“Appetizer”, as we call the Starters in Italian, literally means “before” (anti) “the meal” (pasto). In the past there was no lunch without some small appetizer to start, today we bring them to the table just on special occasions.
And it’s a shame, because the Appetizers represent a very important and creative page of the Italian gastronomic tradition. They can be “warm” (cooked) or “cold”, “di mare” (with seafood) or “di montagna” (i. e. with mushrooms or vegetables), but the most famous of all is the “Antipasto all’Italiana” which is composed of, in equal parts, ham, different types of salami and cheeses to be tasted with pieces of strictly bland bread that emphasizes the savory of the other food.
