Leaving Italy: Top 10 foods I’m going to miss

I decided I’d write a post about the top ten things I’d miss most about living in Italy, but as I started to make that list, I realized most of it was food. So, food is getting it’s own list – I’ll write a “things” post later.

Top 10 Italian Foods I don’t want to say goodbye to:

10. Nutella

This is at the bottom of the list because it’ll still be available in the US. However, it won’t be as cheap so we won’t be eating nearly as much of it. Mariah’s weekday breakfast is two slices of bread with Nutella. I usually join her, but sometimes switch up my first meal of the day.  Nutella is in everything here – gelato, crepes, brioche…I eat it out of the jar with a spoon for a snack. I’m going to have serious withdrawals when I return.

9. Pickles

Again, I can obviously get pickles in America, so it also goes near the end of the list, but pickles here are this incredible mix between dill and sweet and sour.  In the US I only ever eat dill pickles, but here they have a little bit of the sweet and sour mixed in – delicious!

8. Gelato

Yes, gelato is near the end of the list. Sorry all you die hard ice cream fans. I’m not a superfan of gelato because I’m apparently an old lady with super sensitive teeth. I do love how fresh and flavorful gelato is compared to ice cream though. Coconut, dark chocolate, or Nutella are my go to flavors which I doubt I’ll find in America.

7. Prosciutto

This is a staple in our house and our go to for lunches. I’d had prosciutto some in the US, but it’s nothing like what it is here. Wrap it around a slice of cantaloupe in the summer….I’m drooling just thinking about it. I’ll be on the hunt for some good cuts of it in the US, but I know it will cost us a fortune.

6. Cheese

Yes, yes, there is cheese in America. But not this delicious. And not this cheap. I can buy a wedge of blue cheese here and it costs me $1.50. In the US it would be $9 or 10. There are also different types of jam to spread on cheeses here. So good I tell you.

5. Wine

Again, so cheap and so good. We have wine with dinner almost every night here and we don’t break the bank. A decent bottle of wine we normally buy is around $3 and something really good can be around $10-15. In the US the cheapest bottle in the store was $7.

4. Hot Chocolate

Thick like pudding and I always order dark chocolate. Since I don’t drink coffee, this is a staple in winter. I realize I look like a kid ordering hot chocolate at the bar while my friends order coffee, but too bad. I love it too much to care what people think. It’s best served with a frittella, which is kind of like a tiny cream filled donut served only from January until Fat Tuesday because it’s too sinful to eat during lent.

3. Kebab

Ok, so this isn’t traditional Italian food, but it’s everywhere here and I won’t be able to get it in the US. The closest thing to it would be a gyro. Shaved lamb meat in a pita filled with sauce, lettuce and veggies. This will be something I’ll crave when I’m gone – it’s a comfort food and only a three minute walk from my house.

2. Pizza

In the same shop where we buy kebab, we buy our pizza. Every. Sunday. Night. They know us and our typical orders, they give us free beer, and the owner smiles with a wink at us when we come in. It’s hands down my favorite pizzeria in town. My favorite pizza is bresaola (cured horse meat) and arugula and my second choice is always “capricciosa” (artichoke, mushroom, and proscuitto). I’m sure I will shed some tears for pizza this good and it’s what will guarantee I come back to Italy.

1.Ragu

No, not that nasty can of pasta sauce. This is mouthwatering, homemade meat sauce cooked all day. When trying a new restaurant that serves typical Italian food, my motto is always “you can’t go wrong with ragu”. Now I’ve learned this isn’t the case in Venice where they cater to the tourists – there it can go very wrong. Ragu can be white or red here – my understanding is that white ragu has less or no tomatoes. Our favorite restaurant down our street wins my vote for the best ragu in town. They change the meats depending on the season and what they purchase. My faves are rabbit or wild boar. Duck white ragu is also one of my most loved restaurant dishes.  I need to learn how to make ragu this amazing so I can continue to eat it once we leave.

Now please excuse me while I cry a little thinking about how much I’m going to miss this food.