title: Rio (2011 film)

text: In April 2011, Oreo announced its special edition Oreo cookies with blue cream in promotion of the film. The promotion included stickers inside each package of cookies. Two types of contest were also announced: first, by completing an album of stickers, consumers could win three movie passes and medium snack bar combos; second, by finding winning stickers in packages with prizes including a trip to Rio de Janeiro, backpacks, cinema passes for a year, and 3D glasses. The promotion ended on May 30, 2011. The promotion is available in Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia.


title: Rio (2011 film)

text: On January 27, 2011, Rovio Mobile announced a partnership with 20th Century Fox to promote the film. The game "Angry Birds Rio" was released in March 2011 on the Android Market and the Apple App Store with 50 levels. Rovio released more levels throughout 2011. With the DVD and Blu-ray release, Rovio and 20th Century Fox announced that they were going to start selling Rio Plush Toys in the Angry Birds Online Store and the DVD and Blu-ray comes with a code for 15 Hidden Levels, along with 3 Angry Birds Rio Videos. Also, McDonald's ran a promotion with Rio toys in their Happy Meals.


title: Rio (2011 film)

text: In February 2011, the MPAA gave the film a PG rating for "mild off-color humor". The producers, displeased by this rating, resubmitted an edited version of the film to the ratings board one month later, and the MPAA changed the film to a G rating.


title: Rio (2011 film)

text: As a tribute to the country where most of the story is set and where the director was born, "Rio" was first released for home video in Brazil, on both DVD and Blu-ray, on July 7, 2011. The North American release date was August 2, 2011, and the Australian release date was September 28, 2011. As of June 2014, a total of 12 million Blu-ray and DVD units had been sold worldwide.


title: Rio (2011 film)

text: "Rio" is available in 4 different packages: a 4-disc "Party Edition" combination package (3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital Copy), a 3-disc "Party Edition" combination package (Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital Copy), a 2-disc "Party Edition" combination package (DVD and Digital Copy), and a single disc DVD. The "Digital Copy" included with the 3-disc combination package is a separate disc that allows users to download a copy of the film to a computer through iTunes or Windows Media Player software. The 3-disc combination package also comes with an hour of bonus features.


title: Rio (2011 film)

text: "Rio" was also made available to Disney+ on April 16, 2021, but has been removed from the service as of December 2, 2021. However, it still remains in certain regions (such as New Zealand) as of December 16th, 2022.


title: Rio (2011 film)

text: A video game based on the film was released on April 12, 2011, by THQ, for the Wii, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, and the Xbox 360. Another game, starring the Angry Birds, called "Angry Birds Rio", was released in March 2011 for various mobile and desktop systems.


title: Rio (2011 film)

text: The game received mixed reception, with, for lowest to highest, Metacritic at 60 out of 100 based on 16 reviews for the Xbox 360 version, and 65 out of 100 based on 8 reviews for the PlayStation 3 version. And in GameRankings, 40.00% for the Wii version, 58.00% for the Nintendo DS version, 64.73% for the Xbox 360 version, and 71.67% for the PlayStation 3.


title: Rio (2011 film)

text: "Rio" made $143,619,809 in North America, along with $341,015,951 in other territories for a total of $484,635,760 worldwide, becoming the 13th highest-grossing film of 2011 and the 107th highest-grossing film of all time. It was the first film of 2011 to pass the $400-million mark.


title: Rio (2011 film)

text: "Rio" debuted with $39,225,962 during its opening weekend on approximately 6,400 screens at 3,826 theaters. It ranked No. 1 at the box office surpassing the other new wide release, "Scream 4", which ranked #2. This was the highest-grossing opening weekend of 2011 that far, finishing the year at sixteenth. It also scored the largest opening weekend in April for an animated feature, and the sixth largest in April overall. On its second weekend (Easter weekend) it retained first place at the box office, dropping only 33% to $26.3 million, therefore surpassing that weekend's releases, Tyler Perry's "Madea's Big Happy Family" ($25.1 million), "Water for Elephants" ($16.8 million), and "African Cats" ($6 million), which ranked second, third, and sixth, respectively. "Rio"s income of $143.6 million made it Blue Sky's second lowest box office result at the time, surpassing only "Robots", and the 18th highest-grossing film of the year in North America.


title: Rio (2011 film)

text: On its first weekend overseas (the weekend before its release in North America) it topped the box office with $54.9 million from 11,714 screens in 72 countries. On its second weekend it earned $55.4 million, still on top of the overseas box office and on its third weekend it remained at the summit of the box office, grossing an estimated $44.3 million. It therefore marked the second film that succeeded in topping the overseas box office three times in 2011, joining "Tangled", although it is the only one that did it on three consecutive weekends.


title: Rio (2011 film)

text: In Brazil, the film's main setting and Saldanha's homeland, "Rio" was the largest release ever with over 1,000 screens. Its opening weekend gross of $8.4 million was the biggest ever for an American film (surpassed one year later by ""). On its second weekend it earned $7.2 million, falling just 14% from its opening. It then delivered the highest-grossing third weekend in history with $6.3 million (a 12% decline). "Rio" finished 2011 with a final gross of $36.8 million (R$68.7 million), the second highest income of the year after "".


title: Rio (2011 film)

text: In Russia and the CIS, it topped the box office with $11.3 million during its opening weekend (including weekday previews), surpassing "Tangled" for the largest all-time opening of a non-sequel animated feature. It earned $24.7 million in total, marking the fourth largest animated film of all time. In Venezuela, it has earned $8 million, marking the second-highest-grossing film of all time behind "Ice Age 3" ($11.6 million). In Uruguay, it is the fourth highest-grossing film of all time with $754,820 after "Titanic" ($2.1 million), "Avatar" ($1.1 million), and "Ice Age 3" ($1 million). In Peru, grossing $3.8 million, it is the third-largest animated feature behind "Ice Age 3" and "Shrek Forever After", and the fourth highest-grossing film of all time behind these two and "Avatar". In India, it grossed 10,000,000 in three weeks making the biggest animated opener ever.


title: Rio (2011 film)

text: The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the film approval rating based on reviews, with an average score of . The website's consensus is: "This straightforward movie hits great heights thanks to its colorful visual palette, catchy music, and funny vocal performances." On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to 29 reviews from mainstream critics, the film has an average score of 63 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.


title: Rio (2011 film)

text: Owen Gleiberman of "Entertainment Weekly" gave the film a mixed "C" rating; he praised the animation in "Rio" and its music, but later went on to say that the film is "less a Pixar-level pleasure than a busy, frantic, and overstuffed dessert of a movie." Betsy Sharkey of the "Los Angeles Times" gave the film a positive review, praising its comic action, voices and visuals.


title: Rio (2011 film)

text: A sequel, titled "Rio 2", was released on April 11, 2014. Carlos Saldanha, the creator and director of the first film, returned as director. All the main cast, including Anne Hathaway, Jesse Eisenberg, Jemaine Clement, Jamie Foxx, will.i.am, Tracy Morgan, George Lopez, Jake T. Austin, Leslie Mann, and Rodrigo Santoro, reprised their roles. New cast includes Andy García, Bruno Mars, Kristin Chenoweth, Rita Moreno, Amandla Stenberg, Rachel Crow, Pierce Gagnon, and Natalie Morales. The sequel follows Blu, Jewel and their three kids on a venture into the Amazon where they try to live like real birds. Eventually, they find Jewel's long-lost father Eduardo, who is in hiding with a tribe of other Spix's macaw. At first everything seems perfect, but Blu is having trouble adapting to the wild. Eventually, they discover that the Amazon is under threat, and that Blu and Jewel's old nemesis, Nigel the cockatoo, is back for revenge.


title: Rio (2011 film)

text: Director Carlos Saldanha had kept the possibility for "Rio 3" open. In April 2014, he stated, "Of course, I have a lot of stories to tell, so we're [starting to] prepare for it."


title: Rio (2011 film)

text: During the promotion of "The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild", it was revealed that a third "Rio" movie was in development, with Jim Hecht writing the screenplay.


title: Rio (2011 film)

text: In October 2019, after the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney, it was reported that a spin-off centered on Nico and Pedro was in early development for Disney+. The shut down of Blue Sky Studios in 2021 left the fate of this spin-off uncertain.


title: Rio (2011 film)

text: "Rio: The 4-D Experience" is a 12-minute 4D film shown at various 4-D theatres over the world. Produced by SimEx-Iwerks, it premiered on September 27, 2013, at the San Diego Zoo 4-D Theater. Since May 24, 2014, it is being shown at the 5D Cinema at the revived Kentucky Kingdom. Since July 2014, it is being shown at the 4D Special FX Theater at Moody Gardens. And since October 25, 2014, it is being shown at the Roxy Theatre at Warner Bros. Movie World.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Italian cuisine (, ) is a Mediterranean cuisine consisting of the ingredients, recipes and cooking techniques developed across the Italian Peninsula since antiquity, and later spread around the world together with waves of Italian diaspora. Significant changes occurred with the colonization of the Americas and the introduction of potatoes, tomatoes, capsicums, maize and sugar beet — the latter introduced in quantity in the 18th century. It is one of the best-known and most appreciated gastronomies worldwide.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Italian cuisine includes deeply rooted traditions common to the whole country, as well as all the regional gastronomies, different from each other, especially between the north, the centre and the south of Italy, which are in continuous exchange. Many dishes that were once regional have proliferated with variations throughout the country. Italian cuisine offers an abundance of taste, and is one of the most popular and copied around the world. The cuisine has influenced several other cuisines around the world, chiefly that of the United States.


title: Italian cuisine

text: One of the main characteristics of Italian cuisine is its simplicity, with many dishes made up of few ingredients, and therefore Italian cooks often rely on the quality of the ingredients, rather than the complexity of preparation. Italian cuisine is at the origin of a turnover of more than €200 billion worldwide. The most popular dishes and recipes, over the centuries, have often been created by ordinary people more so than by chefs, which is why many Italian recipes are suitable for home and daily cooking, respecting regional specificities, privileging only raw materials and ingredients from the region of origin of the dish and preserving its seasonality.


