# List of Italian foods and drinks

Italian foods and drinks are the products of Italy's regional cuisines, organized here by the country's meal structure, its European protected-designation system, its principal food and drink categories, and the export and policy figures that measure their scale. [Food history](https://www.edgepedia.org/food-history) describes Italy as "a hundred cuisines and a thousand recipes," a variety that reflects a history long dominated by regionalism and political division.<sup>[1](https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.7312/capa12232/html)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Meal structure | A traditional meal runs antipasto, primo, secondo with contorno, and dolce, often followed by coffee and a digestivo; pizza sits outside the structure as a whole meal.<sup>[2](https://italyfrontier.com/about-italy/food/)</sup> |
| Protected designations | Italy holds roughly 890–900 EU geographical indications, the world's largest national total, spanning foods, wines and spirits.<sup>[3](https://www.fondazionemetes.it/nota-su-produzioni-agroalimentari-italiane-dop-igp-e-stg-2025/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://myitalia.it/themes/dop-igp)</sup> |
| Legal guarantee | DOP requires the raw material and every production stage to come from the defined region; IGP requires at least one stage there.<sup>[5](https://agriculture.ec.europa.eu/farming/geographical-indications-and-quality-schemes/geographical-indications-food-and-drink_it)</sup> |
| Wine standing | Italy is the world's largest wine producer.<sup>[6](https://www.italyheritage.com/cuisine/food/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://myitalia.it/themes/dop-igp)</sup> |
| Exports | Agri-food exports reached a record €68.5 billion in 2024, up 8.7%; wine led by value at €8.1 billion.<sup>[7](https://www.crea.gov.it/documents/68457/0/Rapporto+Commercio+estero+2024+%284%29.pdf/8977d842-dfea-9425-8646-3bd559107ede?t=1789127563004)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[8](https://www.coldiretti.it/economia/made-in-italy-coldiretti-olio-guida-crescita-export-con-45-vino-al-top-per-valore)</sup> |
| Pasta dominance | Italy produced 69% of EU pasta (4.1 million tonnes) and 77% of EU pasta exports (2.2 million tonnes) in 2024.<sup>[9](https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/w/edn-20251024-3)</sup> |
| Recent recognition | UNESCO proclaimed Italian cuisine an intangible cultural heritage of humanity, marked by the Atlante Qualivita 2026.<sup>[10](https://www.italpress.com/latlante-qualivita-2026-treccani-celebra-lingresso-della-cucina-italiana-nel-patrimonio-unesco/)</sup> |

## Overview of Italian cuisine and meal structure

A traditional Italian meal follows a set order of courses. It opens with the antipasto, continues with a primo of pasta, risotto or soup, then a secondo of meat or fish accompanied by a separately ordered vegetable contorno, and closes with a dolce, often followed by coffee and a digestivo such as amaro or limoncello.<sup>[2](https://italyfrontier.com/about-italy/food/)</sup> Courses are options rather than obligations: a typical dinner might be a primo and a secondo, or an antipasto and a pasta.<sup>[2](https://italyfrontier.com/about-italy/food/)</sup> [Pizza](https://www.edgepedia.org/pizza) sits outside this structure entirely, eaten as one large round per person as a whole meal.<sup>[2](https://italyfrontier.com/about-italy/food/)</sup>

**Regionalism is the organizing principle.** Capatti and Montanari's cultural history grounds the classification of Italian foods in regional diversity, the product of political division before unification.<sup>[1](https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.7312/capa12232/html)</sup> A dictionary of the regional cuisines documents 8,500 alphabetical entries covering typical preparations, techniques, salumi, cheeses, breads and sweets, including dialectal terms.<sup>[11](https://giunti.it/products/dizionario-delle-cucine-regionali-italiane-9788884996145)</sup> Much of Italy's culinary reputation abroad, food historians note, hinged on the world's discovery of Italian food as a distinct cuisine, and the last half century of packaging and conservation techniques reshaped both the food and how Italians thought about it.<sup>[12](https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/A/bo18013675.html)</sup>

## Protected designations and quality labels

The EU's geographical-indication regimes comprise protected designations of origin (DOP/PDO) and protected geographical indications (IGP/PGI), which protect the name of a product linked to a specific geographical area. For DOP products the raw materials must come from the region of origin, where all production stages must occur; for IGP, at least one stage of production, processing or preparation must take place in the region.<sup>[5](https://agriculture.ec.europa.eu/farming/geographical-indications-and-quality-schemes/geographical-indications-food-and-drink_it)</sup> A separate register of Traditional Specialities Guaranteed (TSG) protects traditional methods of production and recipes rather than places.<sup>[13](https://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/eambrosia/geographical-indications-register/)</sup>

