#SimplyCracked Holiday Inspiration: Italy

Summer is coming and to help get you in the holiday mood, we are sharing some great recipes as well as interesting facts from some of the top holiday destinations visited from the UK.

So far we’ve visited Spain, France and Portugal and now we’re saying Viva Italia! As usual we’ll kick off with a few things you may not know about our destination.

Let’s start with the foodie facts… Did you know that …

• Fourteen billion espressos are drunk in Italy each year. You can drink espresso at any time of day in Italy, but it’s an unspoken rule that you don’t order Cappuccino after 11am.
• A full Italian meal is normally divided into an antipasto (a salad or appetizer), a primo (pasta, rice, or soup), a secondo (meat-based dish) and its contorni (side dishes), followed by cheese and dessert. No one could ever say the Italians don’t know how to enjoy food!
• The Battle of the Oranges is Italy’s biggest food fight. It marks the end of the Ivrea’s Carnival and has been held every year since 1947. It involves one town, nine teams, and three tons of citrus (as well as we guess a lot of cleaning up afterwards!)

Other fun facts about Italy you may not know ….

• Rome is over 2,000 years old – it was founded in 753 BC.
• The word ‘Italy’ actually means “Land Of Calves”: the pre-Roman civilization (the Oscans) called it víteliú which translates to “Land of Calves.”
• The Vatican City is the world’s smallest country at just 1,000 acres

Now you’re in a Italian mood, it’s time for Pizza!!! We have a great new plant based Italian BBQ Walnut ‘Mince’ Pizza recipe for you to try so you can bring the taste of Italy to your home.