| Italy is one of the oldest countries in the world, and | | | | preparation of seafood. Calamari, or squid, now a |
| thanks to the geographical boundaries of the | | | | common dish on every Italian restaurant menu, was |
| Mediterranean Sea and the Alps it has remained | | | | originally something Greeks were known for |
| largely unchanged throughout history. Even during the | | | | consuming. |
| Roman Empire, Italy was set apart. Legions that had | | | | The Roman Empire's excursions into North Africa |
| been abroad always knew when they had returned to | | | | were another fertile breeding ground for culinary |
| the mother country. Italian food history, however, | | | | expansion. The number of herbs, spices and |
| reaches far beyond the country's borders. | | | | vegetables that entered the Italian menu from Egypt |
| For starters, look at pasta. There is much historical | | | | and the other African territories is uncountable. |
| debate on its origins, but many historians point to | | | | Even today, Italian food history continues to evolve. |
| Marco Polo's voyages to the Far East, from which he | | | | Much of the changes now, though, take place beyond |
| returned with all manner of foreign spices and foods, | | | | the shores of Italy. In America, for example, chefs like |
| as the venue from which pasta came. The Chinese | | | | Mario Batali have fused classic Italian dishes with |
| had cooked with noodles for centuries, and Marco | | | | American cuisine to come up with dishes that combine |
| Polo's men encountered the same on their travels. | | | | the best of both worlds. In cities and towns all over the |
| The tomato, now considered a staple in Italian cuisine, | | | | country, chefs are taking traditional ingredients and |
| was long thought to be poisonous, partly because it is | | | | combining them in new ways. In what could perhaps |
| related to the deadly nightshade plant. Other | | | | be called a "full-circle" journey for pasta, some |
| Europeans found it to be palatable long before the first | | | | Italian-Asian fusion restaurants are even beginning to |
| Italian cook simmered some down to make tomato | | | | evolve. |
| sauce. | | | | But perhaps the best way to get a full idea of Italian |
| The Greeks, neighbors and frequent military rivals of | | | | food history is to get out and eat some. Better yet, eat |
| the Italians, had a great amount of influence on Italian | | | | a lot! Eating Italian food is always better than Italian |
| cuisine, especially in the area of spices and the | | | | food history. |