23 Interesting Facts About Italian Food (deliciously amazing facts!)

The Main Italy Food Facts

1. Pizza was invented in Italy, in Naples

Let’s start this list of facts about food in Italy with what’s probably the most famous Italian dish: pizza.

Modern day pizza was invented in Naples in the early 19th century.

It’s also there that the Margherita pizza was invented, when pizzamaker Raffaele Esposito made a simple pizza for the queen of italy, Queen Margherita. He made a pizza to the color of the Italian flag with mozzarella for white, tomato for red and basil for green.

2. Tiramisu is a popular Italian dessert from Veneto

Tiramisu is a very well-known dessert, and you can find it in many countries around the world.

This pastry is relatively new, unlike some classical Italian desserts such as sfogliatelle or cannoli. It was first made in the 1960 in Italy, and quickly spread throughout the modern world.

Origins are still unclear, but the tiramisu comes either from the Veneto region, or the Friuli Venezia Giulia region. 

3. An Italian eat an average of 23 kg (51 lbs) of pasta per year

Tied with pizza, pasta is the number one dish people associate with Italy.

And for a good reason: pasta is a typical Italian food, and the locals are crazy about it!

On average, an Italian eats 23 kg of pasta each year (51 lbs). If you compare it to the 8kg (17 lbs) of France and United States, you easily understand how much pasta Italians really eat.

4. Many Italians eat pasta once a day

This fact doesn’t come as a surprise given the average pasta consumption in Italy. 

Many Italians eat pasta once a day, and it’s part of their daily food intake.

But don’t picture the broke college student eating the same thing every day; pasta can be cooked in a wide variety of ways, and you can eat pasta every day without ever eating the same dish.

5. Garlic bread is definitely not Italian

Garlic bread is often associated with Italian culture. Go to any Italian outside of Italy, especially pizzerias, and you’ll find garlic bread on the menu.

However you wouldn’t find this garlic bread anywhere in Italy.

The closer it gets is the bruschetta, a grilled slice of bread with a bit of oil and rubbed with garlic. Miles away from the greasy garlic butter garlic bread you’re used to eat!

6. The fancy Italian coffee names are not how Italians drink coffee

You know these fancy coffee names you find in restaurants or at your local coffee place? Cappuccino, macchiato, frappucinos, …

Yeah, that’s definitely not how Italians drink their coffee.

In fact, Italians mostly drink espresso, a small shot of coffee. Coffee with milk is only ordered in the morning for breakfast. Check out this great Italian drinks guide to find out more about how they do beverages over there! 

7. Tomatoes were actually imported from America

Tomatoes and tomato sauce are a staple of Italian cuisine.

But did you know that tomatoes only appeared in Italy in 1548, in Tuscany?

The tomato is originally from the Americas, and was brought back by the European explorers in the 16th century.

We have to wait to the 18th century to see the tomato rise in popularity in Italy, and it was first used as tomato sauce in pasta in the early 1800’s.

8. Spaghetti and meatballs is not a typical Italian dish

Next up on the list of facts on Italian food is about a common misconception.

Spaghetti and meatballs is a meal traditionally associated with Italy.

Except it’s not a typical Italian dish.

In Italy, the only meatball you can find are polpettes, but they’re very small, and eaten as a standalone meal or with soup; never with pasta.

The spaghetti and meatballs were created by Italian immigrants in the US, who saw an increase in buying power and bought more beef, creating massive meatballs and eating them as a side with pastas.

9. Italians don’t eat bread as an appetizer

In many countries around the world, bread is seen as an appetizer.

When the waiter brings the bread & water, you start to munch on the bread while waiting for your food.

Well, in Italy bread is not an appetizer; it’s used at the end of the meal, to mop up the sauce in your plate. This tradition is known as “Fare la scarpetta” in Italian.

10. Antipasti is often the first part of the meal

Antipasto literally means “before meal” in Italian; antipasti is the plural form of the word antipasto.

The antipasto plates are made of a wide variety of cold food: sliced meat, olives, mushrooms, vegetables in oil, and several cheeses, among the most famous cheeses in Italy.

This is the typical starter in any restaurant in Italy.

11. The famous pepperoni pizza is not from Italy

No, the pepperoni pizza is not from Italy. Yes, I know it sounds Italian.

In fact, peperoni means something completely different in Italian: it means bell pepper.

So if you pull up to a pizza place in Italy and ask for a “peperoni pizza”, you’ll definitely be in for a surprise (oh and they’ll look at you like you’re a weirdo).

12. The original Italian pizza is very simple

Do you know all these fancy pizza toppings? Pineapple, bacon, potatoes, salmon, chicken, …

Yeah, these are definitely not the toppings you’ll find on pizzas in Italy.

Original Italian pizza was a lot simpler than that: a thin crust, and simple toppings like tomato sauce, mozzarella, and basil.

13. You won’t find pizza in restaurants

Another of the cool food facts about Italy, and one that many travelers are usually pretty surprised to find out.

In most Western countries, you can usually expect to find pizzas on the menu in just about any restaurant.

Well, in Italy you won’t find pizza on the menu in most restaurants. To get a pizza, you’ll need to go to a pizzeria (pizza place), or pizza restaurants.

