What is the tableware and eating etiquette used in Italy?

In Italy or anywhere else, an attractive table setting is not only a sign of welcome, but also a source of pride for the host family. Every family has its own particular way of setting the table, but there are rules. [IMG]aboutdishes/images/art_of_eating/western/italian/table_setting[/IMG]

When Italians invite their friends to dinner, they put down a tablecloth or placemats, usually made of fabric or straw.

To serve water, both water and mineral water are served in glass bottles. As for wine, it can be served in a glass bottle or in the original bottle, depending on different factors, such as the quality of the wine, the availability of sufficient bottles, personal taste, etc. If the table is large, the water and the wine must be served in a glass bottle, or in the original bottle. If the table is very large, both water and wine must be placed on both sides of the table to make it easier to drink.

Salt and pepper are served in a monitor bottle and a pepper shaker respectively, and can be used in one bottle for each person, or one bottle for the whole table in a pass-along manner. But since Italians have superstitious notions about passing the salt shakers, they usually just put them back on the table, never handing the one they're holding directly to another guest. Salad dressing is usually used for the whole table***, but it can also be used individually. It is mainly made with olive oil and vinegar, and is easily served in a dispenser. [IMG]aboutdishes/images/art_of_eating/western/italian/salad_dressing[/IMG]

Italians often eat bread with their meals, but they don't spread it with butter, so there is no butter on the table. Bread is served rolled or sliced, or torn into small pieces with bare hands during the meal, so there is no knife on the table. The bread is served in a bread basket, or on individual silver plates, or sometimes simply on the tablecloth.

The Italians fold the napkin into a square or triangle, placed on the right hand side of the seat, after the meal, do not need to fold the napkin, put it back to the right side can be.

The centerpiece of the table The most common centerpieces are flowers, soup plates, or silverware.

Even at formal occasions, such as wedding receptions, seating is rarely organized, and the host will indicate the proper place for each guest as they are about to be seated. The host and hostess must sit opposite each other, with the most important or oldest woman sitting in the first seat to the right of the host, and the second most important or second oldest person sitting in the first seat to the left of the host, and so on according to the importance and age of the guests, one right and one left, and the hostess's right and left seating arrangements are also the same, in which couples should avoid sitting together.

The seating arrangement depends very much on the cuisine, and a meal usually consists of three courses. [IMG]aboutdishes/images/art_of_eating/western/italian/place_setting2[/IMG]

A three-course meal: pasta as an appetizer and fruit for dessert

Bring pasta to the table on a flat plate, not a soup bowl. Never serve pasta on a flat plate, not in a soup bowl, and don't pile up plates from other dishes. Pasta is never served immediately on the guest's plate; it is usually served after the guest is seated. The fork for pasta is the same size as the fork for the main course, and both forks should be placed on the left hand side of the table; as the desserts are fruits, there should be a knife and fork on the table, with the blade to the left and the tines to the right.

A three-course meal: soup for appetizer and cake or pudding for dessert

Usually the soup plate is placed on top of the main course plate, and the spoon is placed to the right of the main course knife, with the blade usually facing the plate. Since the dessert is a cake or a tart, a fork and spoon should be available at the table.

Few people eat a meal of four or five courses, including appetizers and pasta, followed by a soup with meat, a main course of fish, and then dessert or fruit, but if the appetizers are served along with the other appetizers, another fork, smaller than the fork for the main course, is placed on the left hand side of the table.

Glasses

There are three main types of glasses at the table: a large, flat-bottomed water glass, and two wine glasses, which are commonly used at dinner parties. As for the placement of the glass, it is placed on the tip of the large glass of water, such as the shape of the English word "i", and then the other glass emissions in the right side of the water glass, placed like the shape of the petals of the flower.

Home-cooked meals

Lunch or dinner is a great time for the family to get together and discuss and share the day's events as they savor the food. In fact, since children usually return to school in the morning, many families can have two meals at home every day. Working mothers don't have enough time to prepare lunch, so they usually prepare sandwiches, cold cuts, cheese, or heat up ready-made food in the microwave or on the stovetop, and older children can heat up pasta or meat dishes on their own, but many mothers prefer to rush home at lunchtime to eat with their children, especially in small towns where stores and offices are closed for an hour. especially in small towns where shops and offices are closed for an hour at lunchtime. The table setting at home is of course kept simple, and many families eat in the kitchen.

2008-03-06 20:23:30 Addendum:

Pasta etiquette

First-time pasta eaters may find it difficult to master the etiquette of pasta, even though many Italians are not very good at eating pasta, which is why pasta is not on the menu of any formal dinner party, so as to avoid embarrassment to the guests. Therefore, at first, do not feel discouraged to eat spaghetti, but try to learn the etiquette: hold the fork with the thumb, index and middle fingers, and practice turning it several times on an empty plate, as if wrapped around something, and then hold the fork rolled and wrapped up a small amount of spaghetti, and if at first rolled up too much, you may want to try again until you succeeded in rolled up the right amount of spaghetti.

2008-03-06 20:23:38 Add:

Put the spaghetti in your mouth immediately after you roll it up, and then push the spaghetti that's left on the outside of your lips into your mouth with your fork. [IMG]aboutdishes/images/art_of_eating/western/italian/spaghetti_ettiquette[/IMG]

Hands:Italians sit down to eat with their hands on the table at all times, but with their elbows away from the table.

Beginning to eat: It is considered polite to wait until the food has been served to each guest and the host family or the oldest lady has begun to eat before all the guests eat together.

Finish eating: After each course, the knife and fork must be placed parallel to each other on the plate, facing south and north, respectively, ref: aboutdishes/chi/,