dear to my heart are ortaggi. I love this word. We don’t have a stand-alone word for it in English.

Orto = Garden

Ortaggi = Garden Vegetables

Besides an abundance of tomatoes and zucchini, the Facciolis also grow fresh herbs. Sage, rosemary, basil… these are regular backyard-to-table garnishing flavors. I love rosemary. I’ve also come to appreciate sage, an herb I’d never personally used in cooking before.

Pro tip: when making gnocchi, after boiling the balls, sauté the gnocchi in a pan with browned butter and sage. The sage adds a lovely dimension to gnocchi and selective pastas.

If the base isn’t pasta, then it’s probably rice or potatoes. Risotto is a creamy rice dish that also takes on many forms depending on the ingredients you choose to highlight like zucchini or tomato or mushrooms. Here is a handful of my favorite non-pasta meals we’ve made:

Sometimes I miss food from home, I really do. I could go for a sautéed sweet potato, brussel sprout salad with a fried egg on top. Or spaghetti squash. Or spinach salad with strawberries, red onion, and crumbled cheese. It’s odd but the last week I’ve been craving Skinny Pop and Boom-chica-pop and Pop Corners.

As my dad likes to say, “The secret of life is… butter!”

I’ve shared some foods from home with the family, and the meals are always eaten and enjoyed, but I don’t think the Facciolis want me to make them again hahah. German pancakes were almost a hit. They said it felt like eating an omelet which blew my mind! I know it has a lot of eggs but I don’t think about it as I eat German pancakes. Mostly the kids were horrified by the amount of butter involved. Butter isn’t used here hardly ever. Olive oil? Yes. All day every day. Butter? Frowned upon. Oh well. Emma likes anything with Nutella on top so it worked.

While I’m lacking in American snacks, I do know that when I return home I will miss Italian food. Unfortunately now I have two homes and a part of me will always be missing one of them wherever I am. One unique Italian delicacy I will definitely miss is prosciutto with cantaloupe.