Celebrating Ferragosto!

On 15th August, Ferragosto takes place in Italy, a traditional day of rest and a public holiday which often marks the start of summer vacation for Italians. Many businesses, shops and restaurants close as people take time off to spend with family and friends, heading to the beaches and mountains to get out of the heat.

To celebrate, here are four reasons why we love indulging in Italian food!

1. Italian Food is Trendy
It’s no surprise that Italian food is consistently voted the world’s favourite cuisine – in an international YouGov poll with over 25000 respondents, 84% said that they liked it, with pizza and pasta some of the world’s most popular dishes. Among UK consumers, 91% gave Italian food the stamp of approval. Italian food is traditional, simple, authentic and delicious, and is likely to be popular for a long time to come.

2. Fresh, High Quality Ingredients
At the heart of Italian cuisine lies an unwavering commitment to quality ingredients. From sun-ripened tomatoes to flavourful olive oil, there are over 500 DOCG, DOC and IGT wines and almost 300 DOP, IGP and STG products made in Italy ^[source]. These acronyms serve as guarantees of quality, indicating protected designation of origin, traditional speciality guaranteed products, and territorial exclusivity.

3. Pizza and Pasta Perfection
With a diverse range of textures and sauces available, pasta is the ultimate comfort food for many, and makes an ideal lunch or dinner dish. What’s more, pizza is a universal favourite for a reason – versatile, with the ability to add any toppings you desire. Yet, there's something about savouring an authentic, freshly made Italian pizza, and that’s why our Pizzaiolo hamper contains everything you need to make the perfect pizza – spicy ‘Nduja sausage, tomato sauce, Parmigianno Reggiano cheese, olives and more!

4. Delicious Desserts (and Coffee!)
Live la dolce vita! No Italian meal is complete without a decadent dessert – from creamy tiramisu to crispy cannoli to a perfect panettone or panforte, these sweet treats are some of our favourites!
When it comes to coffee, did you know that Italians don’t order espresso? In Italy, espresso is the default and simply known as un caffè. As well as making for a wonderful start to the morning, paired with amaretti or biscotti, it’s the ideal way to finish an evening of Italian feasting.

Our sister site Italy2Eat specialises in authentic Italian ingredients. Shop here.