Before coming to Italy, I mostly thought of Italian food as pasta, pizza and gelato. Since living here, I have realized how different the food can be depending on where you are. Certain dishes are strongly connected to the history, geography and traditions of a specific region.
Some foods have become part of my normal life in Torino, while others remind me of specific trips or experiences. So far, five foods and traditions have stood out to me the most: trofie al pesto, cappuccino, aperitivo, seafood pasta, and vitello tonnato.
One of the first regional dishes I tried while traveling was trofie al pesto in Santa Margherita Ligure. Trofie is a small, twisted pasta that is especially common in Liguria and is usually served with pesto. Earlier that same day, I had tried real Genovese pesto on focaccia for the first time, and that honestly blew me away. The trofie al pesto was also very good, but it was not my favorite pasta dish I have had since coming to Italy.
Cappuccinos have become less of a special food experience and more of an everyday habit for me. After class, I will often stop at a café and get one, sometimes with a cornetto filled with crema (sweet pastry treat). They have also become useful in a way I definitely did not expect.