title: Italian cuisine

text: The Mediterranean diet forms the basis of Italian cuisine, rich in pasta, fish, fruits and vegetables. Cheese, cold cuts and wine are central to Italian cuisine, and along with pizza and coffee (especially espresso) form part of Italian gastronomic culture. Desserts have a long tradition of merging local flavours such as citrus fruits, pistachio and almonds with sweet cheeses like mascarpone and ricotta or exotic tastes as cocoa, vanilla and cinnamon. Gelato, tiramisù and cassata are among the most famous examples of Italian desserts, cakes and patisserie. Italian cuisine relies heavily on traditional products; the country has a large number of traditional specialities protected under EU law. Italy is the world's largest producer of wine, as well as the country with the widest variety of indigenous grapevine varieties in the world.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Italian cuisine has developed over the centuries. Although the country known as Italy did not unite until the 19th century, the cuisine can claim traceable roots as far back as the 4th century BC. Food and culture were very important at that time evident from the cookbook (Apicius) which dates to the first century BC. Through the centuries, neighbouring regions, conquerors, high-profile chefs, political upheaval, and the discovery of the New World have influenced its development. Italian cuisine started to form after the fall of the Roman Empire when different cities began to separate and form their own traditions. Many different types of bread and pasta were made, and there was a variation in cooking techniques and preparation.


title: Italian cuisine

text: The country was then split for a long time and influenced by surrounding countries such as Spain, France and others in Central Europe. Trade and the location on the Silk Road with its routes to Asia also influenced the local development of special dishes. Due to the climatic conditions and the different proximity to the sea, different basic foods and spices were available from region to region. Regional cuisine is represented by some of the major cities in Italy. For example, Milan (in the north of Italy) is known for "risottos", Trieste (in the northeast of Italy) is known for multicultural food, Bologna (in the centre of Italy) is known for its "tortellini", and Naples (in the south of Italy) is famous for its pizzas. Spaghetti for example is believed to have spread across Africa to Sicily and then on to Naples.


title: Italian cuisine

text: The first known Italian food writer was a Greek Sicilian named Archestratus from Syracuse in the 4th century BC. He wrote a poem that spoke of using "top quality and seasonal" ingredients. He said that flavours should not be masked by spices, herbs or other seasonings. He placed importance on simple preparation of fish.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Simplicity was abandoned and replaced by a culture of gastronomy as the Roman Empire developed. By the time "De re coquinaria" was published in the 1st century AD, it contained 470 recipes calling for heavy use of spices and herbs. The Romans employed Greek bakers to produce breads and imported cheeses from Sicily as the Sicilians had a reputation as the best cheesemakers. The Romans reared goats for butchering, and grew artichokes and leeks.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Arabs invaded Sicily in the 9th century, introducing spinach, almonds, and rice. During the 12th century, a Norman king surveyed Sicily and saw people making long strings made from flour and water called , which eventually became , a term still used for spaghetti in southern Italy. Normans also introduced the casserole, salt cod (baccalà), and stockfish, all of which remain popular.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Food preservation was either chemical or physical, as refrigeration did not exist. Meats and fish were smoked, dried, or kept on ice. Brine and salt were used to pickle items such as herring, and to cure pork. Root vegetables were preserved in brine after they had been parboiled. Other means of preservation included oil, vinegar, or immersing meat in congealed, rendered fat. For preserving fruits, liquor, honey, and sugar were used.


title: Italian cuisine

text: The oldest Italian book on cuisine is the 13th century "Liber de coquina" () written in Naples. Dishes include "Roman-style" cabbage (), which were "small leaves" prepared in the "Campanian manner", a bean dish from the Marca di Trevisio, a , , dishes similar to dishes the modern day. Two other books from the 14th century include recipes for Roman , Lasagna pie, and call for the use of salt from Sardinia or Chioggia.


title: Italian cuisine

text: In the 15th century, Maestro Martino was chef to the Patriarch of Aquileia at the Vatican. His "Libro de arte coquinaria" () describes a more refined and elegant cuisine. His book contains a recipe for , made by wrapping dough around a thin iron rod to dry in the sun. The macaroni was cooked in capon stock flavored with saffron, displaying Persian influences. Martino noted avoidance of excessive spices in favour of fresh herbs. The Roman recipes include (air-dried salami) and cabbage dishes. His Florentine dishes include eggs with , and Genoese recipes such as (sweets), macaroni, squash, mushrooms, and spinach pie with onions.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Martino's text was included in a 1475 book by Bartolomeo Platina printed in Venice entitled "De honesta voluptate et valetudine" (). Platina puts Martino's "Libro" in regional context, writing about perch from Lake Maggiore, sardines from Lake Garda, grayling from Adda, hens from Padua, olives from Bologna and Piceno, turbot from Ravenna, rudd from Lake Trasimeno, carrots from Viterbo, bass from the Tiber, and shad from Lake Albano, snails from Rieti, figs from Tuscolo, grapes from Narni, oil from Cassino, oranges from Naples and eels from Campania. Grains from Lombardy and Campania are mentioned as is honey from Sicily and Taranto. Wine from the Ligurian coast, Greco from Tuscany and San Severino, and Trebbiano from Tuscany and Piceno are also mentioned in the book.


title: Italian cuisine

text: The courts of Florence, Rome, Venice, and Ferrara were central to the cuisine. Cristoforo di Messisbugo, steward to Ippolito d'Este, published "Banchetti Composizioni di Vivande" () in 1549. Messisbugo gives recipes for pies and tarts (containing 124 recipes with various fillings). The work emphasizes the use of Eastern spices and sugar.


title: Italian cuisine

text: In 1570, Bartolomeo Scappi, personal chef to Pope Pius V, wrote his "Opera" () in five volumes, giving a comprehensive view of Italian cooking of that period. It contains over 1,000 recipes, with information on banquets including displays and menus as well as illustrations of kitchen and table utensils. This book differs from most books written for the royal courts in its preference for domestic animals and courtyard birds rather than game.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Recipes include lesser cuts of meats such as tongue, head, and shoulder. The third volume has recipes for fish in Lent. These fish recipes are simple, including poaching, broiling, grilling, and frying after marination.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Particular attention is given to seasons and places where fish should be caught. The final volume includes pies, tarts, fritters, and a recipe for a sweet Neapolitan pizza (not the current savoury version, as tomatoes had not yet been introduced to Italy). However, such items from the New World as corn (maize) and turkey are included.


title: Italian cuisine

text: In the first decade of the 17th century, Giacomo Castelvetro wrote "Breve Racconto di Tutte le Radici di Tutte l'Herbe et di Tutti i Frutti" (), translated into English by Gillian Riley. Originally from Modena, Castelvetro moved to England because he was a Protestant. The book lists Italian vegetables and fruits along with their preparation. He featured vegetables as a central part of the meal, not just as accompaniments. Castelvetro favoured simmering vegetables in salted water and serving them warm or cold with olive oil, salt, fresh ground pepper, lemon juice, verjus, or orange juice. He also suggested roasting vegetables wrapped in damp paper over charcoal or embers with a drizzle of olive oil. Castelvetro's book is separated into seasons with hop shoots in the spring and truffles in the winter, detailing the use of pigs in the search for truffles.


title: Italian cuisine

text: In 1662, Bartolomeo Stefani, chef to the Duchy of Mantua, published "L'Arte di Ben Cucinare" (). He was the first to offer a section on (). The book described a banquet given by Duke Charles for Queen Christina of Sweden, with details of the food and table settings for each guest, including a knife, fork, spoon, glass, a plate (instead of the bowls more often used), and a napkin.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Other books from this time, such as "Galatheo" () by Giovanni della Casa, tell how () should manage themselves while serving their guests. Waiters should not scratch their heads or other parts of themselves, or spit, sniff, cough or sneeze while serving diners. The book also told diners not to use their fingers while eating and not to wipe sweat with their napkin.


title: Italian cuisine

text: At the beginning of the 18th century, Italian culinary books began to emphasize the regionalism of Italian cuisine rather than French cuisine. Books written then were no longer addressed to professional chefs but to bourgeois housewives. Periodicals in booklet form such as "La cuoca cremonese" () in 1794 give a sequence of ingredients according to season along with chapters on meat, fish, and vegetables. As the century progressed these books increased in size, popularity, and frequency.


title: Italian cuisine

text: In the 18th century, medical texts warned peasants against eating refined foods as it was believed that these were poor for their digestion and their bodies required heavy meals. It was believed that peasants ate poorly because they preferred eating poorly. However, many peasants had to eat rotten food and mouldy bread because that was all they could afford.


title: Italian cuisine

text: In 1779, Antonio Nebbia from Macerata in the Marche region, wrote "Il Cuoco Maceratese" (). Nebbia addressed the importance of local vegetables and pasta, rice, and gnocchi. For stock, he preferred vegetables and chicken over other meats.


title: Italian cuisine

text: In 1773, the Neapolitan Vincenzo Corrado's "Il Cuoco Galante" () gave particular emphasis to (). "Pythagorean food consists of fresh herbs, roots, flowers, fruits, seeds and all that is produced in the earth for our nourishment. It is so-called because Pythagoras, as is well known, only used such produce. There is no doubt that this kind of food appears to be more natural to man, and the use of meat is noxious." This book was the first to give the tomato a central role with 13 recipes.


title: Italian cuisine

text: "Zuppa alli pomidoro" () in Corrado's book is a dish similar to today's Tuscan "pappa al pomodoro". Corrado's 1798 edition introduced a "Treatise on the Potato" after the French Antoine-Augustin Parmentier's successful promotion of the tuber. In 1790, Francesco Leonardi in his book "L'Apicio moderno" () sketches a history of the Italian cuisine from the Roman Age and gives the first recipe of a tomato-based sauce.


title: Italian cuisine

text: In the 19th century, Giovanni Vialardi, chef to King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy, wrote "Trattato di cucina, Pasticceria moderna, Credenza e relativa Confettureria" () with recipes "suitable for a modest household". Many of his recipes are for regional dishes from Turin including 12 for potatoes such as . In 1829, "Il Nuovo Cuoco Milanese Economico" () by Giovanni Felice Luraschi featured Milanese dishes such as kidney with anchovies and lemon and "gnocchi alla Romana". Gian Battista and Giovanni Ratto's "La Cucina Genovese" () in 1871 addressed the cuisine of Liguria. This book contained the first recipe for "pesto". "La Cucina Teorico-Pratica" () written by Ippolito Cavalcanti described the first recipe for pasta with tomatoes.