EU quality legislation for DOP and IGP marks entered into force in 1992 under Regulation EEC no. 2081/1992; [Grana Padano](https://www.edgepedia.org/grana-padano) and [Prosciutto](https://www.edgepedia.org/prosciutto) di Parma were among the first Italian products to obtain European recognition under the schemes.<sup>[14](https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/scoperta-e-invenzione-della-cucina-regionale_(L'Italia-e-le-sue-Regioni)/)</sup> The Italian Ministry of Agriculture (Masaf) publishes the official list of Italian DOP and IGP agricultural products inscribed in the EU register under Article 22(1) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143, with product specifications organized by class: fresh meats, meat products, cheeses, oils and fats, fruit, vegetables and cereals, beer, chocolate, bakery products, pasta, salt and others.<sup>[15](https://www.masaf.gov.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/15453)</sup> The European Commission's eAmbrosia database is the authoritative EU-level register.<sup>[13](https://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/eambrosia/geographical-indications-register/)</sup>

**Counts differ between published sources.** One specialist count from eAmbrosia, excluding wine and oil, gives 293 food denominations, with cheeses and cured meats the largest groups.<sup>[16](https://www.italiantastemap.com/en/foods)</sup> Another reference gives 330 food products within 888 total geographical indications in 2026, comprising 174 DOP and 156 IGP foods, 522 wines and 36 spirits.<sup>[4](https://myitalia.it/themes/dop-igp)</sup> A 2025 research note reports 897 recognized products in 2024 (+41 versus 2023) out of 3,484 EU-wide, comprising 585 DOP, 272 IGP, 4 STG and 36 spirit IGs.<sup>[3](https://www.fondazionemetes.it/nota-su-produzioni-agroalimentari-italiane-dop-igp-e-stg-2025/)</sup> The differences reflect counting dates and whether wines, oils and spirits are included; the register itself is the arbiter.

## Foods by category

**Cheeses.** Parmigiano Reggiano is a DOP cheese registered in 1996, covering Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena and Bologna in [Emilia-Romagna](https://www.edgepedia.org/emilia-romagna) plus Mantova in Lombardy; it has been produced for nearly a thousand years in the provinces of Parma and [Reggio Emilia](https://www.edgepedia.org/reggio-emilia).<sup>[17](https://oleario.crea.gov.it/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Elenco_DOP_e_IGP_prodotti_agricoli_al_05.11.2025.pdf)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[18](https://sagr.it/en/prodotti)</sup> The register also lists the Pecorino family of sheep's-milk cheeses: Pecorino Romano, Pecorino Sardo, Pecorino Toscano and Pecorino di Filiano, among others.<sup>[17](https://oleario.crea.gov.it/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Elenco_DOP_e_IGP_prodotti_agricoli_al_05.11.2025.pdf)</sup>

**Salumi.** The roots of the Italian cured-meat tradition are traced to Greek ([Magna Graecia](https://www.edgepedia.org/magna-graecia)), Etruscan and Roman times.<sup>[19](https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/gastronomia_(Il-Libro-dell%27Anno)/)</sup> Guanciale, cured pork cheek, is the essential cured meat of Lazio, fundamental to the great Roman pasta dishes including carbonara and amatriciana.<sup>[18](https://sagr.it/en/prodotti)</sup>

**Pasta and rice.** Pasta di Gragnano IGP was registered in 2013.<sup>[17](https://oleario.crea.gov.it/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Elenco_DOP_e_IGP_prodotti_agricoli_al_05.11.2025.pdf)</sup> Risotto is an Italian rice dish whose main feature is the retention of starch in the grain.<sup>[6](https://www.italyheritage.com/cuisine/food/)</sup>

**Breads and bakery.** The official register lists Pane di Matera (IGP, 2008), Pane Toscano (DOP, 2016) and Panforte di Siena (IGP, 2013).<sup>[17](https://oleario.crea.gov.it/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Elenco_DOP_e_IGP_prodotti_agricoli_al_05.11.2025.pdf)</sup> [Panettone](https://www.edgepedia.org/panettone) is Milan's Christmas bread, a tall domed sourdough cake with butter, egg yolk and sultanas; Pandoro is Verona's Christmas cake with at least 20% butter and no candied fruit.<sup>[20](https://www.agrofood.it/en/foods)</sup> Torrone di Bagnara is the only Italian nougat with a European denomination, IGP since 2014.<sup>[20](https://www.agrofood.it/en/foods)</sup>

