If You Get Bread At A Restaurant In Italy, Prepare For Some Culture Shock

Italy is known for its high fashion, beautiful sights, and — perhaps most of all — incredible eats (topped off with some grappa after a delicious supper). Off the beaten path in major Italian cities, you will find restaurants where the menus are handwritten and the locals dine on seasonal fare, enjoying whatever is fresh from the market. And the bread — oh, the bread. It's often much less salty than in the United States (especially in the central parts of the country), but there is no beating a few pieces from a freshly baked loaf with your meal. However, there is one definite difference between how Italians eat bread with dinner and how Americans do.

When you sit down to dine and they bring out a basket of bread, don't expect anything to dip it in like olive oil or balsamic vinegar. Nor should you expect anything to spread on it like butter. The reason is that bread in Italy is meant to be consumed as an integral part of the meal, not as an appetizer or pre-dinner snack like in America. After all, the Italians reason, why would you want to stuff yourself with bread when you have a beautiful meal coming out of the kitchen shortly?

Believe it or not, there are also rules about when to eat the bread in Italy after your food has arrived at the table. A good rule of thumb? No carb-on-carb crime, meaning don't eat your bread in the same course as your pasta (but do eat your pasta like the Italians do). Instead, eat bread with your soup or your non-starchy antipasto, which could consist of meats and cheeses, vegetables, or nuts and fruit. You can also dig into the bread basket while you eat your main protein, be it meat or seafood (Italy could use a hand eating the invasive blue crab species).

Alternatively, you can eat your bread after you've finished your pasta. Use it to mop up all that yummy leftover sauce on your plate. This practice is called "fare la scarpetta," or "make a little shoe" — your bread gets turned into the "little shoe" or vessel for the sauce to be brought to your mouth. However, it's not necessarily a good idea to do this in fancy, upscale restaurants. It's best for informal dining. A good way to know what's socially acceptable in your situation abroad? Look around, and if you see other diners making the little shoe, then go right ahead.