Italian meal structure

Italian meal structure is typical of the European Mediterranean region and differs from that of Northern, Central, and Eastern Europe, although it still often consists of breakfast (colazione), lunch (pranzo), and supper (cena).

If the breakfast is consumed at home, it consists of coffee (espresso or prepared with a moka pot), milk or caffè latte accompanied by baked goods such as biscuits, for example shortbread, or by slices of bread spread with butter and jam or with honey or gianduja cream, made with chocolate and hazelnuts.

[14][15] Much less frequent, but not completely unusual, is the savory breakfast (although much lighter and frugal than other European savory breakfasts), often consisting of focaccia (of different types and depending on the region) or even just toasted homemade bread seasoned with extra virgin olive oil, tomato or sliced salami.

Meals, particularly lunch, are generally concluded with a cup of espresso or coffee prepared with a caffè moka, sometimes followed by the so-called ammazzacaffè, consisting of a glass of local liqueur, bitter or sweet (of which there is wide choice).

It is usually a light meal, consisting of panini or tramezzini, fruit alone or bread and jam, if not a dessert and, in summer, possibly gelato.

[37][38] Unlike lunch, supper, when consumed among close family members, does not necessarily include a first course based on starchy foods (such as pasta or polenta) or cereals (such as rice), so sometimes supper consists of the equivalent of a second course (a meat or fish-based preparation), with or without a side dish, or a single dish, such as a soup or a light soup, and including bread.