14. Italians eat salad after their meal

You sit down at the table in a restaurant. You order a salad for starters, then get ready to eat your weight in pasta.

Yeah, no. Salad is not a starter in Italy.

Rather, salad is usually served after the main meal. The salad is topped with olive oil and vinegar, and it’s meant to help digestion after the meal.

15. Breakfast is not the most important meal of the day in Italy

Let me break another of the generally accepted food facts in Italy. 

In most countries, breakfast is considered as the most important meal of the day.

Well, in Italy, it’s not. All the better: it leaves enough room for the enormous quantities of pizza and pasta you’ll be eating later in the day.

The classic Italian breakfast is “caffè e cornetto“, which is an espresso coffee with a croissant. 

16. In Italy, you say Buon Appetito before eating

Probably the shortest of our Italy food facts, but here goes.

Before eating, the saying is “Buon Appetito“, which means “enjoy your meal“. If someone says Buon Appetito to you before eating, you can reply with “Buon Appetito” if they will eat too, or with “Grazie” to say “Thanks“.

17. There are more than 350 types of pastas

Yes, you read that right! 350 types of pastas!

How many can you name?

Personally I couldn’t list more than a few: spaghetti, lasagna, tagliatelle, penne, gnocchi and farfalle.

Here are a few ones that you probably didn’t know before: garganelli, cavatappi, mafalde and perciatelli.

Want to know them all? Check here: List of all pasta

18. Italy is the biggest wine producer in the world

Wine has always been part of good meals in Italy, and wine production is one of the main economic sectors of the country.

The beverage is produced in every single region of Italy, making Italy the biggest wine producer in the world, before France and Spain. 

In total, 7.56 billion bottles of wine were produced in Italy in 2018. If the ENTIRE population of Italy drank 1 bottle each day, this would be enough bottles produced to last them 4 months!

19. The iconic Moka pot was invented by an Italian

The Moka pot is an iconic coffee maker, usually associated with Italian coffee.

It was invented by an Italian in 1933, Alfonso Bialetti. Since then, it became widely used in the world, and it’s considered a must-have for any coffee lover.

20. Each region of Italy has its own way of eating pasta

If you like pasta, go for a tour of Italy. As you explore the different regions, you’ll learn all secrets about pasta and discover new ways of eating them. 

Each region has its own special way of eating pasta. For example, Spaghetti alla Carbonara is the local specialty of Rome, and Lasagne alla Bolognese is from the region of Emilia-Romagna.

Map of pasta in Italy by Sticcia from Taste Atlas

21. Caesar salad doesn’t come from Italy

Ok, I promise this is the last of the facts about Italy food that is not actually from Italy.

With a name like Caesar salad, obviously you’d think it comes from Italy. Except it doesn’t.

It comes from Mexico, but was created by an Italian operating as a chef in his restaurant in Tijuana.

During a rush at his restaurant, chef Caesar Cardini had a shortage of food supplies: he had to make with what he had, and created the Caesar salad: whole lettuce leaves, olive oil and eggs.

22. Italians eat Panettone at Christmas

Panettone is a classical Italian cake: a sweet bread n the form of a dome, with candied orange, citron and dried raisins.

This local pastry is originally from Milan, but now typical to the whole country.

While it can be eaten throughout the year, Panettone is most closely associated to Christmas. It’s usually prepared for the festivities, and eaten in Christmas and New Year.

23. Italians eat lentils for the New Year

And finally, we’ll end this list of Italian facts about food with a food tradition.

To celebrate New Year, Italians have many food traditions.

But perhaps the most famous of them is to eat lentils in New Year’s dinners. Lentils are round, just like coins, and eating lentils is believed to bring prosperity for the coming year.

So there you have them, the 23 interesting facts about Italian food!

More Facts!

Do you want even more facts about Italy?

Check out the following posts:

• Interesting Facts about Florence
• Discover Sicily with these facts
• Learn more about Sardinia with some interesting facts

Or click here to see ALL the facts up on the blog! Spoiler alert: there is A LOT of them.

The Full List of 23 Facts on Italian Food

1. Pizza was invented in Italy, in Naples
2. Tiramisu is a popular Italian dessert from Veneto
3. An Italian eat an average of 23 kg (51 lbs) of pasta per year
4. Many Italians eat pasta once a day
5. Garlic bread is definitely not Italian
6. The fancy Italian coffee names are not how Italians drink coffee
7. Tomatoes were actually imported from America
8. Spaghetti and meatballs is not a typical Italian dish
9. Italians don’t eat bread as an appetizer
10. Antipasti is often the first part of the meal
11. The famous pepperoni pizza is not from Italy
12. The original Italian pizza is very simple
13. You won’t find pizza in restaurants
14. Italians eat salad after their meal
15. Breakfast is not the most important meal of the day in Italy
16. In Italy, you say Buon Appetito before eating
17. There are more than 350 types of pastas
18. Italy is the biggest wine producer in the world
19. The iconic Moka pot was invented by an Italian
20. Each region of Italy has its own way of eating pasta
21. Caesar salad doesn’t come from Italy
22. Italians eat Panettone at Christmas
23. Italians eat lentils for the New Year

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