Breakfast is called colazione in Italy. Most people eat something light between 7 and 9 a.m. Children will have warm milk and cereal or cookies. Adults will have espresso or macchiato, which is espresso with a “stain” of milk. They often dip some biscotti (cookies) in the espresso or have a sweet like a sfogliatella pastry. They may also have toast with jam.
Around 10 or 11 a.m., some people take a break for a spuntino or snack. Italians do not snack like Americans do. They don’t have cupboards full of granola bars, chips, or the kinds of treats that are the stuff of American legend.
But they might have a piece of cheese or some fruit and yogurt at this time. They are particularly careful to provide this sort of snack to the elderly or ill. Back in the day, when my grandfather was working the land in the mountains, he and his fellow workers would stop and have pane e pomodori (bread and tomatoes) with olive oil and salt or some sort of sandwich. They needed to refuel to get through the rest of…
