25 Tantalizing Types of Traditional Italian Food To Try

Fresh tomato sauce, parmesan cheese, olive oil… if you’re a fan of Italian cuisine, your belly is rumbling just reading those words. Some of the country’s most famous traditional foods revolve around simple but delicious ingredients found around the Mediterranean coastline, rolling hills, and mountain landscapes.

In fact, authentic Italian dishes go much further beyond what many of us know and love. Pizza, pasta, and mozzarella cheese don’t even scratch the surface of what you can find in places like the Tuscan countryside or the Pugliese coast. If you ask a local about their take on the best traditional Italian foods, you’ll probably get an unexpected (and hunger-inducing) answer.

That answer will also differ based on the part of Italy they come from. For one, there’s a notable difference between northern and southern Italian foods. Plus, the individual regions of the country have their own classic Italian dishes that you may not really find anywhere else.

If you’ve got a trip to Italy planned and want to make the most of your meals, or if you just want to learn more about famous Italian foods and maybe attempt some on your own, we’ve got you covered – especially thanks to my innumerable trips to the country that spare no expense on the food. Read on to find out more about some of the most popular Italian dishes out there.

Cuisine in Northern Italy vs Southern Italy

If you are fortunate to visit both Southern and Northern Italy on the same trip, you’ll likely pick up on differences in what you see on the menu each evening. It seems that everyone has a different way of defining where the North becomes the South, though. I’ve heard people describe the “border” as far north as the River Po, which runs from Turin to Venice, while others say it’s the city of Rome that makes the transition.

In terms of traditional Italian cuisine, that differentiation belongs on the northern end of the spectrum. That’s because Italian food in the north is more land-based and influenced by bordering countries like France, Switzerland, and Austria. The mountains of the Alps and the different ecosystems they host create different ingredients than the Mediterranean coastline of the south, and therefore, different flavors.

While there is some seafood, food in Northern Italy is a bit more hearty and land-based – beef, lamb, and pork are common proteins. They also use butter more frequently,…