Italy Blog post #1

Welcome to Italy! I chose to research Italy because we our focus is food, and when I think of food my mind goes straight to Italy! The country is extremely well known for their delicious food and I also love it so I figured it was a great fit. I know a lot of the main courses that are served as entrees but don't know a whole lot about the deserts. I think it would be neat to research what types of deserts they have at special occasions and holidays. A couple of interesting facts: the word for the lunch is "il pranzo", The pizza was invented in Naples during the 18th century.  Originally, it was just a dry, flat bread and was considered food for poor people. On the 1st. of January, Italians eat lentils for good luck in the new year. Italy is located in southern Europe and comprises the long, boot-shaped Italian Peninsula, the southern side of Alps, the large plain of Po Valley and some islands including Sicily and Sardinia. In 16th century Naples, a Galette flatbread was referred to as a pizza. Known as the dish for poor people, it was sold in the street and was not considered a kitchen recipe for a long time. This was later replaced by oil, tomatoes (after Europeans came into contact with the Americas) or fish. In 1843, Alexandre Dumas, père, described the diversity of pizza toppings.