Background information
This culinary guilty pleasure from my childhood is still a banger
by Patrick Vogt
Why Italian cuisine is the best in the world
25.7.2024
Translation: Katherine Martin
Take some pasta, a little olive oil, garlic and Parmesan and you’ve got yourself a sumptuous dish. Italian cuisine is unbeatable in its simplicity. And if you ask me, that’s what makes it the best food in the world.
The year: 1992. The location: Lucca, Tuscany. The restaurant: Trattoria Carolina. It’s lunchtime, and I’m sitting in front of a plate of spaghetti al pesto. Just as I’m about to bury it in an avalanche of Parmesan cheese, the trattoria’s maître d’ comes sprinting towards me. «Mamma mia! What are you doing?! That pesto’s made with Pecorino. Stay away from the Parmesan!»
I can’t remember now whether those were his exact words, but it was something along those lines. Luckily, my Italian was good enough to understand him and narrowly avert a Parmesan fiasco from occurring. Since my meal at Trattoria Carolina in Lucca, two things have become clear to me. First of all, my homemade pesto has to be made with Pecorino, and no other cheese. Second of all, Italian cuisine is the best in the world.
Nothing too fancy
Sure, you’ll find most of the top players in the culinary game outside of Italy. To name a few examples from the last 20 years, there’s El Bulli in Spain, The Fat Duck in England and Noma in Copenhagen. Last year, Restaurante Central in Peru’s capital Lima was crowned as the best restaurant in the world. However, while these countries may take up more space at the top, Italy’s better across the board. Allow me to explain why.
If the quality of the ingredients used is right, Italian cuisine is unbeatable in its simple deliciousness. Or maybe I simply inherited my not-entirely-objective love for «cucina italiana» from my Italian grandfather.
Header image: Shutterstock / LaMerce
Patrick Bardelli
Senior Editor
Patrick.Bardelli@digitecgalaxus.chFrom radio journalist to product tester and storyteller, jogger to gravel bike novice and fitness enthusiast with barbells and dumbbells. I'm excited to see where the journey'll take me next.
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