Italian meal structure#Supper (cena)

File:Mediaslunas, café en jarrito y agua mineral en Café El Gato Negro.JPG and cornetti at breakfast (colazione)]]

The most popular breakfast (colazione) is sweet, consumed at home or at a café. If the breakfast is consumed at home, it consists of coffee (espresso or prepared with a moka pot), milk or caffè latte accompanied by baked goods such as biscuits, for example shortbread, or by slices of bread spread with butter and jam or with honey or gianduja cream, made with chocolate and hazelnuts. Milk is sometimes replaced by fruit juice.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cibo360.it/alimentazione/cibi/dolci/cioccolato_gianduia.htm|title=Diffusione ed evoluzione della gianduia|access-date=13 November 2021|language=it}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.assolatte.it/it/home/salute_benessere_detail/1469709364149/1469709453480|title=Colazione più diffusa in Italia|access-date=13 November 2021|language=it}} On some special occasions, such as Sundays or holidays, there may also be more baked goods, such as cakes, pies, pastries, or other regional specialties.

If breakfast is consumed at a café, espresso coffee predominates, together with cappuccino or latte macchiato, accompanied by a cornetto, bombolone, or other pastry;{{Cite web|url=https://www.aifb.it/calendario-del-cibo/giornata-nazionale-del-bombolone/|title=Diffusione ed evoluzione del bombolone|date=10 February 2016|access-date=13 November 2021|language=it}} however, the choice of breakfast desserts is varied, some of which are often present only in certain regions or cities. In recent decades, other types of coffee drinks have also spread, such as mocaccino and marocchino.{{Cite web|url=http://www.guerraedizioni.com/civiltapuntoit/Percorsi_Italiani_03.pdf|title=Abitudini alimentari in Italia|access-date=13 November 2021|language=it|archive-date=14 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230114110217/https://www.guerraedizioni.com/civiltapuntoit/Percorsi_Italiani_03.pdf|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.agrodolce.it/2014/10/31/tutti-i-modi-per-prendere-un-caffe-al-bar/|title=Modi italiani di bere il caffè a colazione|date=31 October 2014|access-date=13 November 2021|language=it}}

Much less frequent, but not completely unusual, is the savory breakfast (although much lighter and frugal than other European savory breakfasts), often consisting of focaccia (of different types and depending on the region) or even just toasted homemade bread seasoned with extra virgin olive oil, tomato or sliced salami.{{Cite web|url=https://www.agrodolce.it/2019/10/16/colazioni-salate-in-italia/|title=Le colazioni salate in Italia|date=16 October 2019|access-date=13 November 2021|language=it}}

However, many Italians only drink coffee for breakfast and no food.{{Cite web|url=http://www.benessere.com/videoconsigli/dietetica/163_la_colazione__come_mangiano_gli_italiani.htm|title=Abitudini italiane a colazione|access-date=13 November 2021|language=it}}

File:Insalata Caprese 456.jpg, a cold dish which might be consumed at a lunch in Italy during the hot summer]]

Lunch (pranzo) is generally considered the most important meal of the day. The full version is composed of four courses:{{Cite web|url=http://www.ansa.it/canale_terraegusto/notizie/in_breve/2019/12/30/istat-in-italia-il-pranzo-resta-il-pasto-principale_6328f871-849b-45c6-8508-006d8ef0a64e.html|title=La maggior parte degli italiani ritengono il pranzo il pasto più importante|date=30 December 2019|access-date=13 November 2021|language=it}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.italiaatavola.net/salute/alimentazione/2015/12/29/pranzo-pasto-italiani-casa/42600/|title=Il pranzo per gli italiani|access-date=13 November 2021|language=it}}

• a first course (primo), usually a dish based on pasta, risotto, rice, polenta, legumes or soup;{{Cite web|url=https://www.saporedisapere.it/2018/07/13/primi-piatti/|title=Tipologie di primi piatti italiani|access-date=13 November 2021|language=it}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.galbani.it/abcucina/lo-sapevi-che/le-portate-tipiche-della-cucina-italiana/i-primi-piatti|title=Tipologia dei primi piatti nella cucina italiana|access-date=13 November 2021|language=it}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.cibo360.it/cucina/mondo/ricette_pasta.htm|title=Tipologia dei primi piatti italiani a base di pasta|access-date=13 November 2021|language=it}}
• a second course (secondo), based on meat, fish, dairy products such as cheese or eggs;{{Cite web|url=https://www.buttalapasta.it/s/secondi-piatti/|title=Tipologie di secondi piatti nella cucina italiana|access-date=13 November 2021|language=it}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.galbani.it/abcucina/lo-sapevi-che/le-portate-tipiche-della-cucina-italiana/i-secondi-piatti|title=Tipologia dei secondi piatti nella cucina italiana|access-date=13 November 2021|language=it}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.buonissimo.it/ricettario/portata/secondi-piatti/|title=La varietà dei secondi piatti italiani|access-date=13 November 2021|language=it}}
• a side dish (contorno) of raw or cooked vegetables, which accompanies the second dish;
• seasonal fruit (frutta) as a conclusion.

