Balsamic Vinegar- I am especially fond of salads, and this is the key ingredient. I would rather have my salad with balsamic vinegar alone than olive oil. I could down it by the shot

Olive Oil- Mixed with balsamic vinegar, it is the best thing to ever happen to romaine lettuce. Or mix them and put on a platter for dipping bread

Tomatoes- I am fond of them, but not as much as the other two

Balsamic vinegar--not witnessed a whole lot in Italy compared to here. (The Baltic sea is damn near or over the arctic circle).

Tomatoes--New world fruit, but understated in the best true Italian fashion.

Olive Oil--pervades most of the Mediterranean and is no more Italian than Greek, Spanish or Palestinian.

Ergo, given that pasta seems to be Asian in provence, the best Italian food is either:
1) Potato gnocchi or
2) Sundry offal (aweful?) offerings (really big in working class Rome).

Right, time to put an end to this debate.

My wife is Italian – a real one-, as is my roommate and a large section of my friends. I spend at the least two weeks in Italy every year.

The only ingredient that is worth mentioning is olive oil; as mentioned above, all else is superfluous. I’ve seen Italians boil up some pasta drizzle it with some super high-quality olive oil and down the lot without looking up once.

Garlic, basil, tomatoes are important, but all totally useless without olive oil.

The oil of the olive, she is the life.

Oh yes, man! you're so right!!
Olive oil is something every Italian misses when travelling abroad. Hey, no jokes about that
I know there are idiots who expect to eat "spaghetti alla bolognese" in the middle of Kazakhstan... but that's another story

It's also a good lubricant for the ladies.

Gramsci wrote:It's also a good lubricant for the ladies.

WTF?

You actually went there?

Well, no. But I've heard rumours. But Italian and especially Spanish girls have a reputation for... well, I better not say.

Gramsci wrote:Well, no. But I've heard rumours. But Italian and especially Spanish girls have a reputation for...

Basting their vaginas?

Isn't your lady Italian?

Does she baste her flower?

Rimbaud III wrote:

Gramsci wrote:Well, no. But I've heard rumours. But Italian and especially Spanish girls have a reputation for...

Basting their vaginas?

Isn't your lady Italian?

Does she baste her flower?

No

Yes

No

When I was in ristorante' school, we had an extra-virgin olive oil tasting. If you are talking olive oil, you must start with extra virgin.