title: Italian cuisine

text: "La scienza in cucina e l'arte di mangiare bene" (), by Pellegrino Artusi, first published in 1891, is widely regarded as the canon of classic modern Italian cuisine, and it is still in print. Its recipes predominantly originate from Romagna and Tuscany, where he lived. Around 1880, two decades after the Unification of Italy, was the beginning of Italian diaspora, and with it started the spread of Italian cuisine in the world.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Italy has a large number of traditional specialities protected under EU law. From the 1950s onwards, a great variety of typical products of Italian cuisine have been recognized as PDO, PGI, TSG and GI by the Council of the European Union, to which they are added the "Indicazione geografica tipica" (IGT), the regional "Prodotto agroalimentare tradizionale" (PAT) and the municipal "Denominazione comunale d'origine" (De.C.O.). In the oenological field, there are specific legal protections: the "Denominazione di origine controllata" (DOC) and the "Denominazione di origine controllata e garantita" (DOCG). Protected designation of origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indications (PGI) have also been established in olive growing.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Italian cuisine is one of the most popular and copied culture around the world. The lack or total unavailability of some of its most characteristic ingredients outside of Italy, leads to the complete de naturalization of Italian ingredients,and above all else leads to falsifications (or food fraud). This phenomenon, widespread in all continents, is better known as "Italian Sounding", consisting in the use of Italian words as well as images, colour combinations (the Italian tricolour), geographical references, and brands evocative of Italy to promote and market agri-food products which in reality have nothing to do with Italian cuisine. Italian Sounding invests in almost every sector of Italian food, from the most famous Italian cheeses, to cured meats, a variety of pastas, regional breads, extra virgin olive oils, and wines. Counterfeit products violate registered trademarks or other distinctive signs protected by law such as the designations of origin (DOC, PDO, DOCG, PGI, TSG, IGT). Therefore the counterfeiting is legally punishable. However, Italian Sounding cannot be classified as illegal from a strictly legal standpoint, but they still represent "a huge damage to the Italian economy and to the potential resources of Made in Italy". Two out of three Italian agri-food products sold worldwide are actually fakes that have nothing to do with Italian cuisine. The Italian Sounding phenomenon is estimated to generate €55 billion worldwide annually.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Following the spread of "fast food", also in Italy, imported from Anglo-Saxon countries and in particular from the United States in 1986, in Bra, Piedmont, the "Slow Food" cultural and gastronomic movement was founded, then converted into an institution with the aim of protecting culinary specificities and to safeguard various regional products of Italian cuisine under the control of the Slow Food Presidia. "Slow Food" also focuses on food quality, rather than quantity. It speaks out against overproduction and food waste, and sees globalization as a process in which small and local farmers and food producers should be simultaneously protected from and included in the global food system.


title: Italian cuisine

text: The Italian chef Gualtiero Marchesi (1930–2017) is unanimously considered the founder of the new Italian cuisine and, in the opinion of many, the most famous Italian chef in the world. He has contributed most to the development of Italian cuisine, placing the Italian culinary culture among the most important around the world, with the creation, thanks to the use of Italian ingredients, dishes and culinary traditions, of the Italian version of the French "nouvelle cuisine". Italian "nouvelle cuisine" is characterized by lighter, more delicate dishes and an increased emphasis on presentation, and it designed for the most expensive restaurants. It is defined as a "cuisine of the head rather than the throat" and it is characterized by the separation of flavours, without ever upsetting the ancient Italian culinary tradition despite the use, in its recipes, of some culinary traditions of other countries.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Italian cuisine has a great variety of different ingredients which are commonly used, ranging from fruits, vegetables, grains, cheeses, meats and fish. In northern Italy, fish (such as cod, or "baccalà"), potatoes, rice, corn (maize), sausages, pork, and different types of cheese are the most common ingredients. Pasta dishes with tomato are common throughout Italy. Italians use ingredients that are fresh and subtly seasoned and spiced.


title: Italian cuisine

text: In northern Italy there are many kinds of stuffed pasta, although and are equally popular if not more so. Ligurian ingredients include several types of fish and seafood dishes. Basil (found in "pesto"), nuts, and olive oil are very common. In Emilia-Romagna, common ingredients include ham ("prosciutto"), sausage ("cotechino"), different sorts of "salami", truffles, "grana", "Parmigiano-Reggiano", tomatoes (Bolognese sauce or "ragù") and "aceto balsamico".


title: Italian cuisine

text: Traditional central Italian cuisine uses ingredients such as tomatoes, all kinds of meat, fish, and "pecorino". In Tuscany, pasta (especially "pappardelle") is traditionally served with meat sauce (including game meat). In southern Italy, tomatoes (fresh or cooked into tomato sauce), peppers, olives and olive oil, garlic, artichokes, oranges, ricotta cheese, eggplants, zucchini, certain types of fish (anchovies, sardines and tuna), and capers are important components to the local cuisine.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Many cheeses and dairy products are made in Italy. There are more than 600 distinct types throughout the country, of which 490 are protected and marked as PDO (Protected designation of origin), PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) and PAT (Prodotto agroalimentare tradizionale).


title: Italian cuisine

text: Olive oil is the most commonly used vegetable fat in Italian cooking, and as the basis for sauces, replaced only in some recipes and in some geographical areas by butter or lard. Italy is the largest consumer of olive oil, with 30% of the world total; it also has the largest range of olive cultivars in existence and is the second largest producer and exporter in the world. Bread has always been, as it has for other Mediterranean countries, a fundamental food in Italian cuisine. There are numerous regional types of bread.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Italian cuisine has a great variety of sausages and cured meats, many of which are protected and marked as PDO and PGI, and make up 34% of the total of sausages and cured meats consumed in Europe, while others are marked as PAT.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Meat, especially beef, pork and poultry, is very present in Italian cuisine, in a very wide range of preparations and recipes. It is also important as an ingredient in the preparation of sauces for pasta. In addition to the varieties mentioned, albeit less commonly, sheep, goat, horse, rabbit and, even less commonly, game meat are also consumed in Italy.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Since Italy is largely surrounded by the sea, therefore having a great coastal development and being rich in lakes, fish (both marine and freshwater), as well as crustaceans, molluscs and other seafood, enjoy a prominent place in Italian cuisine, as in general in the Mediterranean cuisine. Fish is the second course in meals and is also an ingredient in the preparation of seasonings for types of pasta. It is also widely used in appetizers.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Italian cuisine is also well known (and well regarded) for its use of a diverse variety of pasta. Pasta include noodles in various lengths, widths, and shapes. Most pastas may be distinguished by the shapes for which they are named—"penne", "maccheroni", "spaghetti", "linguine", "fusilli", "lasagne", and many more varieties that are filled with other ingredients like "ravioli" and "tortellini".


title: Italian cuisine

text: The word pasta is also used to refer to dishes in which pasta products are a primary ingredient. It is usually served with sauce. There are hundreds of different shapes of pasta with at least locally recognized names. Examples include "spaghetti" (thin rods), "rigatoni" (tubes or cylinders), "fusilli" (swirls), and "lasagne" (sheets). Dumplings, like "gnocchi" (made with potatoes or pumpkin) and noodles like "spätzle", are sometimes considered pasta.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Pasta is divided into two broad categories: dry pasta (100% durum wheat flour mixed with water) and fresh pasta (also with soft wheat flour and almost always mixed with eggs). Pasta is generally cooked by boiling. Under Italian law, dry pasta (pasta secca) can only be made from durum wheat flour or durum wheat semolina, and is more commonly used in Southern Italy compared to their Northern counterparts, who traditionally prefer the fresh egg variety.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Durum flour and durum semolina have a yellow tinge in colour. Italian pasta is traditionally cooked (English: "firm to the bite", meaning not too soft). There are many types of wheat flour with varying gluten and protein levels depending on the variety of grain used.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Particular varieties of pasta may also use other grains and milling methods to make the flour, as specified by law. Some pasta varieties, such as "pizzoccheri", are made from buckwheat flour. Fresh pasta may include eggs (, "egg pasta").


title: Italian cuisine

text: Pizza, consisting of a usually round, flat base of leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomatoes, cheese, and often various other ingredients (such as anchovies, mushrooms, onions, olives, meats, and more), which is then baked at a high temperature, traditionally in a wood-fired oven, is the best known and most consumed Italian food in the world.


title: Italian cuisine

text: In 2009, upon Italy's request, Neapolitan pizza was registered with the European Union as a Traditional Speciality Guaranteed dish, and in 2017 the art of its making was included on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage. In Italy it is consumed as a single dish () or as a snack, even on the go ("pizza al taglio"). In the various regions, dishes similar to pizza are the various types of "focaccia", such as "piadina", "crescia" or "sfincione".


title: Italian cuisine

text: Each area has its own specialties, primarily at a regional level, but also at the provincial level. The differences can come from a bordering country (such as France, Austria or Slovenia), whether a region is close to the sea or the mountains, and economics. Italian cuisine is also seasonal with priority placed on the use of fresh produce.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Pasta, meat, and vegetables are central to the cuisine of Abruzzo and Molise. Chili peppers ("peperoncini") are typical of Abruzzo, where they are called ("little devils") for their spicy heat. Due to the long history of shepherding in Abruzzo and Molise, lamb dishes are common. Lamb meat is often paired with pasta. Mushrooms (usually wild mushrooms), rosemary, and garlic are also extensively used in Abruzzese cuisine.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Best-known is the extra virgin olive oil produced in the local farms on the hills of the region, marked by the quality level DOP and considered one of the best in the country. Renowned wines like Montepulciano DOCG and Trebbiano d'Abruzzo DOC are considered amongst the world's finest wines. In 2012, a bottle of Trebbiano d'Abruzzo Colline Teramane ranked #1 in the top 50 Italian wine award. "Centerbe" ("Hundred Herbs") is a strong (72% alcohol), spicy herbal liqueur drunk by the locals. Another liqueur is , a soft distillate of gentian roots.


title: Italian cuisine

text: The best-known dish from Abruzzo is "arrosticini", little pieces of castrated lamb on a wooden stick and cooked on coals. The "" (literally "guitar") is a fine stringed tool that pasta dough is pressed through for cutting. In the province of Teramo, famous local dishes include the soup (made with legumes, vegetables, and pork meat), the "timballo" (pasta sheets filled with meat, vegetables or rice), and the "" (lamb intestines filled with garlic, marjoram, lettuce, and various spices). The popularity of saffron, grown in the province of L'Aquila, has waned in recent years.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Also seafood is part important of cuisine of Abruzzo with fish products are "Brodetti", "Scapece alla vastese" ,"Baccalà all'abruzzese", "Mussels with saffron" classic cooked mussels prepared with parsley, onion, bay leaf, white wine, olive oil and seasoned with Saffron of l'Aquila sauce and "Coregone di Campotosto", typical lake fish.


