I am a vegetarian and would be travelling to Italy soon. I have eggs occasionally. Would I have to stick to croissants and salads only for vegetarian food? Are there Italian vegetarian dishes...what does one have to ask for in restaurants?
Anonymous
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Italy will have lots of different pasta dishes available that only include only veggies, so you will find a lot of menu items easily enough.
There are lots of bean soups too and Risi e Bisi (Rice and Peas), a Venetian dish. It really depends on what region of Italy you are in, but you should be able to find many vegetarian soup options.
Vegetable dishes (contorni) are a side dish that you order separately, but that is served with the dinner and though often shared do not have to be shared. Roast potatoes with olive oil is a common entree, and so good!
If you eat at a pizzeria, you'll see a huge variety of toppings, including several delightful vegetable options that you don't see in the U.S. - eggplant, zucchini, zucchini blossoms.
Breakfast you may have to stay with cereals and other grains and fresh fruit, try some nut butters for protein. Italy has hazelnut and almonds that sell all over the world, they should be easy to find.
Joan
The italians know how to treat a vegetable until it sings. My trip to Italy totally changed how I think about vegetables. They often offer a plate of room temperature mixed vegetables which are roasted or grilled and drizzled with olive oil and often seasoned with fresh herbs. There are many sandwich options and also a number of pasta dishes that are delicious. The simplest of these is the aglio olio e pepperoncino - oil, garlic and chili flakes. Then you can add other things such as cheese, tuna, eggs, or vegetables. Pizza is easy to find with all kinds of toppings. Salads are far more varied than here. Also there are a lot of soups that are vegetable based. Risottos are often offered with no meat (though most have cheese). Eggplant rolatini - not the heavy bombs that we often get here. There is no end to the lovely veggie dishes there. Even meat eaters can adore them. If you eat eggs, you could also ask for a frittata. And I hope you eat dairy because the sorbet is incredible.
Also there are markets where you can get excellent quality fresh fruit and vegetables - so much fresher and more delicious than is common here because they're usually local.
☺Strahovski Mondays☺
At some places,yes
At some,no
2017
no there are no vegetables in Italy. only meat