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ORIGINAL: intenze

tax evasion

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ORIGINAL: snappykappy

Scotland claims that title today, but Wikipedia's history of haggis says the Romans were the first to create the dish and then possibly the Scandinavians.

The haggis is frequently assumed to be Scottish in origin though there is little evidence for this, and food writer Alan Davidson states that the Ancient Romans were the first people known to have made products of the haggis type.[1] A kind of primitive haggis is referred to in Homer's Odyssey, in book 20, when Odysseus is compared to "a man before a great blazing fire turning swiftly this way and that a stomach full of fat and blood, very eager to have it roasted quickly." Haggis was "born of necessity, as a way to utilize the least expensive cuts of meat and the innards as well" (Andrew Zimmern). In fact, in times of famine people would eat whatever it was that they could get their hands on, which is how all those fascinating ingredients became a part of Scottish tradition.

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ORIGINAL: BitaTruble

So don't turn your nose up at ventresca di vitello piena. If you've tried haggis you can try stuffed calf's stomach, crammed with minced tongue, pistachios, vegetables ... and anything else that comes to hand. The result is quite delicious. Offal features large, and the Genovese have wonderful ways with tripe. With so much coastline it would be surprising if fish were not a staple, and you will enjoy anchovies, salt cod (baccala), cuttlefish stew (burrida di seppie) and marinated fish dishes. The signature dish of Liguria is pesto, the simple yet delicious paste of basil, garlic, pine nuts and pecorino. For puddings, watch out for rice cakes (torta di riso) flavoured with rosewater.

Italy .. just like Grandma used to make. ;)