title: Italian cuisine

text: The most famous dish of Molise is "cavatelli", a long shaped, handmade -type pasta made of flour, semolina, and water, often served with meat sauce, broccoli, or mushrooms. Pizzelle cookies are a common dessert, especially around Christmas.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Apulia is a massive food producer; major production includes wheat, tomatoes, zucchini, broccoli, bell peppers, potatoes, spinach, eggplants, cauliflower, fennel, endive, chickpeas, lentils, beans, and cheese (like the traditional "caciocavallo" cheese). Apulia is also the largest producer of olive oil in Italy. The sea offers abundant fish and seafood that are extensively used in the regional cuisine, especially oysters, and mussels.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Goat and lamb are occasionally used. The region is known for pasta made from durum wheat and traditional pasta dishes featuring "orecchiette"-style pasta, often served with tomato sauce, potatoes, mussels, or broccoli rabe. Pasta with cherry tomatoes and arugula is also popular.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Regional desserts include "zeppole", doughnuts usually topped with powdered sugar and filled with custard, jelly, cannoli-style pastry cream, or a butter-and-honey mixture. For Christmas, Apulians make a very traditional rose-shaped pastry called . These are fried or baked and dipped in , which is either a wine or fig juice reduction.


title: Italian cuisine

text: The cuisine of Basilicata is mostly based on inexpensive ingredients and deeply anchored in rural traditions.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Pork is an integral part of the regional cuisine, often made into sausages or roasted on a spit. Famous dry sausages from the region are "lucanica" and "soppressata". Wild boar, mutton, and lamb are also popular. Pasta sauces are generally based on meats or vegetables. Horseradish is often used as a spice and condiment, known in the region as "poor man's truffle". The region produces cheeses like "Pecorino di Filiano", , "Pallone di Gravina", and "Paddraccio" and olive oils like the Vulture. The "peperone crusco", (or "crusco pepper") is a staple of the local cuisine, defined as the "red gold of Basilicata". It is consumed as a snack or as a main ingredient for several regional recipes.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Among the traditional dishes are "pasta con i peperoni cruschi", pasta served with dried crunchy pepper and bread crumbs; , also known as (brigand's dish), pasta prepared with chick peas and peeled tomatoes; "tumact me tulez", tagliatelle-dish of Arbëreshe culture; "rafanata", a type of omelet with horseradish; , a vegetable stew with artichokes, potatoes, broad beans, and "pancetta"; and the "baccalà alla lucana", one of the few recipes made with fish. Desserts include "taralli dolci", made with sugar glaze and scented with anise and , fried pastries filled with a cream of chestnuts and chocolate.


title: Italian cuisine

text: The most famous wine of the region is the Aglianico del Vulture; others include Matera, Terre dell'Alta Val d'Agri, and Grottino di Roccanova.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Basilicata is also known for its mineral waters which are sold widely in Italy. The springs are mostly located in the volcanic basin of the Vulture area.


title: Italian cuisine

text: In Calabria, a history of French rule under the House of Anjou and Napoleon, along with Spanish influences, affected the language and culinary skills as seen in the naming of foods such as cake, , from the French "gateau". Seafood includes swordfish, shrimp, lobster, sea urchin, and squid. Macaroni-type pasta is widely used in regional dishes, often served with goat, beef, or pork sauce and salty "ricotta".


title: Italian cuisine

text: Main courses include "frìttuli" (prepared by boiling pork rind, meat, and trimmings in pork fat), different varieties of spicy sausages (like "'Nduja" and "Capicola"), goat, and land snails. Melon and watermelon are traditionally served in a chilled fruit salad or wrapped in ham. Calabrian wines include Greco di Bianco, Bivongi, Cirò, Dominici, Lamezia, Melissa, Pollino, Sant'Anna di Isola Capo Rizzuto, San Vito di Luzzi, Savuto, Scavigna, and Verbicaro.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Calabrese pizza has a Neapolitan-based structure with fresh tomato sauce and a cheese base, but is unique because of its spicy flavor. Some of the ingredients included in a Calabrese pizza are thinly sliced hot "soppressata", hot capicola, hot peppers, and fresh mozzarella.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Campania extensively produces tomatoes, peppers, spring onions, potatoes, artichokes, fennel, lemons, and oranges which all take on the flavor of volcanic soil. The Gulf of Naples offers fish and seafood. Campania is one of the largest producers and consumers of pasta in Italy, especially spaghetti. In the regional cuisine, pasta is prepared in various styles that can feature tomato sauce, cheese, clams, and shellfish.


title: Italian cuisine

text: "Spaghetti alla puttanesca" is a popular dish made with olives, tomatoes, anchovies, capers, chili peppers, and garlic. The region is well-known for its "mozzarella" production (especially from the milk of water buffalo) that is used in a variety of dishes, including "parmigiana" (shallow fried eggplant slices layered with cheese and tomato sauce, then baked). Desserts include "struffoli" (deep fried balls of dough), "ricotta"-based "pastiera" and "sfogliatelle", and rum-dipped "babà".


title: Italian cuisine

text: Originating in Neapolitan cuisine, pizza has become popular worldwide. Pizza is an oven-baked, flat, disc-shaped bread typically topped with a tomato sauce, cheese (usually "mozzarella"), and various toppings depending on the culture. Since the original pizza, several other types of pizzas have evolved.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Since Naples was the capital of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies, its cuisine took much from the culinary traditions of all the Campania region, reaching a balance between dishes based on rural ingredients (pasta, vegetables, cheese) and seafood dishes (fish, crustaceans, mollusks). A vast variety of recipes is influenced by the local aristocratic cuisine, like "timballo" and "Sartù di riso", pasta or rice dishes with very elaborate preparation, while the dishes coming from the popular traditions contain inexpensive but nutritionally healthy ingredients, like pasta with beans and other pasta dishes with vegetables.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Emilia-Romagna is especially known for its egg and filled pasta made with soft wheat flour. The Romagna subregion is renowned for pasta dishes like "cappelletti", "garganelli", "strozzapreti", , and as well as cheeses such as "squacquerone", "piadina" snacks are also a specialty of the subregion.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Bologna and Modena are notable for pasta dishes like "tortellini", "tortelloni", "lasagne", gramigna, and "tagliatelle" which are found also in many other parts of the region in different declinations, while Ferrara is known for , pumpkin-filled dumplings, and Piacenza for "Pisarei e faśö", wheat "gnocchi" with beans and lard. The celebrated balsamic vinegar is made only in the Emilian cities of Modena and Reggio Emilia, following legally binding traditional procedures.


title: Italian cuisine

text: In the Emilia subregion, except Piacenza which is heavily influenced by the cuisines of Lombardy, rice is eaten to a lesser extent than the rest of northern Italy. "Polenta", a maize-based side dish, is common in both Emilia and Romagna.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is produced in Reggio Emilia (and it was invented in Bibbiano, a little town near Reggio Emilia; this city is also known for , a kind of egg and vegetables quiche). Grana Padano cheese is produced in Piacenza.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Although the Adriatic coast is a major fishing area (well known for its eels and clams harvested in the Comacchio lagoon), the region is more famous for its meat products, especially pork-based, that include cold cuts such as Parma's "prosciutto", "culatello", and "Salame Felino"; Piacenza's "pancetta", "coppa", and salami; Bologna's "mortadella" and ; "zampone", "cotechino", and "cappello del prete"; and Ferrara's "salama da sugo". Piacenza is also known for some dishes prepared with horse and donkey meat. Regional desserts include "zuppa inglese" (custard-based dessert made with sponge cake and Alchermes liqueur), "panpepato" (Christmas cake made with pepper, chocolate, spices, and almonds), (butter and chocolate cake) and (rice and milk cake).


title: Italian cuisine

text: Friuli-Venezia Giulia conserved, in its cuisine, the historical links with Austria-Hungary. Udine and Pordenone, in the western part of Friuli, are known for their traditional San Daniele del Friuli ham, "Montasio" cheese, and "Frico" cheese dish. Other typical dishes are "pitina" (meatballs made of smoked meats), game, and various types of "gnocchi" and "polenta".


title: Italian cuisine

text: The majority of the eastern regional dishes are heavily influenced by Austrian, Hungarian, Slovene and Croatian cuisines. Typical dishes include brovada, Istrian stew (soup of beans, sauerkraut, potatoes, bacon, and spare ribs), Vienna sausages, "goulash", "ćevapi", apple strudel, "gugelhupf". Pork can be spicy and is often prepared over an open hearth called a . Collio Goriziano, Friuli Isonzo, Colli Orientali del Friuli, and Ramandolo are well-known "denominazione di origine controllata" regional wines.


title: Italian cuisine

text: But the seafood from the Adriatic is also used in this area. While the tuna fishing has declined, the pilchards from the Gulf of Trieste off Barcola (in the local dialect: "") are a special and sought-after delicacy.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Liguria is known for herbs and vegetables (as well as seafood) in its cuisine. Savory pies are popular, mixing greens and artichokes along with cheeses, milk curds, and eggs. Onions and olive oil are used. Due to a lack of land suitable for wheat, the Ligurians use chickpeas in "farinata" and polenta-like "panissa". The former is served plain or topped with onions, artichokes, sausage, cheese or young anchovies. Farinata is typically cooked in a wood-fired oven, similar to southern pizzas. Furthermore, fresh fish features heavily in Ligurian cuisine. , or salted cod, features prominently as a source of protein in coastal regions. It is traditionally prepared in a soup.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Hilly districts use chestnuts as a source of carbohydrates. Ligurian pastas include "corzetti", typically stamped with traditional designs, from the Polcevera valley; "pansoti", a triangular shaped ravioli filled with vegetables; , pasta ribbons made with a small amount of egg and served with artichoke sauce or "pesto" sauce; "trenette", made from whole wheat flour cut into long strips and served with ; boiled beans and potatoes; and "trofie", a Ligurian "gnocchi" made from wheat flour and boiled potatoes, made into a spiral shape and often tossed in . Many Ligurians emigrated to Argentina in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, influencing the cuisine of the country (which was otherwise dominated by meat and dairy products that the narrow Ligurian hinterland would have not allowed). , sauce made from basil and other herbs, is uniquely Ligurian, and features prominently among Ligurian pastas.


