MustKnow

Dining at a restaurant in Italy is a serious business. Cutting your spaghetti, ordering a cappuccino at 2 p.m., asking for a carafe of water—these are French reflexes that risk betraying you to the Italians. Some rules may seem strict to foreign visitors, but they remind us that sampling an Italian specialty means also immersing yourself in a culture, adopting its codes, and accepting to disrupt your habits.

Coffee, a Whole Story

Do you dream of a delicious espresso? In Italy, a coffee is inherently an espresso. So there is no need to specify it, unless you want a ristretto. As for the moment you order your coffee, it also matters. No Italian waiter will agree to bring it to you before your meal is completely finished, as well as your glass of wine. The ultimate mistake is ordering a cappuccino after a meal. Don’t even think about it. Italians drink their cappuccino (which contains milk and sugar) in the morning, as breakfast. After 11 o’clock, cappuccino time has passed!

Shaking Up the Order of Courses

For a beginner, reading a menu in Italy can be unsettling. A traditional meal is composed of 4 courses: antipasti (starters), primi piatti (first courses), secondi piatti (second courses), dolci/frutta (desserts or fruit).

And that plate of pasta or that risotto you crave so much is part of the “primi piatti.” Of course, restaurateurs will accept (perhaps with a sigh) serving you only spaghetti alle vongole, even if you forget to order a meat or fish dish that would normally come next.

Asking for a Carafe of Water

There is nothing stopping you from asking, but it is very unlikely you’ll get your way. Even when ordering still water (Acqua naturale) rather than sparkling (Acqua frizzante), a bottle of mineral water typically appears on your table. A tip? Don’t bother fighting it.

Adding Parmesan to Seafood Pasta

Imagine you’re in Venice and order Spaghettoni al nero di seppia at the Do Farai (Calle del Cappeller, Dorsoduro 3278). When the plate arrives, you’ll have to resist the urge to ask for parmesan at all costs. In Italy, mare and monti do not mix. This applies to parmesan on pasta, as well as to the secondo piatto, which would then be… only fish.

Cutting the Spaghetti

Here is a rule you must never break, or you might see the carabinieri appear behind you. We’re hardly exaggerating! The shape of the pasta is its very essence, and cutting it deprives it of its identity. And don’t even think about using a spoon to make life easier. Again, this is a gesture considered particularly ineloquent.

Good to know. For the same reason, spaghetti should never be broken before cooking.