Lunch is always served with bread.

Meals, particularly lunch, are generally concluded with a cup of espresso or coffee prepared with a caffè moka, sometimes followed by the so-called ammazzacaffè, consisting of a glass of local liqueur, bitter or sweet (of which there is wide choice).{{Cite web|url=https://www.italiaatavola.net/bevande/caffe/2016/10/23/rito-caffe-fine-pasto-ambiente-ideale-miscela/46944/|title=Il rito del caffè a fine pasto in Italia|access-date=13 November 2021|language=it}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.qnm.it/lifestyle/liquori-digestivi-i-piu-buoni-e-famosi-perfetti-per-concludere-una-cena-post-194815.html|title=Il digestivo italiano a fine pasto|access-date=13 November 2021|language=it}}

On special occasions, such as holidays and anniversaries, there are also two other courses:

• an appetizer (antipasto); cold or hot, it is the least abundant course, and is generally composed of crostini, bruschetta, salami and/or sausages, cheeses and/or dairy products, cooked and/or raw vegetables or preparations based on seafood;{{Cite web|url=https://www.ristoranti-di-roma.info/ricette-antipasto-italiana.html?refresh_cp|title=Possibile composizione di un antipasto italiano|access-date=13 November 2021|language=it}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.spaghettiemandolino.it/blog/213-antipasti-dalla-loro-antica-storia-alle-tavole-di-oggi-nel-nord-italia.html|title=Storia e tipologia degli antipasti italiani|access-date=13 November 2021|language=it}}
• a dessert (dolce) to finish;{{Cite web|url=https://slideplayer.it/slide/2919717/|title=Struttura del pranzo tradizionale italiano|access-date=13 November 2021|language=it}}{{Cite web|url=http://godocoldolce.it/categoria/ora-de-dolce/dolci-da-fine-pasto-al-ristorante/|title=Dolci italiani a fine pasto|access-date=13 November 2021|language=it|archive-date=6 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006230222/https://www.godocoldolce.it/categoria/ora-de-dolce/dolci-da-fine-pasto-al-ristorante/|url-status=dead}}

Wine is often a part of the meal, especially during lunch and dinner.{{Cite web|url=https://www.enolo.it/italiani-vs-vino-indagine-cortilia/|title=Gli italiani e il vino|access-date=13 November 2021|language=it}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.mangiarebenevenezia.it/altro/i-benefici-del-vino-la-bevanda-che-non-puo-mancare-sulle-tavole-venete/|title=Il vino sulle tavole italiane|access-date=13 November 2021|language=it}}

{{See also|Merienda}}

File:Meat sandwich.jpg with salami for the merenda]]

A merenda (from the Latin merenda) is a snack in the mid-morning (around 10 o'clock a.m.) or mid-afternoon (around 5 o'clock p.m.). It is usually a light meal, consisting of panini or tramezzini, fruit alone or bread and jam, if not a dessert and, in summer, possibly gelato. It is common for children, and also eaten by adults.{{Cite web|url=http://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/merenda/|title=Cos'è la merenda|access-date=13 November 2021|language=it}}

Supper is the other main meal of the day. The supper (cena) scheme has the same courses as lunch, but with dishes and foods that are usually lighter.{{Cite web|url=https://www.finedininglovers.it/blog/arte-del-ricevere/sequenza-portate-tavola/|title=Composizione di una cena italiana informale o fuori casa|access-date=13 November 2021|language=it}}{{Cite web|url=http://cr.middlebury.edu/italian%20resources/progetto/culture/pasti.htm|title=Composizione di una comune cena italiana quotidiana|access-date=13 November 2021|language=it}}

Exceptions are richer dinners (cenoni) eaten for festivities such as New Year's Eve, Christmas Eve and the Carnival period.Dictionary of the La Repubblica, article [https://dizionari.repubblica.it/Italiano/C/cenone.html Cenone]{{Cite web|url=http://www.ilgiornale.it/news/fare-cenone-che-avanza-pranzo-natale-1622349.html|title=Il cenone italiano|access-date=13 November 2021|language=it}}

Unlike lunch, supper, when consumed among close family members, does not necessarily include a first course based on starchy foods (such as pasta or polenta) or cereals (such as rice), so sometimes supper consists of the equivalent of a second course (a meat or fish-based preparation), with or without a side dish, or a single dish, such as a soup or a light soup, and including bread.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nyelvtanulas-online.com/hir/le-abitudini-alimentari-degli-italiani/604|title=La cena in Italia|access-date=13 November 2021|language=it|archive-date=15 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200115193435/https://www.nyelvtanulas-online.com/hir/le-abitudini-alimentari-degli-italiani/604|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.infodata.ilsole24ore.com/2019/02/22/colazione-pranzo-cena-le-abitudini-degli-italiani-tavola/?refresh_ce=1|title=Costumi alimentari degli italiani|access-date=13 November 2021|language=it}}

File:Antipasto Toscano.jpg

File:Maccheroni_alla_amatriciana_(3543752494).jpg. Pasta is the archetypal primo.]]

