Italian cooking is one of the most ubiquitous and well-loved cuisines in the world, but are you enjoying it correctly? After all, just how should be polishing off your pasta?
TOAD spoke to the team at Biancorosso to find out more. Biancorosso owners Stefano, Cinzia and Alberto talked us through the Italian dinner-party faux pas and best ways to enjoy your Italian meal.
So what should we keep in mind when attending a dinner party?
As a general rule it is considered very rude to have the hosts or other diners wait after you – when you are asked to the table, you should proceed immediately. Since Italian food doesn’t like to wait, others should not be waiting for you in front of their full plates. You’ll also notice that when your dish is served before other orders arrive on table at a restaurant, unless it is a formal dinner, Italians will encourage you to start straight away if the dish is hot – please start, because we are very keen that you (and also us) may enjoy food as soon as it arrives.
How is pizza eaten?
Generally with your hands, however if it is a formal occasion (although pizza is not a formal dish) such as a dinner with colleagues, then knife and fork will do. In the end it comes down to personal preferences and the setting you are eating in. You recognise good Italian pizza, because you can fold your slice in two lengthwise and the toppings do not fall off, even if the dough is thin.
Are there any faux-pas for dining with Italian people?
What makes Italians always roll their eyes (albeit they do it in secret) is asking for a cappuccino (or any other coffee with lots of milk in it) during or after a meal. Cappuccino is as a rule consumed in the morning hours or in the afternoon as a snack (merenda), even though most Italians would take a macchiato (with a dollop of milk foam) or marocchino (which is essentially a mini cappuccino) in the afternoon. Also if you take your coffee right before a meal, this is not looked upon well either.
Do not ask your seconds to be served with your first course on the same plate. The same applies to asking a restaurant or host to put your salad on the same plate at the same time with your Primo or your Secondo. Italians take great pride in how and which order your dishes are served and they have a good reason for doing it – they always pay great attention to how you perceive your food, so to ask for it to be served in other ways than intended is not regarded well.
Are there any gestures to avoid?
It is preferable to use your right hand to pour drinks, including water, but whatever you do, do not pour by reversing your hand (with your palm facing upwards) as this is considered very rude and is considered as a revelatory sign of an untrustworthy person. The legend around this goes back to the renaissance period when apparently poison was poured in the cup from specially modified rings. Whether this is true or not we do not know, however it is considered very bad manners to pour by reversing your hand.
Biancorosso is open daily Sat-Thu 11am-11pm, Fri pm-11pm. Y Tower, Al Nahyan (02 658 4244).
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Master other Mediterranean cuisine with some top tapas tips from the head chef at Diablito, Heming Holen.
Is there such a thing as a tapas faux pas? Is it acceptable to use hands to eat?
Not at all! That is the beauty of tapas. Nothing is considered a faux pas. You eat with a knife and fork, or with your fingers, and you make sure you get the last bit of the delicious sauce with the last bit of tapa. If you run out of sauce, some bread would do. If you run out of bread then use your hands! It’s very informal.
What beverages generally accompany tapas?
The name tapas actually means ‘to cover’. The tapa was a piece of bread with different ingredients that was put on top of the glass to prevent flies getting into the drink. This has now become the montadito, which hardly translates into English, but it is the same piece of bread with different toppings. Tapas are now referred to as small individual dishes.
Is there an order to eat Spanish foods?
Obviously if you go to a typical Spanish restaurant ordering A La Carte, there are the same procedures, with starters, mains and desert. If you eat at an all-out tapas bar/restaurant, you keep them coming! Normally, you would start with your cold dishes, such as a nice cured meats on farm bread with freshly scrubbed tomato, garlic and olive oil.
Open Sun-Wed 6pm-midnight, Thu 3pm-midnight, Fri-Sat midday-midnight. Yas Marina, (050 917 5605).
