Ciao! At our last Parla Italiano “Professore” Gabriella taught us about un tipico pasto italiano (a typical Italian meal). In Italy, food is a very important part of life. Di che si parla oggi? (What will we talk about today?) Che domande…di cibo! (It’s obvious…food!)
La cucina italiana è famosa in tutto il mondo. (Italian cuisine is famous all over the world). Ma come si mangia il cibo italiano? (But how should we eat Italian food?)
Typical hours for an Italian meal:
Prima delle 10.00 am: COLAZIONE!
12.30 pm – 2.30 pm: PRANZO!
5.30 pm – 8.00 pm: APERITIVO!
7.30 pm – 10.00 pm: CENA!
I pasti principali sono il PRANZO e la CENA. In generale, il PRANZO è più sostanzioso della CENA. (The main meals are LUNCH and DINNER. Generally, LUNCH is a bigger meal than DINNER.) Unlike the typical North American breakfast of eggs, bacon and toast, Italian colazione typically consists of a capuccino and a biscotti or cornetti (the Italian equivilant of a croissant). The light breakfast keeps you hungry for Pranzo, a meal so important most shops close between 1-4pm. After work, many Italians enjoy a drink & an apertivo – a small serving of nuts, olives or other snacks. Following the apertivo is cena – a light dinner of soup, pizza, pasta or lunchtime leftovers.
Interested in joining us for our Italian Speaking Night? Our next Parla Italiano is tomorrow night at 7pm. There are still a few spots available – email Jesse for reservations. Now, we will finish our talk about food the same way you would finish a meal – with espresso! Just like the staff at PPS, Italians drink shots of espresso throughout the day. Even if you are partial to the PPS Drumroaster blend pulled from our La Marzocco espresso machine the video below will show you how to make espresso at home like a true Italian.