title: Italian cuisine

text: It features fresh, seasonal and simply-prepared ingredients from Roman Campagna. These include peas, globe artichokes and fava beans, shellfish, milk-fed lamb and goat, and cheeses such as "Pecorino Romano" and "ricotta". Olive oil is used mostly to dress raw vegetables, while "strutto" (pork lard) and fat from "prosciutto" are preferred for frying. The most popular sweets in Rome are small individual pastries called pasticcini, gelato (ice cream) and handmade chocolates and candies. Special dishes are often reserved for different days of the week; for example, "gnocchi" is eaten on Thursdays, "baccalà" (salted cod) on Fridays, and "trippa" on Saturdays.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Pasta dishes based on the use of "guanciale" (unsmoked bacon prepared with pig's jowl or cheeks) are often found in Lazio, such as pasta "alla carbonara" and pasta "all'amatriciana". Another pasta dish of the region is "arrabbiata", with spicy tomato sauce. The regional cuisine widely use offal, resulting in dishes like the entrail-based "rigatoni" with "pajata" sauce and "coda alla vaccinara".


title: Italian cuisine

text: Iconic of Lazio is cheese made from ewes' milk ("Pecorino Romano"), "porchetta" (savory, fatty, and moist boneless pork roast) and Frascati white wine. The influence of the ancient Jewish community can be noticed in the Roman cuisine's traditional "carciofi alla giudia".


title: Italian cuisine

text: Due to the different historical events of its provinces and the variety of its territory, Lombard cuisine has a very varied culinary tradition. First courses in Lombard cuisine range from "risotto", to soups and stuffed pasta, in broth or not. Main courses offer a variegated choice of meat or fish dishes of the tradition of the many lakes and rivers of Lombardy.


title: Italian cuisine

text: In general, the cuisine of the various provinces of Lombardy can be united by the prevalence of rice and stuffed pasta over dry pasta, butter instead of olive oil for cooking, prolonged cooking, the widespread use of pork, milk and derivatives, egg-based preparations, and the consumption of "polenta" that is common to all of Northern Italy.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Rice dishes are very popular in this region, often found in soups as well as . The best-known version is "risotto alla milanese", flavoured with saffron. Due to its characteristic yellow color, it is often called . The dish is sometimes served with "ossobuco" (cross-cut veal shanks braised with vegetables, white wine and broth).


title: Italian cuisine

text: Other regional specialties include "cotoletta alla milanese" (a fried breaded cutlet of veal similar to Wiener schnitzel, but cooked "bone-in"), "cassoeula" (a typically winter dish prepared with cabbage and pork), "Mostarda" (rich condiment made with candied fruit and a mustard flavoured syrup), Valtellina's "bresaola" (air-dried salted beef), "pizzoccheri" (a flat ribbon pasta made with 80% buckwheat flour and 20% wheat flour cooked along with greens, cubed potatoes, and layered with pieces of "Valtellina Casera" cheese), "casoncelli" (a kind of stuffed pasta, usually garnished with melted butter and sage, typical of Bergamo) and "tortelli di zucca" (a type of "ravioli" with pumpkin filling, usually garnished with melted butter and sage or tomato).


title: Italian cuisine

text: Regional cheeses include "Grana Padano", "Gorgonzola", "Crescenza", "Robiola", and "Taleggio" (the plains of central and southern Lombardy allow intensive cattle farming). "Polenta" is common across the region. Regional desserts include the famous "panettone" (soft sweet bread with raisins and candied citron and orange chunks).


title: Italian cuisine

text: On the coast of Marche, fish and seafood are produced. Inland, wild and domestic pigs are used for sausages and hams. These hams are not thinly sliced, but cut into bite-sized chunks. Suckling pig, chicken, and fish are often stuffed with rosemary or fennel fronds and garlic before being roasted or placed on the spit.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Ascoli, Marche's southernmost province, is well known for "olive ascolane", (stoned olives stuffed with several minced meats, egg, and Parmesan, then fried). Another well-known Marche product are the , from little town of Campofilone, a kind of hand-made pasta made only of hard grain flour and eggs, cut so thin that melts in one's mouth.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Between the Alps and the Po valley, featuring a large number of different ecosystems, the Piedmont region offers a refined and varied cuisine. As a point of union between traditional Italian and French cuisine, Piedmont is the Italian region with the largest number of cheeses with protected geographical status and wines under DOC. It is also the region where both the Slow Food association and the most prestigious school of Italian cooking, the University of Gastronomic Sciences, were founded.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Piedmont is a region where gathering nuts, mushrooms, and cardoons, as well as hunting and fishing, are commonplace. Truffles, garlic, seasonal vegetables, cheese, and rice feature in the cuisine. Wines from the Nebbiolo grape such as Barolo and Barbaresco are produced as well as wines from the Barbera grape, fine sparkling wines, and the sweet, lightly sparkling, Moscato d'Asti. The region is also famous for its Vermouth and Ratafia production.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Castelmagno is a prized cheese of the region. Piedmont is also famous for the quality of its Carrù beef (particularly , "fat ox"), hence the tradition of eating raw meat seasoned with garlic oil, lemon, and salt; "carpaccio"; , wine stew made from marinated beef; and boiled beef served with various sauces.


title: Italian cuisine

text: The food most typical of the Piedmont tradition are "agnolotti" (pasta folded over with roast beef and vegetable stuffing), (a typical dish of Novara, a kind of "risotto" with Arborio rice or "Maratelli" rice, the typical kind of Saluggia beans, onion, Barbera wine, lard, salami, season vegetables, salt and pepper), "taglierini" (thinner version of tagliatelle), "bagna cauda" (sauce of garlic, anchovies, olive oil, and butter), and "bicerin" (hot drink made of coffee, chocolate, and whole milk). Piedmont is one of the Italian capitals of pastry and chocolate in particular, with products like Nutella, "gianduiotto", and "marron glacé" that are famous worldwide.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Suckling pig and wild boar are roasted on the spit or boiled in stews of beans and vegetables, thickened with bread. Herbs such as mint and myrtle are widely used in the regional cuisine. Sardinia also has many special types of bread, made dry, which keeps longer than high-moisture breads. "Malloreddus" is a typical pasta of the region.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Also baked are bread, bread, , a highly decorative bread, and bread, made with flour and water only, originally meant for herders, but often served at home with tomatoes, basil, oregano, garlic, and a strong cheese. Rock lobster, scampi, squid, tuna, and sardines are the predominant seafoods.


title: Italian cuisine

text: "Casu marzu" is a sheep's cheese produced in Sardinia, but is of questionable legality due to hygiene concerns.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Sicily shows traces of all the cultures which established themselves on the island over the last two millennia. Although its cuisine undoubtedly has a predominantly Italian base, Sicilian food also has Spanish, Greek and Arab influences. Dionysus is said to have introduced wine to the region; a trace of historical influence from Ancient Greece.


title: Italian cuisine

text: The ancient Romans introduced lavish dishes based on goose. The Byzantines favoured sweet and sour flavours and the Arabs brought sugar, citrus, rice, spinach, and saffron. The Normans and Hohenstaufens had a fondness for meat dishes. The Spanish introduced items from the New World including chocolate, maize, turkey, and tomatoes.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Much of the island's cuisine encourages the use of fresh vegetables such as eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes, as well as fish such as tuna, sea bream, sea bass, swordfish and cuttlefish. In Trapani, in the extreme western corner of the island, North African influences are clear in the use of various "couscous" based dishes, usually combined with fish. Mint is used extensively in cooking unlike the rest of Italy.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Traditional specialties from Sicily include "arancini" (a form of deep-fried rice croquettes), pasta "alla Norma", "caponata", "pani ca meusa", and a host of desserts and sweets such as "cannoli", "granita", and "cassata".


title: Italian cuisine

text: The cuisine of South Tyrol – the northern half of the Trentino-Alto Adige region – combines culinary influences from Italy and the Mediterranean with a strong alpine regional and Austrian influence. Before the Council of Trent in the middle of the 16th century, the region was known for the simplicity of its peasant cuisine. When the prelates of the Catholic Church established there, they brought the art of fine cooking with them. Later, also influences from Venice and the Austrian Habsburg Empire came in.


title: Italian cuisine

text: The most renowned local product is traditional "speck" juniper-flavoured ham which, as "Speck Alto Adige", is regulated by the European Union under the PGI status. "Goulash", "knödel", apple strudel, "kaiserschmarrn", "krapfen", "rösti", "spätzle", and rye bread are regular dishes, along with potatoes, dumpling, homemade "sauerkraut", and lard. Since the 20th century the cuisine has come under the influence of other Italian regions, so that various pizza and pasta dishes have now become staples. This fusion has led to the creation of dishes such as pasta with speck cream sauce and baked apple rings. The territory of Bolzano is also reputed for its Müller-Thurgau white wines.


title: Italian cuisine

text: The cuisine of the Trentino subregion leans more towards Veneto. It is influenced by its geographical position which ranges from isolated Alpine valleys to the southern prealpine lakes. The cuisine is characterized by its peasant dishes and especially the wide presence of soups. Trentino produces various types of sausages, "polenta", yogurt, cheese, "gnocchi", buckwheat, potato cake, funnel cake and freshwater fish. Typical dishes from Trentino include "zuppa d'orzo" (barley soup), "canederli" (bread dumplings), "strangolapreti" (spinach gnocchi), "smacafam" (savory carnival pie), "panada" (bread soup), "brö brusà" (toasted soup), "tortel di patate" (potato pancakes) and risotto with Teroldego. Trentino's protected products include its Non Valley apples.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Simplicity is central to the Tuscan cuisine. Legumes, bread, cheese, vegetables, mushrooms, and fresh fruit are used. A good example of typical Tuscan food is "ribollita", a notable soup whose name literally means "reboiled". Like most Tuscan cuisine, the soup has peasant origins. was originally made by reheating (i.e. reboiling) the leftover "minestrone" or vegetable soup from the previous day. There are many variations but the main ingredients always include leftover bread, cannellini beans, and inexpensive vegetables such as carrot, cabbage, beans, silverbeet, "cavolo nero" (Tuscan kale), onion, and olive oil.


title: Italian cuisine

text: A regional Tuscan pasta known as "pici" resembles thick, grainy-surfaced spaghetti, and is often rolled by hand. White truffles from San Miniato appear in October and November. High-quality beef, used for the traditional Florentine steak, come from the "Chianina" cattle breed of the Chiana Valley and the Maremmana from Maremma.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Pork is also produced. The region is well-known also for its rich game, especially wild boar, hare, fallow deer, roe deer, and pheasant that often are used to prepare "pappardelle" dishes.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Regional desserts include "cantucci" (oblong-shaped almond biscuits), "castagnaccio" (a chestnut flour cake), "" (a sweet bread containing raisins and rosemary), "panforte" (prepared with honey, fruits, and nuts), "ricciarelli" (biscuits made using an almond base with sugar, honey, and egg white), "necci" (galettes made with chestnut flour) and "cavallucci" (cookies made with almonds, candied fruits, coriander, flour, and honey).


