Antipasti, Starters, Salads...
A Tuscan Antipasto Misto: What's On The Plate
Tuscan festive meals usually start with a mixture of antipasti, consisting of cold cuts, crostini, and generally something else, either pickles or cheese or perhaps both, and perhaps a sauce or two. If you're in a home the antipasti will be presented in platters, which people pass about, picking and choosing. In a restaurant this is obviously less practical, and you will likely get a plate.
Andar per Antipasti: Crostini
No festive Tuscan meal would be complete without a platter of crostini to start it off.
Starting the Meal: An Antipasto Misto
A festive Italian meal generally begins with a variety of appetizers, which are known as antipasti -- literally, before the meal. These antipasti vary considerably from place to place in Italy, but they will often include a selection of pickles and other firm vegetables, which are known as an antipasto misto.
Starting the Meal: Affettati Misti
A festive Italian meal generally begins with a variety of appetizers, which are known as antipasti -- a word that literally translates as before the pasto, or meal. These antipasti vary considerably from place to place in Italy, but they will often include a selection of cold cuts, which are known as affettati misti.
Antipasti Campani: To Start the Meal
In some parts of Italy you'll be served traditional antipasti. In a traditional place in Campania you'll be served some, but also dishes of other kinds that will also work as starters.