Tourists Should Think Twice Before Ordering These Things At A Restaurant In Italy

Known for its exquisite cuisine, Italy is a haven for foodies. One thing you should know is that dining in Italy can be quite different from eating at Italian restaurants in other countries. Many dishes you might expect to find on menus in Italy simply don't exist there. In addition, dining customs can differ from what you're used to at home.

Italian food is widespread around the globe thanks to the vast Italian diaspora, a spread of people that took place from the 1800s to the 1920s. During that time, millions of Italians left their homeland, seeking better opportunities abroad. While the newcomers brought many of their culinary traditions, they also adapted to the ingredients available in their new homes and created new dishes and food traditions. For example, Italian-American food is now considered a distinct cuisine in its own right.

If you're planning a trip to Italy, there are some things you should think twice about ordering at a restaurant because you might get some strange looks. These tips can help you avoid eating like a tourist in Italy so that you can have a more authentic dining experience. They can also prevent you from making some embarrassing dining etiquette mistakes.

One thing that surprises many foreign diners in Italy is that when bread is served with a meal, it usually doesn't come with condiments like butter, olive oil, or balsamic vinegar. You may think your server has forgotten the condiments, only to find them baffled when you request dips or spreads for your bread. Contrary to the norm at Italian restaurants outside of Italy, it's not common to serve bread with anything other than your meal at a restaurant.

There are several reasons Italians don't serve condiments with bread. First, butter, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar can be expensive, so many Italians consider it a waste to use them on bread. In addition, as one Reddit user from Italy said, "You don't want to cover the flavor of the bread with the very strong flavor of olive oil." According to food writer Elizabeth Minchilli, bread is meant to be eaten with your meal rather than in addition to it, and Italians typically eat bread as an accompaniment to soup or antipasti. It can also be used to help push food onto the fork or to sop up extra sauce.

If you grew up eating pasta at home, you might have been taught that it's polite to use a spoon for long noodles because it helps gather up the noodles neatly and prevents you from making a saucy mess. However, you might get some side eye if you request a spoon for your spaghetti in Italy. And don't even think of cutting your pasta into pieces with a knife — the correct way to eat pasta is to use your fork and your fork alone to twirl up your pasta.

A Reddit thread on eating spaghetti with a spoon inspired strong opinions. One user commented, "In my experience, it's viewed as something only children who haven't learnt to twirl them properly would use. For an adult without hand mobility problems it's bad manners, like eating with your elbows on the table or slurping soup." In terms of using a knife to cut pasta, one Quora user said, "It is highly unusual, not impolite. Maybe you could compare it with having sushi with a fork. Or a hot dog with fork and knife." 

With ingredients like olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, and oregano, Italian dressing contains many Mediterranean flavors. Yet, despite its name, this zippy dressing was created in the United States. La Cucina Italiana reports that two restaurant owners created the zesty dressing as we know it today. Philip Sollomi, the owner of Wish-Bone restaurant in Kansas City, claimed that his dressing was based on his Sicilian mother's recipe, while Ken Hanna of Ken's Steak House in Framingham, Massachusetts, claimed his house salad dressing was his wife's mother's recipe from Genoa. Both went on to create multiple versions with additions like Parmesan and paprika.

While American-style Italian dressing may have been inspired by Italian recipes, the truth is salads in Italy aren't typically dressed in complicated concoctions with loads of herbs and spices. Italians usually only use a few simple ingredients for their salad dressings, primarily extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. Some restaurants swap out the lemon juice for a splash of vinegar. More often than not, the dressing is kept simple to allow the flavors of the salad to shine through.

While fettuccine Alfredo is a staple on many Italian restaurant menus in the U.S., the dish is not widespread in Italy. In fact, it's really only well-known at Alfredo alla Scrofa, the restaurant in Rome where it originated. According to the restaurant's website, chef and owner Alfredo di Lelio created the dish for his wife, who had just given birth and was feeling unwell. He created a simple yet sustenance-packed dish of fresh fettuccine noodles, butter, and parmigiana. It was an instant hit with patrons, including Hollywood celebrities Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, who spread the word about the restaurant and its delicious fettuccine Alfredo in America.

Alfredo alla Scrofa is still in business today and famous for serving its signature fettuccine Alfredo pasta. This dish is made with thin, homemade noodles twirled in butter and parmigiano cheese at your table. Don't expect add-ons like chicken, shrimp, or broccoli. The dish is divine as it is with the eggy noodles and rich, creamy sauce. While you may be able to find copycat versions at other restaurants in Italy, nothing beats the original.

Cioppino may have been created by Italian fishermen, but it's technically not an Italian dish. It originated in San Francisco in the 1850s when fishermen combined leftover seafood from the day's catches with tomatoes, garlic, wine, and spices to make a hearty soup. If you ask for cioppino in an Italian restaurant in Italy, you may be met with a blank stare — unless you're in the Liguria region.

Some believe the name cioppino comes from "ciuppin" in the Ligurian dialect. Sources vary on its exact meaning, with some saying it means "to chop," while others say it means "to make soup from fish." Ciuppin is also the name of a Ligurian fish soup that may have inspired cioppino, according to L'Italo-Americano. The soup typically consists of fish, shellfish, onions, tomatoes, and wine. It may not contain West Coast delicacies like Dungeness crab, but the dish could be just what you're looking for if you're craving something similar to cioppino but more authentically Italian.

Coffee is ingrained into Italian culture, with many people drinking numerous cups daily, either at home or in the numerous coffee bars found in nearly every town and city. If you're a coffee lover with a penchant for lattes, there are a few phrases you should know before you visit Italy. The first is the word "latte," which simply means milk in Italian. If you ask a barista or server for a latte in an Italian cafe, you'll likely be served a glass of milk. The correct term for espresso with warm milk is a caffè latte or a latte macchiato.

It doesn't end there. Italians are very particular about their coffee, so there are several slight but significant variations between coffee drinks. If you're looking for a latte prepared the same way you like it at home, you'll need to know the distinctions. A caffè latte typically has a base of espresso, steamed milk, and a bit of foam. A latte macchiato has a dash of espresso added to milk, making it milkier and less caffeine-forward.

The name might lead you to believe that Caesar salad is an Italian dish, but it was created in Tijuana, Mexico. The name comes from its creator, Caesar Cardini. Born in Italy, Cardini moved to California in the early 20th century and ran a restaurant in San Diego. When Prohibition hit, he moved to Tijuana to open an establishment where he could serve alcohol. Legend has it that one day, Cardini ran out of ingredients for his usual salad, so he whipped together a new version with what was on hand. The ingredients included Romaine lettuce, olive oil, lemon juice, eggs, Parmesan cheese, bread, and Worcestershire sauce.

While Caesar salad is now an iconic dish around the world, it's not commonplace in many Italian restaurants. If you find it on a menu, it can be a glaring sign that the restaurant is a tourist trap. Authentic Italian restaurants often take seasonality into account, so the salads on offer can change depending on the time of year. For example, you might find fresh caprese salads or panzanella in the summer. Winter salads could include root or hardy vegetables like fennel and radicchio. After all, fresh ingredients beat soggy lettuce, gloopy dressing, and stale croutons any day.