In sauces, olive oils and other seasoning condiments garlic is a common and zesty ingredient used to add a pungent and tasty flavor to a number of traditional Italian foods. Perhaps the most well known use of garlic is in garlic bread but there are many other uses for the garlic clove when preparing Italian dishes. Whether using chopped garlic, garlic cloves or garlic scapes and leaves there are a wide variety of Traditional Italian Food that goes great with the unmistakable taste of garlic.

Garlic is a terrific addition to Italian sauces and soups or stews. Using a garlic press you can finely chop whole garlic cloves into minced pieces that still retain a full flavor. Garlic can also be used with vinegar to produce a tangy salad dressing. To provide a more subtle garlic flavor to salads simply rub peeled garlic cloves over the salad bowl before adding the greens.

Accent any gourmet Italian food or dish with hearty garlic bread that can be easily made using frozen dough and crushed garlic and other herbs. Usually with a full loaf of either French or Italian bread you’ll need only two cloves of garlic. With parmesan cheese, parsley and butter you’ve got all the ingredients to bake up warm and delicious garlic breads that are staples for any traditional Italian food meal.

Another familiar Italian food favorite is pesto sauce with garlic. Pesto is a widely popular pasta sauce that features crushed herbs and garlic and can be found in its traditional green color or red if the sauce includes sun-dried tomatoes or red bell peppers. Garlic and pesto is not for the faint of heart. These two herbs combine to bring a potent zest to traditional pasta and meat dishes.