You can’t go to Italy, but you can bring Italian food into your home.
Italian takeaways can be your portal to every corner of the country – whether to Abruzzo through meat dishes and cheeses, Basilicata with the lagane and chickpeas, or Emilia Romagna with the tortellini or cappelletti. Each region uses different ingredients, giving it a unique but undeniably Italian identity.
What is your favourite Italian food? Take your pick from some of the most popular Italian takeaways in the UK.
Margherita Pizza
If you want to talk about Italian food, you have to start with Margherita Pizza, with its signature tomato, mozzarella, and basil toppings. This dish is deeply ingrained in Italy’s history and is the epitome of its culture.
It was good enough for the queen way back in 1889. Today, it satisfies the cravings of people from all walks of life. Get a slice of Italian life with the Margherita Pizza the next time you order!
Bruschetta
Bruschetta offers a classic way to start an Italian meal. The basic version consists of grilled bread rubbed with garlic, topped with olive oil, and sprinkled with salt. The iteration you are probably familiar with include toppings of tomato, some veggies, beans, cheese, and cured meat.
Whichever form of the bruschetta you prefer, your favourite takeaway restaurant got you covered.
Pasta Carbonara
The pasta carbonara has white sauce, so why is it named after “carbon” or coal?
In the old days, pasta carbonara was very popular among coal miners. They enjoyed the original version, which had guanciale or pig’s cheek. Today, pig’s cheek is not readily available, so it has been replaced with bacon.
Lasagna
Lasagna is made from layers of flat pasta stacked by turns with different fillings, including ground meat, tomato sauce, vegetables, and cheese. The dish is usually topped with mozzarella cheese and seasoned with garlic, basil, and oregano.
Lasagna’s roots can be traced back to Naples, the birthplace of pizza. Its earliest version was created as far back as the early 14th century, but it bears some resemblance to the traditional form that we all know and love now.
Tiramisu
You have your appetizer and main dishes, now let’s do desserts with the tiramisu – a coffee-flavoured Italian dessert made from ladyfingers or savoiardi layered with a mixture of eggs, mascarpone cheese, sugar, and cocoa.
Tiramisu literally means pick-me-up, which can be attributed to the caffeine in its recipe. If you are looking for a delightful way to kick things up a notch, order this Italian dessert now.
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Spaghetti and meatballs were not originally prepared in Italy, but it was created by Italian immigrants who migrated to the US in the 1880s. It bears much resemblance to the maccheroni alla chitarra con polpette, which is a native Italian dish.
The US had a more plentiful meat supply than Italy at the time, so the American-Italian version of the dish has bigger meatballs. The UK had its own take by the late 1960s with the spaghetti Bolognese.
There are many more Italian takeaways that we could not fit in this list but bear mentioning, like the garlic bread, ravioli, tortellini, and baked ziti. Each one of them offers a different culinary experience and a glimpse of various parts of the beautiful southern European country.
