As everybody knows, Italy is the epitome of delicious food. There is a real cult behind the preparation of even the simplest dish and the echo that traditional italian recipes have all over the world is the clear example of the charm italian food has always held on people.

May they be Italians abroad looking to recreate the smells and the flavours of home in a rush on nostalgia, or simply food lovers searching for outstanding tastes and experiences, everyone appreciates italian food and buys it abroad.

For this reason, we tried to make a list of the most appreciated made in Italy food products exported abroad, with a special focus on Great Britain.

1. PASTA

Is there something screaming ITALIAN more than pasta? Italy covers 59% of the total amount of pasta imported by the UK. Many clients only know spaghetti and maccheroni, but do they know that there's an endless variety of shapes and flavours? In our regional selection we tried to gather the most typical ones for each region of Italy. Can you spot Calabrian Fileja in the above picture?

2. EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

A basic and absolutely necessary ingredient of Mediterranean cuisine is extra virgin olive oil. Italians don't only use it as a condiment for foods, but they also implement it during the heating of dishes and to add a special flavour and golden smell to certain foods. Great Britain imports 25% of its extra virgin olive oil from Italy, which only comes second to Spain.

3. WINE

The third place of our list is taken by wine. Together with the french one, Italian one is amongst the most famous and exquisite wines in the world.

England imports 22% of its wine from Italy and there is a predilection for white and rosè wines. Prosecco and Champagne have a wide success among the most stilish Londoners. Our Franciacorta is very appreciated for its elegant look and balanced scents.

4. CHEESE

Italy is well reckoned also for the high quality of its cheese. Especially Parmigiano Reggiano has become a symbol of made in Italy, obtaining great success over the years and becoming a crucial ingredient in many recipes that might or might not be Italian. The UK imports 16% of cheese from Italy.

5. SAUCES AND CONDIMENTS

11% of the imported sauces and condiments in UK comes from Italy. Is this because, speaking of intensity of flavour and genuine ingredients, nothing can beat a well-cooked italian sauce? We are quite sure this might be the reason. And, although it might be about simple tomato sauces most of the time, the attention of certain clients for typical and traditional italian sauces such as sicilian pesto or caponata, is something that has to be considered.

6. SWEETS

Great Britain imports from Italy 6,6% of the total amount of imported baked sweets. The most appreciated italian bakery products come from Tuscany and Sicily. This might be because the sweets of thiese two regions are very peculiar and impossible to forget. Name a tourist who came to Siena and didn't like the almond taste of Ricciarelli and Cantucci: you won't be able to find them. And what about Brönte Pistachio and Modica Chocolate? They are absolute musts when visiting Sicily and most of the travellers look for those holiday vibes and flavours also when they're back home.

Do you agree with our list? Share your opinion and personal experiences with us on social media and let us know what you think of Italian food @goshopitaly.

HerFavFood picked the Calabria Pasta & Sauce Boxmix that you can find here: http://www.goshopitaly.com/it/home/21-boxmix-pasta-sughi-calabria.html

Source: 

OEC: The Observatory of Economic Complexity

https://atlas.media.mit.edu/it/