title: Italian cuisine

text: Well-known regional wines include Brunello di Montalcino, Carmignano, Chianti, Morellino di Scansano, Parrina, Sassicaia, and Vernaccia di San Gimignano.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Many Umbrian dishes are prepared by boiling or roasting with local olive oil and herbs. Vegetable dishes are popular in the spring and summer, while fall and winter sees meat from hunting and black truffles from Norcia. Meat dishes include the traditional wild boar sausages, pheasants, geese, pigeons, frogs, and snails.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Castelluccio is known for its lentils. Spoleto and Monteleone are known for spelt. Freshwater fish include lasca, trout, freshwater perch, grayling, eel, barbel, whitefish, and tench. Orvieto and Sagrantino di Montefalco are important regional wines.


title: Italian cuisine

text: In the Aosta Valley, bread-thickened soups are customary as well as cheese fondue, chestnuts, potatoes, rice. "Polenta" is a staple along with rye bread, smoked bacon, "Motsetta" (cured chamois meat), and game from the mountains and forests. Butter and cream are important in stewed, roasted, and braised dishes.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Typical regional products include "Fontina" cheese, Vallée d'Aoste Lard d'Arnad, red wines and "Génépi" Artemisia-based liqueur.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Venice and many surrounding parts of Veneto are known for "risotto", a dish whose ingredients can highly vary upon different areas. Fish and seafood are added in regions closer to the coast while pumpkin, asparagus, radicchio, and frog legs appear farther away from the Adriatic Sea.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Made from finely ground maize meal, "polenta" is a traditional, rural food typical of Veneto and most of Northern Italy. It may be included in stirred dishes and baked dishes. can be served with various cheese, stockfish, or meat dishes. Some polenta dishes include porcini, rapini, or other vegetables or meats, such as small songbirds in the case of the Venetian and Lombard dish , or sausages. In some areas of Veneto it can be also made of a particular variety of cornmeal, named , so that the colour of polenta is white and not yellow (the so-called ).


title: Italian cuisine

text: Beans, peas, and other legumes are seen in these areas with "pasta e fagioli" (beans and pasta) and "risi e bisi" (rice and peas). Venice features heavy dishes using exotic spices and sauces. Ingredients such as stockfish or simple marinated anchovies are found here as well.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Less fish and more meat is eaten away from the coast. Other typical products are sausages such as "Sopressa Vicentina", garlic salami, Piave cheese, and Asiago cheese. High quality vegetables are prized, such as red "radicchio" from Treviso and white asparagus from Bassano del Grappa. Perhaps the most popular dish of Venice is "fegato alla veneziana", thinly-sliced veal liver sautéed with onions.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Squid and cuttlefish are common ingredients, as is squid ink, called . Regional desserts include "tiramisu" (made of biscuits dipped in coffee, layered with a whipped mixture of egg yolks and "mascarpone", and flavoured with liquor and cocoa), "baicoli" (biscuits made with butter and vanilla), and nougat.


title: Italian cuisine

text: The most celebrated Venetian wines include Bardolino, Prosecco, Soave, Amarone, and Valpolicella DOC wines.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Italian meal structure is typical of the European Mediterranean region and differs from North, Central, and Eastern European meal structure, though it still often consists of breakfast (), lunch (), and supper (). However, much less emphasis is placed on breakfast, and breakfast itself is often skipped or involves lighter meal portions than are seen in non-Mediterranean Western countries. Late-morning and mid-afternoon snacks, called "merenda" (plural ), are also often included in this meal structure.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Traditional meals in Italy typically contained four or five courses. Especially on weekends, meals are often seen as a time to spend with family and friends rather than simply for sustenance; thus, meals tend to be longer than in other cultures. During holidays such as Christmas and New Year's Eve, feasts can last for hours.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Today, full-course meals are mainly reserved for special events such as weddings, while everyday meals include only a first or second course (sometimes both), a side dish, and coffee. The (first course) is usually a filling dish such as or pasta, with sauces made from meat, vegetables, or seafood. Whole pieces of meat such as sausages, meatballs, and poultry are eaten in the (second course). Italian cuisine has some single-course meals () combining starches and proteins.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Italian style coffee (), also known as "espresso", is made from a blend of coffee beans. beans are roasted medium to medium dark in the north, and darker as one moves south.


title: Italian cuisine

text: A common misconception is that has more caffeine than other coffee; in fact, the opposite is true. The longer roasting period extracts more caffeine. The modern espresso machine, invented in 1937 by Achille Gaggia, uses a pump and pressure system with water heated to and forced at high pressure through a few grams of finely ground coffee in 25–30 seconds, resulting in about 25 millilitres (0.85 fl oz, two tablespoons) of liquid.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Home coffee makers are simpler but work under the same principle. "La Napoletana" is a four-part stove-top unit with grounds loosely placed inside a filter; the kettle portion is filled with water and once boiling, the unit is inverted to drip through the grounds. The "Moka per il caffè" is a three-part stove-top unit that is placed on the stovetop with loosely packed grounds in a strainer; the water rises from steam pressure and is forced through the grounds into the top portion. In both cases, the water passes through the grounds just once.


title: Italian cuisine

text: The "bicerin" is also an Italian coffee, from Turin. It is a mixture of "cappuccino" and traditional hot chocolate, as it consists of a mix of coffee and drinking chocolate, and with a small addition of milk. It is quite thick and often whipped cream/foam with chocolate powder and sugar is added on top.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Italy is the world's largest producer of wine, as well as the country with the widest variety of indigenous grapevine varieties in the world. Only about a quarter of this wine is put into bottles for individual sale. Two-thirds is bulk wine used for blending in France and Germany. The wine distilled into spirits in Italy exceeds the production of wine in the entirety of the New World. There are twenty separate wine regions. The Italian wine industry is among the most varied in the world due to hundreds of indigenous grape varieties grown throughout Italy. Some of the most iconic red wines include Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello di Montalcino and Amarone.


title: Italian cuisine

text: The Italian government passed the "Denominazione di origine controllata" (DOC) law in 1963 to regulate place of origin, quality, production method, and type of grape. The designation "Indicazione Geografica Tipica" (IGT) is a less restrictive designation to help a wine maker graduate to the DOC level. In 1980, the government created the "Denominazione di origine controllata e garantita" (DOCG), reserved for only the best wines.


title: Italian cuisine

text: In Italy wine is commonly consumed (alongside water) in meals, which are rarely served without it, though it is extremely uncommon for meals to be served with any other drink, alcoholic, or otherwise.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Italy is considered to be part of the wine belt of Europe. Nevertheless, beer, particularly mass-produced pale lagers, are common in the country. It is traditionally considered to be an ideal accompaniment to pizza; since the 1970s, beer has spread from pizzerias and has become much more popular for drinking in other situations. Among many popular brands, the most notable Italian breweries are Peroni and Moretti.


title: Italian cuisine

text: There are also several other popular alcoholic drinks in Italy. "Limoncello", a traditional lemon liqueur from Campania (Sorrento, Amalfi and the Gulf of Naples) is the second most popular liqueur in Italy after Campari. Made from lemon, it is usually consumed in very small proportions, served chilled in small glasses or cups.


title: Italian cuisine

text: "Amaro Siciliano" are common Sicilian digestifs, made with herbs, which are usually drunk after heavy meals. "Mirto", an herbal distillate made from the berries (red mirto) and leaves (white mirto) of the myrtle bush, is popular in Sardinia and other regions. Another well-known digestif is "Amaro Lucano" from Basilicata.


title: Italian cuisine

text: "Grappa" is the typical alcoholic drink of northern Italy, generally associated with the culture of the Alps and of the Po Valley. The most famous grappas are distilled in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Veneto, Piedmont, and Trentino. The three most notable and recognizable Italian aperitifs are Martini, Vermouth, and Campari. A sparkling drink which is becoming internationally popular as a less expensive substitute for French champagne is Prosecco, from the Veneto region.


title: Italian cuisine

text: From the Italian perspective, cookies and candy belong to the same category of sweets. Traditional candies include candied fruits, torrone, and nut brittles, all of which are still popular in the modern era. In medieval times, northern Italy became so famous for the quality of its stiff fruit pastes (similar to marmalade or conserves, except stiff enough to mold into shapes) that "Paste of Genoa" became a generic name for high-quality fruit conserves. Italy is famous for artisanal "gelato" (the Italian ice cream) and has become widespread with the ice cream cone, covering 55% of the Italian market.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Silver-coated almond dragées, which are called, in Italian, "confetti", are thrown at weddings (white coating) and baptisms (blue or pink coating, according to the sex of the newborn baby), or graduations (red coating), often wrapped in a small tulle bag as a gift to the guests. The idea of including a romantic note with candy may have begun with Italian dragées, no later than the early 19th century, and is carried on with the multilingual love notes included in boxes of Italy's most famous chocolate, Baci by Perugina in Milan. The most significant chocolate style is a combination of hazelnuts and milk chocolate, which is featured in "gianduja" pastes like Nutella, which is made by Ferrero SpA in Alba, Piedmont, as well as Perugnia's Baci and many other chocolate confections.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Every region has its own holiday recipes. During "La Festa di San Giuseppe" (St. Joseph's Day) on 19 March, Sicilians give thanks to St. Joseph for preventing a famine during the Middle Ages. The fava bean saved the population from starvation, and is a traditional part of St. Joseph's Day altars and traditions. Other customs celebrating this festival include wearing red clothing and eating "zeppole".


title: Italian cuisine

text: On Easter Sunday, lamb is served throughout Italy. The common cake for Easter Day is the "Colomba Pasquale" (literally, Easter dove), which is often simply known as "Italian Easter Cake" abroad. It represents a dove, and is topped with almonds and pearl sugar.


title: Italian cuisine

text: On Christmas Eve a symbolic fast is observed with the ("light dinner"), a meatless meal. Typical cakes of the Christmas season are "panettone" and "pandoro".


title: Italian cuisine

text: Due to several Italian colonies established in Africa, mainly in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Libya, and Somalia (except the northern part, which was under British rule), there is a considerable Italian influence on the cuisines of these nations.


title: Italian cuisine

text: All major cities and towns in South Africa have substantial populations of Italian South Africans. Italian foods, like ham and cheeses, are imported and some also made locally, and every city has a popular Italian restaurant or two, as well as pizzerias. The production of good quality olive oil is on the rise in South Africa, especially in the drier south-western parts where there is a more Mediterranean-type of rainfall pattern. Some oils have even won top international awards.


