30 classic Italian dishes that everyone should try

 

Think of Italy and you're likely to think of food first, and all the other beautiful things it offers second.

Italian cuisine -- or some version of it -- has colonized the rest of the world so successfully that there are probably uncharted corners of the Amazon rainforest where you can sit down at a red-and-white checkered tablecloth and order up a plate of pasta and sauce.

There's a reason it's so good. Actually, there are hundreds of reasons scattered throughout
the different regions Italy. But here are 30 of them.

Pizza Napoletana

Italy's gift to TV box set bingers, deadline busters and delivery scooter manufacturers needs no introduction. Pizzas can be summoned to almost anywhere on the planet -- including an intercity train -- within 30 minutes provided there's a phone connection and worthwhile tip.

But that greasy slice you're eating out of a box (for breakfast? Seriously?) is a far cry from the real thing. A true Italian pizza is thick, tender and has an elasticity when chewed. It's traditionally dressed with fresh tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, basil leaves and melting mozzarella or fior di latte cheese -- or simply plain white pizza. The most savory is buffalo milk mozzarella

Many atrocities have been committed in the name of pizza science -- hot dog-stuffed crust anyone? Or pineapple pizza? -- but the original still never tastes better than in Naples, the city of its birth.

Tagliatelle al Ragù

The rest of the world calls it "spaghetti bolognese" -- but the rest of the world is wrong. This perfect blend of delicate ragù sauce and fresh golden tagliatelle pasta is a signature of the northern Emilia Romagna region, in particular the city of Bologna -- hence the naming error.

Legend has it the tagliatelle shape was inspired by the curly blonde hair of fearsome 16th-century Italian noblewoman Lucrezia Borgia. The ragù is made with finely chopped or ground pieces of pork and beef mixed with celery, carrots, onions, tomato sauce and red wine.

Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is grated on top, like a snow-capped peak. The original ancient recipe is protected by the Azdore, "pasta priestesses" who prepare fresh tagliatelle for clients each day across the region at fresh pasta boutiques.