Italian Dishes

CHICKEN, VEAL, AND MEATBALL PARM

In Italy, the parmigiana treatment is given to eggplants, not chicken or other meats. Italian immigrants added deep-fried meat cutlets or meatballs and doubled the mozzarella; thus, these sandwiches and plates were born.

LOBSTER FRA DIAVOLO

A dish so good it should be Italian, we agree. But this dish that combines tomato sauce with lobster, hot peppers, and pasta is American and only American. Perhaps the Italians can learn something about this mouthwatering combo?

PEPPERONI PIZZA

In Italy, you'll find pizzas topped with potato slices, anchovies, sausages, broccoli rabe, corn, prosciutto... but no pepperoni. That most beloved of "Italian" salami varieties was first mentioned in print in an American ad in 1919. It is thought to have been inspired by spicy dry salamis from Southern Italy and Apulia, or soppressata from Calabria. Note: authentic Italian pizza is far less cheesy than its American counterparts, and definitely won't have a cheese-filled crust. What's more, the word peperoni (pronounced the same, spelled with one less "p") refers to peppers, not salamis.

GARLIC BREAD

So what do you use to sop up all that gravy and red sauce? Garlic bread, of course—the more garlic and butter, the better. But good luck finding garlic bread in Italy, where bread is almost always baked plain and served without butter.

SHRIMP SCAMPI

Words in Italian or Italian dialects were often corrupted or misused by non Italian-speaking descendants of Italian immigrants. "Shrimp scampi" is a dish where large shrimp are sauteéd with garlic, wine, butter, herbs, and red pepper flakes, then served over pasta or rice. It is a staple in Italian-American restaurants, most likely the descendant of an Italian recipe that involves langoustines sauteéd in wine, olive oil, onion, and garlic. Langoustines are a type of tiny lobster, called scampi in Italian. Italian-American cooks adapted the recipe but kept the old name.