**Desserts.** Cassata siciliana is a layered Palermo cake of sponge soaked in liqueur and sweetened sheep's-milk ricotta; zeppole are Naples' feast-day pastry for [Saint Joseph](https://www.edgepedia.org/saint-joseph) on 19 March.<sup>[20](https://www.agrofood.it/en/foods)</sup> Gelato carries less fat than ice cream, 4–8% against 10–18%, and holds far less air; gelato culture is historically linked to the Sicilian Francesco Procopio de' Coltelli, credited with bringing gelato to Paris, and to Venetian gelato makers who spread it across Europe.<sup>[20](https://www.agrofood.it/en/foods)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[19](https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/gastronomia_(Il-Libro-dell%27Anno)/)</sup>

## Drinks

Italy is the world's largest wine producer and holds the widest variety of native vines; it is also the world's second largest producer and exporter of extra virgin olive oil, with the widest range of cultivars, and has the greatest diversity of cheeses.<sup>[6](https://www.italyheritage.com/cuisine/food/)</sup> Italian wines carry the DOC and DOCG designations; DOCG adds tighter yield and aging rules plus a state tasting before bottling.<sup>[4](https://myitalia.it/themes/dop-igp)</sup>

**Signature wines.** Prosecco is made from Glera grapes by the Martinotti tank method; Barolo is 100% Nebbiolo from eleven Langhe villages; Amarone is made from Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella dried on racks for 100 to 120 days.<sup>[20](https://www.agrofood.it/en/foods)</sup> Chianti Classico requires at least 80% [Sangiovese](https://www.edgepedia.org/sangiovese) from nine communes, and [Brunello di Montalcino](https://www.edgepedia.org/brunello-di-montalcino) is pure Sangiovese aged five years, at least two of them in oak.<sup>[20](https://www.agrofood.it/en/foods)</sup> Marsala DOC is listed among Sicily's regional products.<sup>[21](https://www.conad.it/consigli/cucina/tradizionale-italiana/enogastronomia-regionale)</sup>

**Digestivi.** Amaro and limoncello close the traditional meal as digestivi.<sup>[2](https://italyfrontier.com/about-italy/food/)</sup>

## Regional highlights

Regional specialties are marked by DOP and IGP designations or listed as P.A.T. (Prodotti Agroalimentari Tradizionali), a national register of traditional products.<sup>[21](https://www.conad.it/consigli/cucina/tradizionale-italiana/enogastronomia-regionale)</sup>

- **Emilia-Romagna**: Parmigiano Reggiano DOP, Aceto Balsamico di Modena IGP and Prosciutto di Parma; the region leads Italy with 44 protected foods.<sup>[21](https://www.conad.it/consigli/cucina/tradizionale-italiana/enogastronomia-regionale)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://italyfrontier.com/about-italy/food/)</sup>
- **Campania**: mozzarella di bufala campana DOP, pomodoro San Marzano DOP and pasta di Gragnano IGP.<sup>[21](https://www.conad.it/consigli/cucina/tradizionale-italiana/enogastronomia-regionale)</sup>
- **Piedmont**: the white truffle of Alba, Barolo and Barbaresco wines, and Nocciola Piemonte IGP.<sup>[21](https://www.conad.it/consigli/cucina/tradizionale-italiana/enogastronomia-regionale)</sup>
- **Sicily**: pistacchio di Bronte DOP, Marsala DOC and pomodoro di Pachino IGP.<sup>[21](https://www.conad.it/consigli/cucina/tradizionale-italiana/enogastronomia-regionale)</sup>
- **Veneto**: Prosecco, radicchio di Treviso IGP and rice from the Po Delta.<sup>[21](https://www.conad.it/consigli/cucina/tradizionale-italiana/enogastronomia-regionale)</sup>

Southern products such as pizza, arancini, [orecchiette](https://www.edgepedia.org/orecchiette) pugliesi and culurgiones sardi are described as symbols of Italian gastronomy worldwide.<sup>[21](https://www.conad.it/consigli/cucina/tradizionale-italiana/enogastronomia-regionale)</sup>

