Italian cucina (cuisine) doesn’t exist. Spend any time among the people of, say Umbria or Puglia you will hear an awful lot about Umbrian cucina and Pugliese cucina. But Italian cucina? Well that’s not something they know about. The geography of Italy makes for many micro-climates and the history for plenty of micro-cultures. The result is a cucina that is one of the most diverse, unexpected and intriguing imaginable.

For all their culinary distinctions, Italians are united by many of the staples, which make up their cucina (cuisine). Despite the mind-boggling number of variations, the 19 regions of Italy are bound by the common use of bread, pasta, cheese, salumi, pizza, seafood, gelati and dolci as well as a myriad of vegetables and meats Italians draw on to create their favourite dishes.

Produce sold at markets and shops is marked with its place of origin including the term nostrano (local or homemade). Locals always know the regions that produce the best pomodori (tomatoes, the best being from Pachino in Sicily) for instance. The trick to good food as any proud Italian will tell you, is the sourcing of the best ingredients and simple execution. And theirs is, without question, the best in the world.