Traditional Italian Main Courses

Italian cuisine is known for its intimate appreciation for proper wine and food selection. Traditional meals are broken into courses. Some meals may only have two courses - the main course and a salad or dessert - others may include five courses, Antipasti, Primi, Secondi, Contorni, and Dolce, depending on the occassion. The salad is sometimes regarded as separate course of the meal, and cheese and fruit may be an interlude before a sweet dessert. Following are the courses in the order they are served.

Antipasti

The first part of Italian meals, the appetizers, antipasti vary considerably from place to place in Italy, but they will often include a selection of cold cuts, which are known as affettati misti, usually served with light toasted bread, rubbed with a garlic clove and drizzled with olive oil, known as bruschettas. Antipasti could also be prosciutto di Parma with melon, Tuscan crostini smeared with liver spread, or vegetables dressed with olive oil, such as Roasted Red Peppers

Primi

The second portion of an authentic Italian meal - can be a risotto, a soup, a polenta dish, gnocchi or a pasta served in a broth or sauced. It is served in a bowl, and it always precedes the meat, fish, or fowl course.

Secondi

The main dishes, usually meat or fish platters.

Contorni

The side dishes eaten with the main course usually consisting of vegetables and always served on a different plate. Insalata (salad) is sometimes served after the vegetable dishes are cleared, and the second course completed.

Formaggio

Consists of a selection of cheeses.

Dolce

The "sweet" course equivalent to the American dessert, often fresh or marinated fruit (Frutta) such as pears in red wine. Panna cotta, a cream custard thickened with gelatin instead of egg, is another typical choice. Tiramisu has become popular with tourists. In Tuscany hard cookies called Biscotti are served with a small glass of regional sweet wine.

Caffe

The meal may be concluded with a typical Italian coffee, an espresso, followed by a liqueur.

The Philadelphia area Italian restaurants we have gone to for company Christmas parties tend to serve the following courses:

Antipasti:

Deep-fried calamari, Bruschetta

Primi:

This tends to be a pasta dish, but one restaurant in particular served three types of pasta on a plate in very small portions: cheese tortellini in a rosé sauce, spaghetti in marinara sauce, and some penne in a white cheese sauce, perhaps Alfredo. The Italians call this assaggio di primi, a sampling of firsts. I really enjoyed tasting the different combinations. Another restaurant, Mamma Maria's in South Philadelphia, serves a Pasta Trio that is comprised of Handmade Gnocchi Marinara, Penne Aurora (tomato cream sauce), and Bowties Alfredo.

Secondi

Diner's Choice, usually meat or fish platters.

Dolce:

Tiramisu or perhaps Cannoli with coffee