## By the numbers

Italian agri-food exports reached a record value of €68.5 billion in 2024, up 8.7% year on year, while imports also hit a record of €67.2 billion.<sup>[7](https://www.crea.gov.it/documents/68457/0/Rapporto+Commercio+estero+2024+%284%29.pdf/8977d842-dfea-9425-8646-3bd559107ede?t=1789127563004)</sup> Wine is the top export by value at €8.1 billion, followed by fresh produce (€6.5 billion), processed produce (€5.7 billion), cheeses (€5.4 billion), pasta (€4.3 billion), olive oil (€2.5 billion), cured meats (€2.3 billion) and fish (€1 billion); olive oil led export growth with a 45% increase.<sup>[8](https://www.coldiretti.it/economia/made-in-italy-coldiretti-olio-guida-crescita-export-con-45-vino-al-top-per-valore)</sup> By category, beverages account for €12.3 billion (18.2% of exports), pasta, rice and bakery €9.1 billion (13.5%), and oils, fats and condiments €6.7 billion (10%).<sup>[22](https://www.esteri.it/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/INFOGRAFICA_AGROFOOD.pdf)</sup>

**Pasta is the clearest case of scale.** EU countries produced 6.0 million tonnes of pasta worth €9.1 billion in 2024; Italy produced 69% of it, 4.1 million tonnes, ahead of Spain (6%) and Germany (5%), and exported 2.2 million tonnes, 77% of all EU pasta exports.<sup>[9](https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/w/edn-20251024-3)</sup>

**Protected-designation economics.** The DOP/IGP food sector, covering 331 registered denominations, reached €9.64 billion in 2024, up 7.7% on 2023 and 48% on 2014; exports of DOP/IGP foods exceeded €5 billion for the first time, up 12.7% on 2023.<sup>[3](https://www.fondazionemetes.it/nota-su-produzioni-agroalimentari-italiane-dop-igp-e-stg-2025/)</sup> Bottled DOP/IGP wine production was 25.6 million hectolitres in 2024, and IG wine exports exceeded €7 billion for the first time.<sup>[3](https://www.fondazionemetes.it/nota-su-produzioni-agroalimentari-italiane-dop-igp-e-stg-2025/)</sup> In Italian retail, DOP products were the top geographical indication by sales value in the 12 months to June 2024 at over €723 million, the only GI with both volume (+2.1%) and value (+3.5%) growth; DOC-labeled wines (2,282 labels) generated almost €538 million and DOCG wines (989 labels) over €304 million.<sup>[23](https://greatitalianfoodtrade.it/en/news-b/food-consumption-in-italy-in-the-16th-edition-of-the-observatory-i-imagine/)</sup> [Individual](https://www.edgepedia.org/individual) products reach large figures: Parmigiano Reggiano turned over €3.96 billion in 2025, and Aceto Balsamico di Modena IGP runs to 93–95 million liters a year, more than 93% exported to over 130 countries.<sup>[4](https://myitalia.it/themes/dop-igp)</sup>

## What has changed since 2023

UNESCO proclaimed [Italian cuisine](https://www.edgepedia.org/italian-cuisine) an intangible cultural heritage of humanity, and the Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana Treccani and the Fondazione Qualivita marked it with the Atlante Qualivita 2026, an 1,088-page work with 897 product sheets, 11 new products, 507 updated sheets and 18 UNESCO heritage sheets.<sup>[10](https://www.italpress.com/latlante-qualivita-2026-treccani-celebra-lingresso-della-cucina-italiana-nel-patrimonio-unesco/)</sup> The register itself has grown: 897 recognized products in 2024, 41 more than in 2023.<sup>[3](https://www.fondazionemetes.it/nota-su-produzioni-agroalimentari-italiane-dop-igp-e-stg-2025/)</sup> A Basilicata strawberry IGP was registered in 2025.<sup>[4](https://myitalia.it/themes/dop-igp)</sup> The governing register regulation is now Regulation (EU) 2024/1143, under which the ministry publishes its official list.<sup>[15](https://www.masaf.gov.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/15453)</sup>

## Italian food in global culture and authenticity debates

Italian cuisine worldwide comprises at least 100,000 restaurants, excluding pizzerias, according to Treccani's survey of globalization.<sup>[19](https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/gastronomia_(Il-Libro-dell%27Anno)/)</sup> Pasta and pizza are identified as the emblematic tastes that characterize Italian cuisine abroad and shape a globalized taste.<sup>[19](https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/gastronomia_(Il-Libro-dell%27Anno)/)</sup> Treccani also identifies a widespread "false Italian cuisine" abroad built on imitation products such as non-durum-wheat spaghetti, generic parmesan-style cheeses and balsamic-flavored condiments.<sup>[19](https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/gastronomia_(Il-Libro-dell%27Anno)/)</sup>

