Italian Food is more varied than many of its most passionate American admirers realize. Just like many other countries that span some geographical space, Italy is a place where different climatic conditions and types of terrain can be found.
As a result, the types of foods that are traditionally eaten in Italy vary depending on where in the country the focus lies. In the past, immigrants from Italy’s southern regions most significantly influenced the general public’s perception of how that country’s cuisine tasted and was most commonly enjoyed.
Northern Italy Has Several Distinctive Cuisines of Its Own
Northern Italian dishes have become a lot more frequently found in American restaurants in recent years, however, and the Sacramento area’s eateries are by no means exceptions. Some of the kinds of food that are most popular at Sacramento Italian Restaurants that focus on this type of fare include:
- Bolognese Ragu Chefs in Northern Italy do not make especially heavy use of tomato since that fruit is much better suited to growing in sunnier, warmer places far to the south. Even so, one of Italy’s most internationally renowned dishes features tomato paste, although it is added more as a source of flavorful acidity than as the backbone of the dish. The ragu native to Bologna is traditionally prepared by slowly simmering minced meats with a soffrito of chopped vegetables, a small amount of tomato, and a bit of wine. In many cases, the thick sauce that results will be finished with cream that lends an additional richness and a bit more viscosity. Bolognese ragu is most often served atop freshly made tagliatelle, a wide type of pasta that provides plenty of surface area for the sauce to cling to.
- Brasato al Barolo. Beef is more common in Northern Italy than in other parts of the country, and every cut is savored with delight. One especially popular way to make the most of tough cuts of beef is to braise them in the rich, red Barolo wine that is favored throughout Piedmont.
Sacramento Restaurants Serve the Best of Italy to Locals
Fortunately, there are now restaurants in Sacramento where delights from Northern Italy like these can be enjoyed at any time. That is great news for the many who have learned to appreciate such dishes every bit as much as their Southern Italian cousins.
