A little bit of oregano and a lot of love

Rishabh Sharma

“Pizza!” a word which can fill one’s heart with joy, mouth with water and mind with hunger. A dish, which is so insanely tempting that one can never hesitate from taking a bite even at 3 am in the morning. Such is the love that we have for Italian delicacies. 

“When you eat it, you can taste each and every flavour of the dish inside your mouth, playing jazz for your soul,” says Marta Ramirez, the owner of café Casa Bella Vista, Sector 10, Chandigarh. Italian cuisine, which is about 2000 years old, is till date enjoyed by both young and the older generation around the world. 

Nandita Karan, the executive chef of The Lalit says, “What makes Italian so popular among the people is its fresh and fabulous taste. Its capability of filling the appetite of any individual is magnificent.” Our food loving populace of Chandigarh, similarly, holds an immense amount of love for the cuisine. “This is one cuisine which can truly make love to my taste buds,” says Dhriti Aggarwal from MCM DAV, Chandigarh and for Gurmeet and Aman from Sector 7, Panchkula, it is the only definition of celebration.

Taste and health

Italian is not only a delectable cuisine but can also prove itself to be quite healthy. In fact, it is a myth that the cuisine consists of a lot of unhealthy constituents and should be categorized as a “junk food”. The South Asian-buttery version of the cuisine might put it in a bad light at times. Cooked with a traditional technique, Italian becomes a Cordon Bleu, full of anti-oxidants, fiber, healthy fats and cheese making it apt for our cardiovascular, muscular and gut health. 

“Everything is made in the most fresh and healthy of the possible ways. Fresh veggies, olive oil, herbs and cheese are the key ingredients after all,” says Marta. “It is more of fresh vegetables, the oil is healthy and the dishes are more baked than deep fried. I think this is why Italian becomes a healthy cuisine to enjoy, though you still need to keep a track of what dishes you are having,” says dietician Payal Aggarwal from Sector 8, Chandigarh.

Some of the most visited restaurants for Italian food in the city are Casa Bella Vista, Sector 10, Chandigarh; Piccante- Hyatt Regency (Industrial Area) and Virgin Courtyard. The cheese-dripping tales of this beautiful cuisine are endless, but one thing is certain, that it would have been really sad if we did not have such palatable cuisines to fill our tables with.