Yes, Italians Eat Vegetables

How to find them when you’re eating out in Italy

Italians eat vegetables.

You’d think this would be an obvious fact of life, something so self-evident it wouldn’t even need to be said. And yet, you have no idea how often I get asked why Italians don’t eat vegetables.

So let me make one thing perfectly clear. Italians not only eat a lot of vegetables, they form one of the largest and most important parts of the Mediterranean diet pyramid.

I’m fairly certain these questions come from visitors to Italy who are eating almost all of their meals in restaurants and can’t quite figure out how to work vegetables into those meals. Which I completely understand. When Italians go out to eat, they don’t necessarily order the same way they eat at home. Eating out is a treat, an experience, something special and different. And that usually does not mean a big salad.

At home, vegetables are constant. At restaurants, they’re quieter. Sometimes almost invisible. Yet hiding in plain sight.

So this post is all about how to eat more vegetables while traveling through Italy, without frustration, embarrassment, or feeling like “that” tourist.

Six Tips for Eating More Vegetables During Your Trip to Italy