The main meat in Italy is Pork and is used in many Italian dishes.
Other meats in Italy are Prosciutto which is a dry cured ham that is usually served thinly sliced and uncooked and often with pasta.
Pancetta which is an Italian bacon that is made form pork belly and is often eaten raw but can also be cut into cubes for cooking.
Bresaola which is a beef fillet that is cured with salt and air dried for several months.
Mortadella which is a cured meat that is made from pork fat, pork and spices and often with the addition of pistachios, truffles and garlic.
Speck which is a cured meat that is made from the same cut of pork as prosciutto is but is cured with a rub of spices, including bay leaves and smoked and aged.
Culatello is a prime cut of ham that is seasoned and salted, then inserted into a pig's bladder and shaped into an oblong form.
Guanciale is a fatty, less meaty cut of meat from a pig's jowl and is generally less expensive than pancetta and bacon.
Coppa is a specialty meat in Italy made from the Piacenza region and is made from pork neck, salt and natural flavors.
And Lardo is a delicatessen product made by curing strips of pork back fat and mixing in rosemary and other herbs and spices.
The number 1 Italian dish is Pizza, followed by pasta and spaghetti.
Pizza aside from pasta and spaghetti is the most popular and recognized Italian food.
Pizza originated in Naples Italy in the 19th century and was created for Queen Margherita during her visit to Naples Italy in 1889.
There are two main types of pizza in Italy which include Neapolitan and Roman pizza.
Neapolitan pizza has a thick, fluffy crust, while Roman pizza has a paper-thin crust.
Most Italians eat pasta everyday as pasta is a central part of Italian culture.
Italians also eat pasta as the first course and in smaller portions as the first course and the main dish is usually meat and salad.
Pasta is also a symbol of Italian culture and a symbol of tradition, family and shared experiences.
The kind of pasta that real Italians eat is farfalle, tagliatelle, orecchiette, fusilli, penne and spaghetti.
Penne is a tube shaped pasta with angled ends which is named after the quill of old style ink pens.
Spaghetti is a long, thin, cylindrical pasta which is very popular in Italian cuisine and is used in many classic Italian pasta dishes, including spaghetti cacio e pepe, spaghetti carbonara and spaghetti all'amatriciana.
Fusilli is a favorite pasta shape in Italy and is often paired with tomato sauce, cacioricotta cheese or horseradish.
Orecchiette is a fresh pasta that is typically eaten with sauces or turnip greens.
Tagliatelle is a broad flat pasta which is often served with Bolognese sauce.
Farfalle is a small, bow tie shaped pasta which is made of semolina flour, all purpose flour and eggs.
The pasta that has the least carbs are vegetable based pastas like hearts of palm pasta noodles and zucchini pasta noodles.
It's skinny pasta and rice and Shirataki noodles and kelp noodles are quite low in carbs and calories as well.
The pasta that is the healthiest is whole wheat pasta, chickpea pasta, white pasta and Lentil Pasta
Pasta dishes can be healthy when you pair them with healthy fats, protein and vegetables.
Veggie pasta and whole wheat pasta is healthiest.
Veggie pasta is better than regular pasta as veggie pasta contains more protein and fiber than regular pasta and veggie pasta is also gluten free.
The healthiest pasta for weight loss is whole grain pasta or whole wheat pasta.
Whole wheat pasta takes longer for the body to digest than pasta made out of refined flour which means blood sugar will rise slowly and prevent your body from storing any excess fat which aids in weight loss.
The most heart healthy pasta is Organic Red lentil Pasta and Organic Whole Wheat Einkorn Pasta as well as Chickpea pasta.
The healthiest pasta to eat is whole wheat pasta, chickpea pasta, white pasta and Lentil Pasta.
You should not rinse pasta if using the pasta in a warm dish.
However if using pasta in a cold dish such as pasta salad then you should rinse the pasta.
Pasta should never, ever be rinsed for a warm dish.
The starch in the water is what helps the sauce adhere to your pasta.
The only time you should ever rinse your pasta is when you are going to use it in a cold dish like a pasta salad or when you are not going to use it immediately.
You should only rinse your pasta with cold water if you're using the cooked pasta in a dish such as pasta salad.
However if you're making pasta and are adding sauce to the pasta you should not rinse the pasta with cold water or any water.
If you rinse the pasta with cold water or any water after cooking it and then put sauce on the cooked pasta that you rinsed with the cold water then the pasta will not absorb the sauce.
So if you want the pasta to absorb the sauce never rinse the pasta with cold water or any water.
Just drain the water off the pasta and then add the pasta sauce to the pasta while it's hot.
Rinsing the pasta with the cold water or any other water removes the starch and the starch in the pasta is what allows the pasta sauce to adhere and absorb into the pasta.
Without the starch in the pasta the pasta sauce will just run off the pasta.