Each culture has its own dining etiquette. For example, many Southeast Asian countries like to eat food with their bare hands, whilst in Japan, the loud slurping of noodles enhances its flavour and aroma and means you are enjoying the food. Slurping your pasta loudly in the best Italian restaurants in Singapore can be discourteous.

Perhaps, Italians are the most sensitive when it comes to preparing Italian food and dining etiquette. It is not just breaking the pasta to fit in the pan or adding pineapple to the pizza. Other interesting things surround food preparation and dining etiquette among Italians.

Before you even go to Italy, practise your etiquette at the best Italian restaurants and brunch places in Singapore first.

6 Things You Should Never Do In Italian Restaurants

Many of the foods we eat today have Italian origins, such as pizza, pasta, carbonara, spaghetti, risotto, and lasagne. Many of us have put our own twist, version, and fusion to these dishes to fit our taste.

If you want the authentic taste of these dishes, you might want to visit the best Italian restaurants in Singapore. But before you do, you must remember these things first:

1. Never order a cappuccino with lunch and dinner

Perhaps, when you go to Starbucks, you can order a cappuccino before and after 11 AM, but never dare in the best Italian cafe in Singapore. Why? Italians consider cappuccino a breakfast drink, although today, some Italian restaurants are a bit lax with this rule.

But it is still a sacrilege for them to order a cappuccino with lunch and dinner. Generally, it is just a terrible combination, even for coffee lovers. Any coffee with milk, such as cappuccino and latte, is for breakfast or afternoon. Espressos, on the other hand, are for after meals.

2. Never ask for Parmigiano for fish, seafood, pizza, and salad

Parmigiano-Reggiano is a type of cheese that comes from cow’s milk. Cheese coming from cows raised in PianuraPadana, including Parma, Modena, Reggio Emilia, and some areas in Bologna and Mantua regions in Italy are the only ones that should be called Parmigiano-Reggiano.

So, is parmesan cheese the same as Parmigiano-Reggiano? Parmesan is the accepted English translation of Parmigiano-Reggiano; however, parmesan cheese made outside the mentioned regions is not considered Parmigiano-Reggiano.

The rule is similar to Champagne. Sparkling wines made in Champagne, France gained the name Champagne, whilst sparkling wines made outside the region are just sparkling wines in many other labels.

Going back, why should you not ask for Parmigiano-Reggiano for your meals with fish and seafood or pizza and salad? Parmigiano-Reggiano never goes with your fish and seafood, even if they are pasta! Italians also prefer mozzarella and burrata on their pizza.

So never ask for parmesan cheese in pizzerias or Italian brunch places in Singapore.

3. Never pair the wine with the wrong dish.

There are two beverages Italians only drink during meals: wine and water. As mentioned, you cannot drink your cappuccino with lunch and dinner, but you can ask for a beer or soda when eating pizza.

Italians also have some rules with their wines. For example, the rule of thumb is red wine is for red meat, such as beef and lamb. Red wines are served at room temperature. On the other hand, white wine is for fish, seafood, and white meat, such as turkey and chicken. The best Italian restaurants in Singapore must serve white wine chilled.

4. Never eat bread with pasta.

Are you one of those people who like to eat garlic bread with spaghetti or carbonara? Well, you should avoid it when having a meal at Italian brunch places in Singapore.

Bread and pasta are both starches, so you are basically eating carbs on carbs! When is it appropriate to eat bread? You can eat bread with a non-pasta dish, such as soup, meat, and a vegetable side dish.

It is also a sin to ask for butter for your bread, although some restaurants may give you olive oil.

However, you can order both bread and pasta but not eat them at the same time. You can only eat the bread once you finish your pasta. You can tear the bread into bite-size pieces, scrape or mop the pasta sauce off the plate and eat it. This Italian practice is called fare La Scarpetta.

5. Never eat savoury during breakfast.

If you are used to eating the best chicken rice in Singapore for breakfast, you might miss it if you decide to have your morning meal in an Italian restaurant.

Italians prefer a sweet breakfast. It means you may not see bacon and eggs in Italy in the mornings. Usually, they eat bread, butter and jam, Italian croissants, Ciambellaor Italian doughnuts, and breakfast cereals and biscuits.

They also love to pair their sweet breakfast with coffee, cappuccino, latte macchiato, latte e cacao or chocolate milk, and tea.

But in the northern part of Italy, savoury breakfast is accepted. They usually prepare charcuteries and slices of cheese in the morning.

As you noticed, most breakfast meals are not cooked in the morning but rather freshly baked from the bakery. So order a warm slice of bread from the best Italian cafe in Singapore for breakfast.

6. Never eat pizza with utensils.

Well, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Pizza in Italy should be eaten immediately fresh from the oven. It is why there is no take-out in pizzerias in Italy; you should eat them inside.

Obviously, you cannot eat pizza immediately when it is still hot. Only this time, you can use utensils to eat the piping-hot pizza. Once the pizza has cooled down, you can now eat the pizza with your hands. But remember, Italians prefer eating pizza with their hands.

Italians also fold their pizza slices when they eat. Pizza Napoletana tends to have a soggy centre due to packed toppings. Folding it makes eating much easier, like eating a sandwich on the go. So remember these rules when eating pizza at the best Italian restaurants in Singapore.

Conclusion

You can enjoy your Italian food if you eat just like the locals! These rules might be too hard to memorise, but after a few practices in Italian brunch places in Singapore, you will get used to them.

Burpple

Find the best Italian restaurants in Singapore at Burpple. Visit Burpple today.