Lost to Temptation Italy

There is nothing more intoxicating than the Italian landscape – except perhaps its food. While it may appear that Italy has one unified cuisine, exemplified by spaghetti bolognese, pizza, veal parmigiana and the like, this is simply not the case, and a visit to any part of the country quickly reveals its incredible diversity. Even with some degree of homogenisation (think mass-produced pasta, sauces, factory-made salami and cheese and much more), there remains a staunch preference for authentic regional cooking. I have noticed that Italians tend to have little curiosity for food from outside their country or region; they prefer to eat what they know. Unlike Britain, France, Spain and Portugal, where cultural and food traditions have been influenced by colonial history and the waves of immigration that ensued, Italy seems almost to shun outside influences, and fights hard to maintain the purity of its culinary tradition. Italians are wildly passionate about food, about their food. Indeed, Italy is the birthplace of the Slow Food Movement, a reaction against the commercial methods of food production that are wreaking havoc on artisanal traditions worldwide. There is much to learn from the unhurried way of life the movement promotes – truly La Dolce Vita.