title: Italian cuisine

text: The Croatian cuisine of Istria, Fiume and Dalmatia was influenced by Italian cuisine, given the historical presence of local ethnic Italians (Istrian Italians and Dalmatian Italians), influence that has eased after the Istrian-Dalmatian exodus. For example, the influence of Italian cuisine on Croatian dishes can be seen in the (similar to Italian "prosciutto") and on the preparation of homemade pasta.


title: Italian cuisine

text: In France the cuisine of Corsica has much in common with the Italian cuisine, since the island was, from the Early Middle Ages until 1768, a Pisan possession followed by a Genoese possession. The cuisine of the County of Nice was also influenced by Italian cuisine due to its proximity to Italy and the fact that the County of Nice belonged to the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia until 1860, when it was annexed by France.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Maltese cuisine, given the proximity of Malta to Italy, shows strong Italian influences as well as influences from Spanish, French, Provençal, and other Mediterranean cuisines, with some later British culinary influence.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Monégasque cuisine has undergone significant influences from Italian cuisine (especially Ligurian cuisine), given the proximity of Monaco to Italy, and from Provencal and French cuisines.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Sammarinese cuisine is strongly similar to Italian cuisine, especially that of the adjoining Emilia-Romagna and Marche regions. San Marino's primary agricultural products are cheese, wine and livestock, and cheesemaking is a primary economic activity in San Marino.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Given the proximity of Slovenia to Italy, Slovenian cuisine was influenced by Italian cuisine. Slovenian dishes of Italian origin are (similar to Italian "gnocchi"), (the Slovenian version of "risotto") and (similar to Italian "ravioli"). Italian cuisine has particularly influenced the cuisine of Slovenian Istria, given the historical presence of local ethnic Italians (Istrian Italians), influence that has eased after the Istrian-Dalmatian exodus.


title: Italian cuisine

text: The cuisine of the Canton of Ticino is greatly influenced by Italian cuisine and above all by Lombard cuisine due to the centuries-old domination of the Duchy of Milan and the economic and linguistic ties with Lombardy.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Much of Italian-American cuisine is based on Italian cuisine, heavily Americanized to reflect ingredients and conditions found in the United States. Italian-Americans often identify foods with their regional heritage. Southern Italy staples include dry pasta, tomato sauce, and olive oil, whereas Northern Italian staples include foods such as "risotto", white sauce and "polenta".


title: Italian cuisine

text: Pizza arrived in the United States in the early 20th century along with waves of Italian immigrants who settled primarily in the large cities of the Northeast. It got a boost both in popularity and regional spread after soldiers stationed in Italy returned from World War II.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Throughout the country the is a common item offered at food carts and stalls. It is a sandwich made from locally baked bread and contains a breaded, pan-fried cutlet of pork or beef.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Due to large Italian immigration to Argentina, Italian food and drink is heavily featured in Argentine cuisine. An example could be "milanesas" (The name comes from the original "cotoletta" alla milanese from Milan, Italy). There are several other Italian-Argentine dishes, such as "sorrentinos" and Argentine gnocchi.


title: Italian cuisine

text: Italian cuisine is popular in Brazil, due to great immigration there in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Due to the huge Italian community, São Paulo is the place where this cuisine is most appreciated. The city has also developed its particular variety of pizza, different from both Neapolitan and American varieties, and it is largely popular on weekend dinners.


title: Italian cuisine

text: The conspicuous Italian immigration in Uruguay has strongly influenced Uruguayan cuisine, with a vast number of dishes deriving from Italian cuisine, with dishes from all Italian regions. In addition to the extensive use of pasta, including (Italian "tagliatelle"), (Italian "ravioli"), (Italian "cappelletti") and (Italian "tortellini"), they are part of the Uruguayan cuisine the (Italian "bagna cauda"), (Italian "ragù"), (Italian "trippa alla milanese"), "pesto" and (Italian "gnocco fritto").


title: Italian cuisine

text: Venezuelan cuisine is influenced by its European (Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and French), West African, and indigenous traditions. Examples of Venezuelan dishes influenced by Italian cuisine, thanks to Italian immigration in this country, is (from the Italian "pasticcio"), which is the Venezuelan version of "lasagna", and bread, corresponding to the Italian "ciabatta".


title: Italian cuisine

text: The conspicuous Italian immigration in Australia has strongly influenced Australian cuisine. The Chicken parmigiana, based on a combination of the Italian "melanzane alla parmigiana" with a "cotoletta", was known in Australia by the 1950s. In 1952, the first "espresso" machines began to appear in Sydney (probably the first in Australia) and a plethora of fine Italian coffee houses were emerging in other Australian cities, such as Melbourne.


title: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (film)

text: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, also promoted as LXG, is a 2003 dieselpunk superhero film loosely based on the first volume of the comic book series of the same name by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill. Distributed by 20th Century Fox, it was released on 11 July 2003 in the United States, and 17 October in the United Kingdom. It was directed by Stephen Norrington and starred Sean Connery, Naseeruddin Shah, Peta Wilson, Tony Curran, Stuart Townsend, Shane West, Jason Flemyng, and Richard Roxburgh. It was Connery's final role in a theatrically released live-action film before his retirement in 2006 and death in 2020.


text: As with the comic book source material, the film features prominent pastiche and crossover themes set in the late 19th century. It features an assortment of fictional literary characters appropriate to the period who act as Victorian era superheroes. It draws on the works of Jules Verne, H. G. Wells, Bram Stoker, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, H. Rider Haggard, Ian Fleming, Herman Melville, Oscar Wilde, Robert Louis Stevenson, Edgar Allan Poe, Gaston Leroux, and Mark Twain, albeit all adapted for the film.


text: It received generally unfavorable reviews but was financially successful, grossing over $179 million worldwide in theaters, and earning rental revenue of $48.6 million and DVD sales (as of 2003) of $36.4 million, against its $78 million budget.


text: In 1899, a terrorist group led by the Fantom breaks into the Bank of England to steal Leonardo da Vinci's blueprints of Venice's foundations. They then kidnap several German scientists while blowing up a zeppelin factory.


text: The British Empire sends Sanderson Reed to Kenya Colony to recruit adventurer and hunter Allan Quatermain, who had retired following the death of his son. Quatermain at first refuses until a group of assassins is sent to kill him, resulting in the death of his longtime friend, Nigel. In London, Quatermain meets "M", who explains that the Fantom plans to start a world war by bombing a secret meeting of world leaders in Venice. To prevent this, M is forming the latest generation of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, consisting of Quatermain, Captain Nemo, vampire chemist Mina Harker, and invisible thief Rodney Skinner.


text: The League travels to the London Docklands to recruit Dorian Gray, Mina's former lover who is immortal due to a missing cursed portrait. The Fantom and his assassins attack but the League, aided by U.S. Secret Service Agent Tom Sawyer, fends them off. Gray and Sawyer join the League. They then capture Edward Hyde in Paris, who transforms back into his alter ego, Dr. Henry Jekyll, and joins the League after being offered amnesty. The League travels to Venice in Nemo's submarine, the "Nautilus", but they soon deduce there may be a mole on board when a camera's flash powder residue is found in the wheelhouse and one of Jekyll's transformation formulas disappears. Suspicion falls on the missing Skinner.


text: The "Nautilus" arrives in Venice just as the bombs detonate, causing the Piazza San Marco and the rest of the city to start collapsing. Sawyer uses Nemo's automobile to stop the destruction, while Quatermain confronts the Fantom, who is unmasked as M. Dorian, the traitor, murders Nemo's first mate Ishmael and steals the "Nautilus" exploration pod. M and Dorian leave a phonograph recording for the League declaring that their true goal is to ignite the world war, and that Dorian has been collecting physical elements of the League to create a heavily armed version of the "Nautilus", invisible spies, vampire assassins, and Hyde-like soldiers, and to sell the superhuman formulas off to the highest bidder. The "Nautilus" is damaged by bombs hidden on board, but Hyde saves it by draining the flooded engine rooms. Skinner secretly messages the League, informing them that he has sneaked aboard the exploration pod and telling them to follow his heading.


text: The League reaches northern Mongolia where it reunites with Skinner and plots to destroy M's factory with explosives. Nemo and Hyde rescue the scientists and their families while fighting Dante who overdoses on the Hyde formula. Skinner sets the explosive charges, and Mina battles and eventually kills Dorian by exposing him to his portrait. Quatermain and Sawyer confront M and identify him as Professor James Moriarty, longtime archenemy of genius detective Sherlock Holmes who had changed identities following his alleged death at the Reichenbach Falls. Sawyer is taken hostage by an invisible Reed; Quatermain shoots the latter, only to be fatally stabbed by Moriarty. Moriarty flees but Sawyer shoots and kills him and the formulas sink into the icy water. Quatermain then dies.


text: Quatermain is buried beside his son in Kenya. The League recall how a witch doctor had blessed Quatermain for saving his village, promising that Africa would never let him die. The remaining League members—Nemo, Mina, Skinner, Jekyll, and Sawyer—depart, agreeing to keep using their powers for good in the coming 20th century. The witch doctor arrives and performs a ritual that summons an unnatural storm, with a bolt of lightning striking a rifle Sawyer left on Quatermain's grave.


text: Because 20th Century Fox was unable to secure the rights to the eponymous character of H. G. Wells' 1897 novel, the script referred to "The Invisible Man" as "An Invisible Man", and his name was changed from Hawley Griffin to Rodney Skinner. The Fu Manchu character was dropped. At the request of the studio, the character of Tom Sawyer was added to increase the film's appeal to American audiences and the youth demographic, a move that producer Don Murphy initially dismissed as a "stupid studio note" but later described as "brilliant".


text: After previously turning down the roles of the Architect in "The Matrix" trilogy and Gandalf in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, the latter of which would reportedly have earned him $450 million, Connery agreed to appear as Quatermain for $17 million, a sum that left the filmmakers with little flexibility to attract other high-profile stars for the ensemble cast.


text: A character named Eva Draper (Winter Ave Zoli), daughter of German scientist Karl Draper, remained visible in promotional materials despite not appearing in the film's final cut.


text: The studio pressured filmmakers for a summer release because "" was slated for fall release. The production encountered delays when a special effects set failed to perform as intended, forcing the filmmakers to quickly look for another effects shop.


text: Connery reportedly had many disputes with director Stephen Norrington. Norrington did not attend the opening party and, on being asked where the director could be, Connery is said to have replied, "Check the local asylum". Norrington reportedly did not like the studio supervision and was "uncomfortable" with large crews.


