What Cooking Methods are Used in Italy?

Cooking is an art form learned through practice, experimentation, and perseverance. But it's also a concept that can be explored in words, with the right guidance.

Cooking methods are important for any cuisine, but they're especially important to Italian cooking because of their focus on fresh ingredients. If you love Italian food or are just curious about what goes into making it so delicious, this article is for you. Cooking methods in Italy vary according to the region of Italy and dishes being prepared. Generally speaking, pasta dishes are cooked al dente (firm), while meat dishes are braised or stewed slowly with vegetables. The following will give you an overview of some of the most common, as well as non-common, cooking techniques used in Italy today!  

Italian Cooking Methods

If you're an Italian food lover, then it's likely that the names of many Italian dinners bring mouth-watering thoughts to mind. But have you heard about alla caprese or battuto? These terms refer to cooking methods used in making some of Italy’s most famous lip-smackingly delicious adaptable recipes like lasagne and fettuccine, among others! Just like Indian cuisine, the regional variety is what makes the Italian cuisine so special; not only do many different regions offer their unique flavors but also because each region has its set way of preparing them, resulting in an authentic version of Italian dishes.

That being said, here are some common techniques and well-known Italian cooking methods that you're probably aware of, as well as some non-popular methods:

Alla Bolognese

Alla Bolognese is a meat-based pasta sauce that has been cooked for several hours over low heat. The traditional ingredients of onion, celery, and carrot are added with some minced beef or pork to create its unique flavor using red wine as the primary ingredient along with cream or milk which seals the flavors together perfectly. This recipe originated from around the town known as Bologna, where people enjoy eating this dish most often served on flat pasta shapes such as tagliatelle or fettuccine.

Alla Caprese

A staple among classic Italian dishes and originating from Capri, this dish combines common ingredients like mozzarella, olive oil, basil, and tomato to make the most familiar of favorites of Italian cooking: pasta or antipasto! These versatile ingredients can be combined to prepare other dishes like fusilli Alla Caprese or Spaghetti Alla Caprese.

Al Dente

Al dente means "to the teeth." This is one way to cook pasta, and it refers specifically to which undercooking vegetables or meats produce firm bites that do not feel soft when bitten into.

Al Forno

Meaning "in the oven", Italians LOVE to cook their fresh pasta this way. Even though any oven could be used to make pasta dishes, the open flame or traditional wood-burning oven is still traditionally used.

Alla Genovese (Pesto)

Originating from Genoa, this method of making this delicious condiment consists of pounding or crushing olive oil with basil leaves, pine nuts, and garlic until they are smooth and made into a sauce, using a mortar and pestle. Other variations like pesto Rosso, which is an almond and tomato-based sauce.

Alla Mattone

Alla Mattone is a cooking method that relies on the weight and pressure from bricks to grilling or sautéing foods, hence, the term Mattone refers to "heavy brick or tile". Various cuts of meats and even meats like chicken and ground meat can be cooked in this matter.

Battuto

Battuto is a cooking method that means to 'beat' or 'strike' and refers to finely chopping aromatic vegetables and meat and then cooking with olive oil, fat, or lard. Battuto also forms the flavor of many Italian pasta, soups, and risottos.

Crudo

Served in fishing towns across Italy near a sea with abundant fish, this method consists of slicing raw seafood very thinly and topping it off with olive oil, citrus juice, and salt, As well as the term meaning "raw" in Italian, this method also refers to chopped vegetables and raw herbs mixed and added to a dish already cooked before served to a guest. 

Polenta

Polenta is a versatile dish enjoyed by Italian food lovers. This refers to the method of cooking cornmeal, buckwheat, or semolina in water for about an hour and can be served as-is with accompaniments. You can even grill, fry, or bake this dish!

Risotto

Risotto is a popular dish that most Italians cook their rice dishes this way, and sometimes even pasta. If you want to make your risotto, all it takes are some short-grain white or Arborio rice and olive oil for sautéing before adding stock (or wine) until cooked without a lid--stirring each time more liquid has been absorbed so as not to burn off any precious nutrients! Eaten with meat, risotto is usually garnished with butter or cheese.

So if you're an amateur chef who is wanting to learn how to make the perfect Italian meal or someone who would like to be taught how to prepare and experiment with Italian recipes with a professional, personal chef, and help avoid bad technique, we invite you to check out our website at Prep Kitchen Essentials, where you can browse through our various cooking classes and cooking series and either watch or learn with your chef on how to prepare foods like an Italian restaurant. See you soon!