Spices Used in Italian Cuisine
Italian food relies on flavorful and robust spices to season different dishes. The traditional spices used in most Italian cooking include coriander, nutmeg, pepper, saffron, salt, and vanilla. Olive oil and garlic, although not spices, are also an important part of Italian cooking. Olive oil often forms a base for spices and herbs to stick to and permeate through during the cooking process.
Garlic is one of the top ingredients used to add flavor, and it was historically used with olive oil to flavor pasta dishes, fish, and pizza. It wasn't until different herbs and spices started being introduced to Europe that the use of other spices became commonplace in Italy. Today, spices are an easy and inexpensive way to add flavor to any Italian dish.
Savory Italian Spices
Coriander is the seed found on the cilantro plant. These little aromatic seeds are often used to flavor game meats such as lamb or pork. It provides a citrusy flavor, and may be used whole in a marinade or sprinkled on meat during the cooking process.
Nutmeg is often used in baking in many countries. Italian cooks actually use nutmeg as both a savory and sweet spice. It's not uncommon to taste nutmeg, a seed from the myristica plant, in the cheese filling of raviolis. It may also be used in cheese mixtures to fill desserts or sprinkled on top of a dessert.
Salt and pepper are used often in Italian cooking. Whole sea salt is the preferred type of salt used in Italy. Fresh ground peppercorns are preferred over processed ground pepper. Salt and pepper is sprinkled on most meat dishes and into sauces. Chefs will add salt and pepper throughout the cooking process to insure proper seasoning.
Saffron is an expensive spice because of the delicate process of harvesting it from the crocus flower. It's not used as much as some of the other spices, but it does hold a place in Italian cooking. Certain rice dishes, such as risotto, get some of the coloring and flavoring from saffron.
Sweet Italian Spices
There aren't as many sweet spices as there are savory spices used in Italian cooking, especially since some of the savory spices perform double duty as both savory and sweet. Allspice is one spice that flavors puddings and pies. It's similar to a combination of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, but still has its own unique flavor.
Ginger is only popular in certain parts of Italy, but it's used a lot to flavor meats and desserts. Ginger can be candied, ground, or sliced, so it's not uncommon to see this spice used in a variety of different ways. Cinnamon is used for pastries and other desserts that need just a touch of spice and color. Italians also frequently use vanilla to flavor cream based desserts. Unlike many countries, Italians prefer to grate the vanilla bean over using an extract.
The Italian food that looks and tastes the best is the kind that holds true to tradition. Simple ingredients flavored with spices and herbs are the philosophy behind great Italian cooking.