Fresh rosemary, oregano, basil, sage and thyme are common herbs found with spices like crushed red pepper and olive oil. Pasta is used in Northern Italian dishes and is accompanied by light sauces, sauteed vegetables, light lemon olive oil and freshly grated parmigian-reggiano cheese. Gnocchi is also a popular Northern Italian side dish.
Truffles, the rare and highly sought-after fungi (costing from $300-$3,000 per pound), grow wild in Northern Italy and are found in some Northern Italian dishes. Truffles were once hunted using female pigs, as a white truffle produces a scent that mimics a male pig’s sex hormone. Because the pigs were uncontrollable and would ravage the truffles when found, the fungus is now hunted using dogs.
Southern Italian dishes are the more traditional Italian that you see in America — pasta with red sauce (Tony Soprano would call it “gravy”) or tomato sauce which can be made into many other sauces including marinara, puttanesca (translated it means “the way a whore would make it,” meaning the sauce is made with whatever ingredients are found) and bolognese (meat sauce). Some pastas include chicken, veal or eggplant. Oregano, parsley, basil, red pepper and thyme are all popular spices. Almost all pasta is made with the same basic ingredients — semolina flour, eggs and water — and manipulated into more than 90 different shapes to give the appearance of a new dish. Aren’t those Italians clever?
— Amy Martin