**Disputed origins.** Tiramisù, described as the most famous Italian dessert worldwide, was born in Veneto in the 1960s–70s, though its origins are disputed.<sup>[18](https://sagr.it/en/prodotti)</sup>

## References

1. [Italian Cuisine: A Cultural History (Capatti & Montanari), De Gruyter](https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.7312/capa12232/html)
2. [Italian Food & Drink: Regional Dishes, Coffee & Wine, Italy Frontier](https://italyfrontier.com/about-italy/food/)
3. [Nota su Produzioni agroalimentari italiane DOP, IGP e STG – 2025, Fondazione Metes](https://www.fondazionemetes.it/nota-su-produzioni-agroalimentari-italiane-dop-igp-e-stg-2025/)
4. [DOP and IGP in Italy: 888 names, and what they mean, MyItalia](https://myitalia.it/themes/dop-igp)
5. [Indicazioni geografiche per alimenti e bevande, European Commission](https://agriculture.ec.europa.eu/farming/geographical-indications-and-quality-schemes/geographical-indications-food-and-drink_it)
6. [Typical Italian Foods and Drinks, Italy Heritage](https://www.italyheritage.com/cuisine/food/)
7. [Rapporto Commercio estero 2024, CREA](https://www.crea.gov.it/documents/68457/0/Rapporto+Commercio+estero+2024+%284%29.pdf/8977d842-dfea-9425-8646-3bd559107ede?t=1789127563004)
8. [Made in Italy: olio guida crescita export con +45%, vino al top per valore, Coldiretti](https://www.coldiretti.it/economia/made-in-italy-coldiretti-olio-guida-crescita-export-con-45-vino-al-top-per-valore)
9. [Italy unmatched in pasta production and exports, Eurostat](https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/w/edn-20251024-3)
10. [L'Atlante Qualivita 2026 Treccani celebra l'ingresso della cucina italiana nel Patrimonio Unesco, Italpress](https://www.italpress.com/latlante-qualivita-2026-treccani-celebra-lingresso-della-cucina-italiana-nel-patrimonio-unesco/)
11. [Dizionario delle cucine regionali italiane, Giunti](https://giunti.it/products/dizionario-delle-cucine-regionali-italiane-9788884996145)
12. [Al Dente: A History of Food in Italy (Parasecoli), University of Chicago Press](https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/A/bo18013675.html)
13. [eAmbrosia – Union register of geographical indications, European Commission](https://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/eambrosia/geographical-indications-register/)
14. [Scoperta e invenzione della cucina regionale, Treccani](https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/scoperta-e-invenzione-della-cucina-regionale_(L'Italia-e-le-sue-Regioni)/)
15. [Elenco e disciplinari DOP e IGP prodotti agricoli, Masaf](https://www.masaf.gov.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/15453)
16. [Italian food DOP & IGP: all 293 protected products, Italian Taste Map](https://www.italiantastemap.com/en/foods)
17. [Elenco DOP e IGP prodotti agricoli (aggiornato al 5 novembre 2025), CREA](https://oleario.crea.gov.it/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Elenco_DOP_e_IGP_prodotti_agricoli_al_05.11.2025.pdf)
18. [Italian local products, Sagr.it](https://sagr.it/en/prodotti)
19. [Gastronomia, Treccani, Libro dell'Anno](https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/gastronomia_(Il-Libro-dell%27Anno)/)
20. [Italian foods explained: the complete index, Agrofood.it](https://www.agrofood.it/en/foods)
21. [I tesori dell'enogastronomia regionale, Conad](https://www.conad.it/consigli/cucina/tradizionale-italiana/enogastronomia-regionale)
22. [Il sapore dell'Italia nel mondo, Ministero degli Esteri infographic](https://www.esteri.it/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/INFOGRAFICA_AGROFOOD.pdf)
23. [Food consumption in Italy – Immagino Observatory XVI ed., Great Italian Food Trade](https://greatitalianfoodtrade.it/en/news-b/food-consumption-in-italy-in-the-16th-edition-of-the-observatory-i-imagine/)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Food, customs, and everyday culture › Food, cooking and hospitality › Dishes, foods, and foodstuffs*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*

*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*

License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license