How Does Italian Food Taste?

Italian cuisine is based upon a set of basic flavors, coming from a couple of key ingredients. You can find them in many different dishes:

    Italian chefs use tomatoes in all shapes and forms. Raw and sliced, they make great antipasti and salads. And when blended and cooked, they are the crucial ingredients for pizza, pasta sauces, and soups. Tomatoes offer fruitiness as well as acidity.
    Rich dry-cured meats, including Prosciutto, salami, or Italian bacon, add nutty and salty notes to the culinary experience. Italians eat them raw as antipasti or add them as toppings to their pizza or pasta.
    There is almost no Italian dish made without cheese. It is used to scallop pizza, pasta, and meats, add texture to sauces, or simply with a cured meat plate. Depending on the type, cheese can add salty, nutty, or sweet notes.
    Olive oil is used for frying, refining sauces, and making dressings for salads.
    Herbs such as basil, oregano, sage, or rosemary provide the typical Mediterranean flavor.