File:Brasato di maiale nero.jpg

File:Linea doubleespresso.jpg typically consumed after a meal]]

A structure of an Italian meal in its full form, usually used during festivities:{{cite web |title=The structure of an Italian meal |url=http://www.italiana.co.uk/TheStructureOfAnItalianMeal.html |website=Italiana |author=Mike Kiely |date=4 December 2010| access-date=2014-03-02}}

;Aperitivo: the aperitivo opens a meal, and it is similar to an appetizer. Most people gather around standing up and have alcoholic/non-alcoholic drinks such as wine, prosecco, spritz, vermouth, and {{lang|it|gingerino}}. Occasionally small amounts of food are consumed, such as olives, crisps, nuts, cheese, sauce dips, little quiches or similar snacks.

;Antipasto: the antipasto is a slightly heavier starter. It is usually cold and lighter than the first course. Examples of foods eaten are salumi (such as salami, mortadella, prosciutto, bresaola, and other charcuterie products), cheeses, sandwich-like foods (panini and tramezzino), marinated vegetables or fish, cold salmon or prawn cocktails; more elaborate dishes are occasionally prepared.

;Primo: a primo is the first course. It consists of hot food and is usually heavier than the antipasto, but lighter than the second course. Non-meat dishes are the staple of any primo piatto: examples are risotto, pasta, seafood or vegetarian sauces, soup and broth, gnocchi, polenta, crespelle, casseroles or lasagne.

;Secondo: this course may include different meats and types of fish, including turkey, sausage, pork, steak, stew, beef, zampone, salt cod, stockfish, salmon, lobster, lamb, chicken or roast. The primo or the secondo piatto may be considered more important depending on the locality and the situation.

;Contorno: {{redirect|Contorno|the barrio in Puerto Rico|Contorno, Toa Alta, Puerto Rico|the Hannibal episode|Contorno (Hannibal)}} A contorno is a side dish and is commonly served alongside a secondo piatto. These usually consist of vegetables, raw or cooked, hot or cold. They are usually served on a separate dish, not on the same plate as the meat as in Northern European style of presentation.

;Insalata: if the contorno contained many leafy vegetables, the salad might be omitted. Otherwise, a fresh garden salad could be served at this point.

;Formaggi e frutta: an entire course is dedicated to local cheeses and fresh seasonal fruit. The cheeses will be whatever is typical of the region (see List of Italian cheeses).

;Dolce: next follows the dolce, or dessert. Frequent dishes include tiramisu, panna cotta, cake or pie, panettone or pandoro (the last two are mainly served at Christmas time) and the colomba pasquale (an Easter cake). A gelato or a sorbetto can be eaten too. Although there are nationwide desserts, popular across Italy, many regions and cities have local specialties. In Naples, for instance, zeppole and rum baba are popular; in Sicily, cassata and cannoli are commonly consumed; mostarda, on the other hand, is more of a northern dish.

;Caffè: coffee is often drunk at the end of a meal, even after the digestivo. Italians do not have milky coffees or drinks after meals (such as cappuccino or caffè macchiato), but strong coffee such as espresso, which is often drunk very quickly in small cups while still hot. The term espresso, substituting s for most x letters in Latin-root words, with the term deriving from the past participle of the Italian verb esprimere, itself derived from the Latin exprimere, meaning 'to express', and refers to the process by which hot water is forced under pressure through ground coffee.{{cite web|url=https://www.philips.it/c-e/ho/articolo/caffe/suggerimenti-caffe/come-preparare-un-caffe-espresso-perfetto.html|title=Qual è il caffè espresso perfetto e come va bevuto?|access-date=13 June 2022|language=it}}{{Cite web |title=Is it espresso or expresso? Yes |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/espresso-vs-expresso-usage-history |access-date=2023-07-18 |website=Merriam-Webster |language=en}} Short drinks, grappa in particular, may go with the caffè, either in a separate glass or mixed in.

;Digestivo: the digestivo, also called ammazzacaffè if served after the coffee, is the drink to conclude the meal. Drinks such as grappa, amaro, limoncello or other fruit/herbal drinks are drunk. Digestivo indicates that the drinks served at this time are meant to ease digestion of a long meal. Even if the caffè went with grappa, a sweeter digestivo may follow.

• Italian cuisine
• List of Italian foods and drinks
• Full-course dinner

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{{Cuisine of Italy}}

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Category:Meals