美食是意大利人的生命

Lots of people go to Italy to eat and drink.

For Italians， food is not just nourishment1， it is life. Italians gather around to prepare and enjoy food. They meet in bars， pizzerias2 and restaurants， or share meals in the home.

Italians love their food. And no matter which country in the world people are from， its hard for them to say no to pizza， pasta or gelato.

Pizza is surely one of the most famous Italian foods in the world. In Italy， its usually baked in a wood-fired oven3. Its thin and covered with a lot of fresh vegetables， sliced ham， salami or olives. Italians usually have one whole pizza each. They dont need knives nor forks when eating pizza， instead， they fold the pizza with one hand to serve.

And the second most famous Italian food is pasta. Dated back to 1154 in Sicily（西西里島）， there are over 200 different shapes of pasta in Italy. An average Italian eats about 27 kilograms of pasta each year. That means every man， woman and child in Italy eats a big plate of pasta 6 days a week.

No trip to Italy is complete without gelato. Though “gelato” translates to “ice cream”， its not quite the same. Gelato has way less butterfat4 than ice cream and far more varieties. It melts faster in the mouth and has stronger flavors5. Italians love their gelato very much. It is completely common to eat it 2 or 3 times a day in the summer time.In Italy， there are so many gelato shops that it is hard to ignore6 them.

However， there are way more Italian dishes besides pizza， pasta and gelato. Italy offers the best coffee， fresh and tasty seafood rice， yummy salami， the most amazing tiramisu which everyone loves， etc.

Wine is also a big part of Italian culture， and the country is home to some of the worlds most famous vineyards7. In Italy， remember to order wine with a meal， because beer and soft drinks are only really acceptable with pizza. If you dont drink wine， choose mineral water with bubbles in it. Tap water is just not common in Italy. By the way， if you decide to visit a vineyard for wine tasting， try some olive oil grown and produced there， its so good that its called“liquid gold”.

Italian cuisine8 has influenced food culture around the world and is often regarded as an art. All Italians are born chefs. They can make the best meal out of the most basic ingredients9：pork， beef， seafood， potatoes， rice， pasta and tomatoes. Italians love their food and many dishes are based on fresh vegetables and seafood too. Fresh and simple ingredients， easy to cook， -its no wonder Italian food is one of the top 3 most popular foods worldwide.

很多人去意大利，就是为了吃吃喝喝。

对意大利人来说，食物不仅仅是营养所需，更是生活。他们聚在一起准备食物、享受食物。他们在酒吧、比萨饼店和餐厅碰头，也常常在家里聚餐。

意大利人热爱美食。无论来自哪个国家的人，都难以拒绝比萨饼、意大利面或意大利冰激凌。

比萨饼绝对是全世界最著名的意大利食物。在意大利，比萨饼通常在木火炉里烤制而成。它的皮薄，上面铺满新鲜蔬菜、切片火腿、意大利香肠或橄榄。意大利人吃比萨饼时，常常用一只手将其卷起来，不用刀叉，一人吃一整个。

其次要算意大利面了。这种1154年起源于意大利西西里群岛的食物，仅在意大利，就有超过200种不同形状的花样。每个意大利人平均每年消耗约27千克意大利面。也就是说，无论是男人、女人还是小孩，一周7天中，就有6天会吃上一大盘意大利面。

如果你去意大利，不吃意大利冰激凌，就跟没去一样。意大利冰激凌“gelato”和冰激凌“ice cream”不同，奶油含量更少，种类更多；吃起来它融化得更快，味道更浓郁。意大利人非常喜爱他们的冰激凌，在夏季，一天吃个两三次毫不稀奇。在意大利，冰激凌店比比皆是，难以让人视而不见。

意大利的美食并不止世人皆知的比萨饼、意大利面和冰激凌。这里还有醇香的咖啡、新鲜美味的海鲜焗饭、可口的意式香肠、既让人惊艳又老少皆宜的提拉米苏……

葡萄酒也是意大利文化中极其重要的一部分。意大利有不少世界闻名的葡萄庄园。啤酒和碳酸饮料一般搭配比萨饼，而正餐你一定要来一杯葡萄酒才行。實在不喝酒的话，你就点一杯气泡水吧。他们是不太喝自来水的。此外，如果你决定参观葡萄园，并品尝美酒的话，可以顺便尝尝那里种植和生产的橄榄油。它非常美味，常被人称作“液体黄金”。

意大利菜影响了全世界的美食文化，也是很多人眼中的艺术品。每一个意大利人，都是天生的美食家。他们选用最基本的食材，就能轻易做出最美味的食物，比如猪肉、牛肉、海鲜、土豆、米饭、面条和西红柿。意大利人热爱美食，大多数菜都是用新鲜蔬菜和海鲜制作而成。食材简单、新鲜，制作方便。无怪乎，意大利菜是全世界最受欢迎的三大菜系之一。