Background of Italian food.

Italian cuisine is divided by provinces. The clearest difference is between northern and southern Italy.

Italy was originally born of independent principalities and it is still visible today. Each province has its own special features, for example in food and wines.

Italy can be roughly divided into three parts. Northern Italy is a prosperous, mountainous area. Northern Italy's foods are more creamy than southern Italy food. Similarly, the use of fresh pasta and butter is more common in the north than in the south.

Middle Italia has its own food such as Naples and Roman pizza or more common lasagna in the archipelago.

Southern Italy's kitchen is characterized by poor conditions. Butter and cream are hardly used, but the flavors are created skillfully using inexpensive seasonal vegetables. The pasta are more oily and the oil tastes stronger than in the north.

Common to the Italian cuisine is the appreciation of local ingredients and their skillful use.

Italians love mushrooms. During the mushroom season, everyone who is capable of rushes to the mushroom forest. In some places, there is a need to set daily limits for mushroom picking, which are supervised by a local forest police.

However, the Italian mushroom harvest is not enough to satisfy the demand and so most of the mushrooms are brought abroad. From all countries in the world, especially from Finland.