text: In 2003, Larry Cohen and Martin Poll sued 20th Century Fox for intentionally plagiarizing their script "Cast of Characters", which they had pitched to the studio between 1993 and 1996. Noting that the scripts shared public-domain characters that had not appeared in "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" graphic novel series, the suit accused Fox of soliciting the series as a smokescreen. Fox denied the allegations as "absurd nonsense" but settled out of court, a decision Alan Moore believed "denied [him] the chance to exonerate" himself.


text: The film opened at #2 behind "". "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" grossed an estimated $66,465,204 in Canada and the United States, $12,603,037 in the United Kingdom, and $12,033,033 in Spain. Worldwide, the film took in $179,265,204.


text: On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of based on reviews from critics, with an average rating of . The site's critical consensus reads: "Just ordinary. LXG is a great premise ruined by poor execution." On Metacritic it has a score of 30% based on reviews from 36 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale.


text: Roger Ebert of the "Chicago Sun-Times" gave the film one star out of a possible four: ""The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" assembles a splendid team of heroes to battle a plan for world domination, and then, just when it seems about to become a real corker of an adventure movie, plunges into ... inexplicable motivations, causes without effects, effects without causes, and general lunacy".


text: Peter Travers of "Rolling Stone" gave it 1 out of 4 and wrote: "Except for Connery, who is every inch the lion in winter, nothing here feels authentic".


text: Owen Gleiberman of "Entertainment Weekly" gave the film a grade "C−". "Empire" magazine, giving it two stars out of five while criticizing its exposition and lack of character depth, saying it 'flirts dangerously close with one-star ignominy'.


text: In an interview with "The Times", Kevin O'Neill, illustrator of the comics, said he believed the film failed (with the critics) because it was not respectful of the source material. He did not recognize the characters when reading the screenplay and claimed that Norrington and Connery did not cooperate. Finally, O'Neill said that the comic book version of Allan Quatermain was a lot better than the movie version and that marginalising Mina Murray as a vampire "changed the whole balance". The comics' author, Alan Moore, was cynical of the film from early in its development, seeing that the two works bore little resemblance, and distanced himself from the film. He said that he could profit from the film while leaving the original comics untouched: "As long as I could distance myself by not seeing [it], assured no one would confuse the two. This was probably naïve on my part".


text: Connery claimed that the film's production and final quality convinced him to permanently retire from filmmaking. He told "The Times": "It was a nightmare. The experience had a great influence on me, it made me think about showbiz. I get fed up dealing with idiots". Norrington and screenwriters O'Neill and James Dale Robinson have not worked on a live action feature-length film as of 2022.


text: "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" earned a total of $48,640,000 in rentals with $14,810,000 from video rentals and $33,830,000 from DVD rentals. DVD sales meanwhile gathered revenue of $36,400,000.


text: "The Tracking Board" reported in May 2015 that 20th Century Fox and Davis Entertainment had agreed to develop a reboot with hopes of launching a franchise and that a search was underway for a director. John Davis told "Collider" in an interview that the reboot would be a female-centric film. Plans for a reboot were reportedly scrapped after the Disney/Fox merger in 2019. However, The Hollywood Reporter revealed in May 2022 that the reboot is back on track as a Hulu release with Justin Haythe writing and producer Don Murphy returning alongside Susan Montford and Erwin Stoff of 3 Arts Entertainment.


title: Flag of England

text: The flag of England is the national flag of England, a constituent country of the United Kingdom. It is derived from Saint George's Cross (heraldic blazon: "Argent, a cross gules"). The association of the red cross as an emblem of England can be traced back to the Late Middle Ages when it was gradually, increasingly, used alongside the Royal Banner. It became the only saint's flag permitted to be flown in public as part of the English Reformation and at a similar time became the pre-eminent maritime flag referred to as a white ensign.


title: Flag of England

text: It has been widely used since the 1990s, specifically at national sporting events, especially during the campaigns of England's national football teams.


title: Flag of England

text: In 1188 Henry II of England and Philip II of France agreed to go on a crusade, and that Henry would use a white cross and Philip a red cross. Thirteenth-century authorities are unanimous on this reversal to the intuitive.


title: Flag of England

text: There then follows a historiographical tradition claiming that Richard the Lionheart himself adopted the full red cross flag and the patron saint from the Republic of Genoa at some point during his crusade. This idea can be traced to the Victorian era, Perrin (1922) refers to it as a "common belief", and it is still popularly repeated today even though it cannot be substantiated.


title: Flag of England

text: Prince Edward, Duke of Kent made a variation to this in a bilingual preface to a brochure made for the British Pavilion at Genoa Expo '92. The relevant passage read:


title: Flag of England

text: The St. George's flag, a red cross on a white field, was adopted by England and the City of London in 1190 for their ships entering the Mediterranean to benefit from the protection of the Genoese fleet. The English Monarch paid an annual tribute to the Doge of Genoa for this privilege


title: Flag of England

text: Red crosses seem to have been used as a distinguishing mark worn by English soldiers from the reign of Edward I (1270s), or perhaps slightly earlier, in the Battle of Evesham of 1265, using a red cross on their uniforms to distinguish themselves from the white crosses used by the rebel barons at the Battle of Lewes a year earlier. Perrin notes a roll of accounts from 1277 where the purchase of cloth for the king's tailor is identified as destined for the manufacture of a large number of pennoncels (pennons attached to lances) and bracers (worn by archers on their left forearms) "of the arms of Saint George" for the use by the king's foot soldiers ("pro peditibus regis"). Perrin concludes from this that the introduction of the Cross of St George as a "national emblem" is originally due to Edward I. By 1300, there was also a greater "banner of Saint George", but not yet in a prominent function; the king used it among especially banners of king-saints Saint Edward the Confessor and Saint Edmund the Martyr alongside the royal banner. George had become popular as a "warrior saint" during the Crusades, but the saint most closely associated with England was Edward the Confessor. This was so until the time of Edward III, who in thanks for Saint George's supposed intervention in his favour at the Battle of Crécy gave him a special position as a patron saint of the inceptive Order of the Garter in 1348. From that time, his banner was used with increasing prominence alongside the Royal Banner and became a fixed element in the hoist of the Royal Standard. Yet the flag shown for England in the "Book of All Kingdoms" of 1367 is solid red (while Saint George's Cross is shown for Nice and, in a five-cross version, for Tbilisi). The Wilton Diptych from the late 1390s shows a swallow-tailed Saint George cross pennant held by an angel in between (the then reigning) King Richard II (accompanied by Edward the Confessor and Edmund the Martyr) and a scene of the Virgin and Child flanked by angels wearing Richard's own heraldic devices.


title: Flag of England

text: Saint George's Day was considered a "double major feast" from 1415, but George was still eclipsed by his "rivals" Saints Edward and Edmund.


title: Flag of England

text: John Cabot, commissioned by Henry VII to sail "under our banners, flags and ensigns", may have taken a Saint George's banner to Newfoundland in 1497.


title: Flag of England

text: That Saint George is the primary patron saint of England is among several lasting changes of height of the English Protestant Reformation, via the content which the teenage king and his Protestant advisors issued to all churches and clerics. These rules were the revised prayer book of 1552. Just as with the Marian persecutions (four years of counter-revolution after his natural death) all defecting clerics faced likely deprivation which was the loss of their office and if more broadly heretical, burning at the stake. The book made clear all religious flags, including saints' banners except for Saint George were abolished.


title: Flag of England

text: "Henry V", the history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written near 1599 includes the fictitious scene of the battle of Agincourt where the king's final rally is:


title: Flag of England

text: thus promoting the notion that the cult or festivities specifically to the saint, or focus on the Order of the Garter put him significantly ahead of two other national saints – instead of depicting that they were approximately equal. The quote became rapidly well known in London, across social classes, and thus imagery entrenched that Saint George was "historically" the primary saint.


title: Flag of England

text: In 1606, after the Union of the Crowns in 1603, it was combined with the Scottish St Andrew's Cross to form the Union Jack, which James VI & I ordered be flown from the main tops of ships from both England and Scotland. The "Red Crosse" continued to be flown from the fore-top by James' subjects in "South Britaine"—i.e., the Saint George cross was used with the new union flag on English vessels.


title: Flag of England

text: In the 19th century, it became desirable for all nations of Europe (and later worldwide) to identify a national flag. During that time, the terms Britain and England were used largely interchangeably, the Union Flag was used as national flag de facto, even though never officially adopted. The observation that the Cross of St George is the "national flag of England" (as opposed to the Union Flag being the flag of all of the United Kingdom) was made in the context of Irish irredentism, as noted by G. K. Chesterton in 1933,


title: Flag of England

text: As a very sensible Irishman said in a letter to a Dublin paper: "The Union Jack is not the national flag of England." The national flag of England is the Cross of St. George; and that, oddly enough, was splashed from one end of Dublin to the other; it was mostly displayed on shield-shaped banners, and may have been regarded by many as merely religious.


title: Flag of England

text: The flag of England is one of the key components of the Union Flag. The Union Flag has been used in a variety of forms since the proclamation by Orders in Council 1606, when the flags of Scotland and England were first merged to symbolise the Union of the Crowns. (The Union of the Crowns having occurred in 1603). In Scotland, and in particular on Scottish vessels at sea, historical evidence suggests that a separate design of Union Flag was flown to that used in England.


title: Flag of England

text: In the Acts of Union of 1707, which united the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England to become the Kingdom of Great Britain, it was declared that "the Crosses of St. George and St. Andrew be conjoined, in such Manner as her Majesty shall think fit, and used in all Flags, Banners, Standards and Ensigns, both at Sea and Land."


title: Flag of England

text: From 1801, to symbolise the union of the Kingdom of Great Britain with the Kingdom of Ireland, a new design which included the St Patrick's Cross was adopted for the flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The Flag of the United Kingdom, having remained unchanged following the partition of Ireland in 1921 and creation of the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland, continues to be used as the flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.


title: Flag of England

text: The flag of the City of London is based on the English flag, having a centred St George's Cross on a white background, with a red sword in the upper hoist canton (the top left quarter). The sword is believed to represent the sword that beheaded Saint Paul who is the patron saint of the city.


title: Flag of England

text: The flag used by the British Royal Navy (the White Ensign) is also based on the flag of England, consisting of the St George's Cross and a Union Flag in the canton. In addition to the United Kingdom, several countries in the Commonwealth of Nations also have variants of the White Ensign with their own national flags in the canton, with the St George's Cross sometimes being replaced by a naval badge.