White Meat

Meat only arrived in Italian kitchens with the coming of the Barbarians. Meanwhile, the ancient Romans learnt how to cook it from the Francs, especially pork, which soon held a place of honour at the banquets of the roman emperors. However, the first animals to be reared were sheep, even if for a long time it was just for their hides, milk, wool, and poultry, for their eggs and feathers. The meat of these animals was only appreciated much later on. From the medieval period onwards, eating meat became the privilege of nobles and the aristocracy, while it was a food for feast days for the ordinary folk until the economic boom of the 1960s.


THE RECIPES

White meat, depending on the culture, includes mutton, pork, poultry and veal, distinctions which derived historically from the colour. From a nutritional standpoint, white meat is lighter and leaner, richer in protein, vitamins B and precious minerals. To enhance its delicate taste, iCook Italian proposes 40 recipes which have been chosen from the many typical regional dishes the Belpaese has to offer, or borne from the ideas of creative chefs. These are recipes which are very often tied to particular feast days and celebrations, particularly when it comes to lamb and kid, which are a must for every Easter menu, capon, which is always present on the Christmas table, or pig, at Carnival. These 40 ways of appreciating this type of meat are accompanied by expert advice on how to enhance their taste with the right wine.