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When it comes to European delicacies, Italian and French foods are the most renowned. These two countries share heavenly good cuisines. Italians have dishes like risotto, lasagne, and pasta. As for the French, they have delicacies such as ratatouille, roasted leg of lamb, and Soufflé, etc. While Italians and the French both have distinguished dishes, their principles and habits of making and eating food aren’t the same. There are some vital differences between French and Italian food cultures.
(click the pictures to zoom in)
The biggest distinction between French and Italian food is the sophistication of the dishes. Italian cuisine is more focused on simplicity. On the other hand, French cuisine is symbolic of complexity. Most Italian dishes are very effortless to make; some of them consist of no more than three ingredients. For instance, Caponata, an Italian vegetarian dish that is heated with olive oil, only consists of tomatoes, eggplant, and onions. It also requires no profession to cook. On the contrary, cooking French cuisine is fabulously complex; it requires techniques and skills. French dishes are not just made for tasting with the mouth; they are also made for appreciating with the eyes. For example, ratatouille, a French vegetarian cuisine that is similar to Caponata, requires multiple kinds of vegetables and sauces. Not to mention the complicated cooking processes and decorations. If you are a cooking beginner, Italian food would be simpler to learn and cook than French food.
Italian Food vs. French Food
Last but not the least, sauces play a paramount role in both French and Italian cuisines. There is even an occupation called saucier specifically dedicated to making sauces in the kitchen in France. Though sauces are equally important in both food cultures, they are quite different. In Italian dishes, sauces are majorly made from tomatoes, fish, or meat stocks such as Bolognese and Fish Ragu as pasta sauces. Whereas, the sauces in French dishes are primarily made of butter or cheese like Velouté, Béchamel, and hollandaise, which can season varied French foods. Briefly, tomatoes and meats are two major elements of Italian sauces, while French sauces are mostly made of butter and cheese.
Sources
French and Italian food cultures may seem similar, but there are three major distinctions. The crucial differences are sophistication, the inclusion of cheese, and sauces. Italian focus on the simplicity of food, while the French care about the complexity of it; Italian and the French have varied structures of meals when it comes to their sharing food, cheese; Italians and the French both care a lot about sauces, but they make them with different ingredients and methods. All in all, Italian and French food cultures are both characteristic, and knowing their differences means knowing their charms; it would certainly bring pleasure to explore the fascinations of the two food cultures.
Caponata
Another difference between French and Italian food culture is the inclusion of cheese in dishes. Cheese is a shared feature in both Italian and French food cultures. However, the serving times and the eating ways of cheese are different between Italian and French food cultures. To illustrate, Italians eat cheese exclusively as an appetizer before the main course is served. Alternatively, the French’s way of eating cheese is different from the Italians’. The French serve cheese with bread and grapes as a single course right before dessert. To conclude the difference in the inclusion of cheese between the two food cultures, for Italians, cheese is only a starter of meals. However, the French, eat cheese along with cold plate food and deem it as a course in one meal.
Ratatouille
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Sources of Pictures
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Tatyanaseverydayfood. (2022, December 16). Roasted leg of Lamb Recipe (video). Tatyanas Everyday Food. Retrieved from https://tatyanaseverydayfood.com/roasted-leg-of-lamb/.
Rye, J. (2022, August 22). Fluffy cheese soufflé recipe. Tasting Table. Retrieved from https://www.tastingtable.com/916675/fluffy-cheese-souffle-recipe/.