The Italian cuisine has evolved in time and, despite the fact it did not suffer many changes in its essential features, it has been influenced by the French cuisine, the Austrian cuisine and by the Spanish one.

Meals are very important to the Italian people, and chefs are highly likely to feel offended should one fail to respect the etiquette, that is, if they eat in a hurry or don't finish their meal.

It's time to eat at Lake Garda and find out what is so special about the famous Italian cuisine. In Italy, people usually prefer 3-course menus: soup or pasta, the main course and, eventually, the dessert (usually fruit or ice cream). The Italian cuisine is very rich and diverse, and Italian food is worldwide renowned, with more then 500 types of pasta and many types of pizza. However, different regions in Italy have different ways of cooking food.

The region of Lake Garda features countless restaurants where tourists can taste the local traditional specialties based on a large range of meals: chicken, pork, ham and fish as well. The most unusual dishes one can sample here refer to yota, frico, tortellini, Lesso e peara, Zuppa di Valpelline, Pere San Martin al vino rosso and Panna Cotta.

Yota

Yota is a stew made of beans, sauerkraut, potatoes, ham and sometimes smoked ribs. This type of food is usually served with a lot of garlic and it stands out as a common main course.

Frico

Frico represents a sort of chips made of cheese and they are usually served as aperitifs. Frico is made thinly sliced cheese coated with flour and then deeply fried. Parmesan, Mozzarella or Montasio are the main types of cheese used at preparing frico.

Tortellini

Tortellini are pasta filled with different meat compositions, mushrooms or cheese. Tortellini can be eaten as such or with sauce.

Panettone

Panettone is a type of sweet bread, usually prepared around Christmas time and for New Year's eve. Its shape is round and its essential ingredients are oranges, lemon, raisins and cacao.

Lesso

Lesso e peara is a pepper sauce which usually accompanies different types of steamed meat.

Zuppa di Valpelline

Zuppa di Valpelline is a stew made of cabbage and served with croutons or dried bread.

Pere San Martin al vino rosso

Pere San Martin al vino rosso is a dish served usually during the wintertime, and it is made of pears baked in red wine.

Panna cotta

Panna cotta is an Italian dessert made of sour cream, milk, sugar and gelatin, all mixed and then refrigerated. It is usually served with jam or other toppings.

Lake Garda wines

Wine is a local product, and the history of its making goes back to time immemorial. There are few types of grapes cultivated at Lake Garda of which a range of highly refined wines are produced, wines appreciated not only at national scale, but worldwide too. Tourists can sample the local wines of Lake Garda at a restaurant, or they can purchase a bottle or more from the numerous wine shops they can find in Riva del Garda, Desenzano or Sirmione.

Coffee at Lake Garda

The Italian coffee is worldwide famous. There are unaccountable sorts of coffee, prepared in so may ways. Italians do appreciate a good strong espresso coffee. Espresso is served in small coffee cups sometimes with milk and sugar. The American coffee is a milder type of coffee, at least as compared to espresso. Corretto is a type of coffee served after dinner, usually enriched with brandy or grappa.

Doppio is a double espresso, recommended to those who can handle very strong coffee. Freddo is a coffee with ice, very appreciated in the hot afternoons at Lake Garda. Cafe latte is an espresso mixed with two thirds of milk. This type of coffee is deemed the tourists' coffee, since the Italians only have strong black coffee. Other popular types of coffee are Cafe Macchiato, Cappuccino or the Moroccan Coffee.

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