Over the years, Italians have changed their eating habits. There are still people who do things the traditional way, especially for special occasions, but since lifestyles have changed, eating habits have changed, too.

It used to be that shops would close for the (long) lunch hour. There would have been time to go home to a full lunch and even a nap before going back to work. Those days are over for lots of Italians. The laws changed, and many shops have orario continuato (open all day), so lunch hours tend to be shorter. 

Many bars (read: cafes) now serve not only panini and toast (grilled cheese), but often primi piatti (pasta dishes) or un piatto freddo (a cold lunch), as well. It's usually a pretty quick and inexpensive way to have lunch. A sign outside might say pranzi di lavoro (work lunch).

These quick lunches are in contrast to a full meal, which includes some or all of the following: antipasto (appetizer), primo (pasta, rice, or soup), secondo (meat, fish, or cold plate) with contorno (side dish, usually vegetables or salad), dolce o frutta (dessert or fruit), caffe (coffee), amaro (or something stronger such as grappa). 

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But what exactly is un amaro? The adjective amaro means "bitter." In herbal medicine, tinctures are a common remedy, made by infusing alcohol with specific medicinal herbs, which are often bitter. One example is tarassaco (dandelion) used as a spring tonic, good for stimulating the liver, helping to eliminate toxins. 

L'amaro has its origins in herbal medicine, being produced in monasteries or pharmacies, and has become a noun meaning a mildly alcoholic beverage produced by macerating — in other words, soaking for a lengthy period — herbs, roots, flowers, bark, and or citrus rind in alcohol (of different types), adding sugar at some point, and letting it age for about a month. It's often thought of as being medicinal, aiding in digestion. But lots of people drink un amaro because they like it. 

Un amaro is part of a larger category called i digestivi (alcoholic drinks meant to help you digest). Non-Italians often prefer an after-dinner drink or digestivo such as Limoncello to an actual amaro, as it is more attractive, cold, and more sweet/sour than bitter. And of course, there is even a larger category called i liquori (the liqueurs).

Tourists traveling around Italy might be familiar with bright yellow limoncello made from lemon rind (not lemon juice, as you might imagine). The same process is used for an orange liqueur called, appropriately, arancello, since arancia is the word for "orange." In fact, Yabla has a video with the recipe for arancello. The important thing is to have fruit that hasn't been sprayed, since it's the rind you use. 

Il prodotto finale sarà questo: l'arancello siciliano, fatto con bucce di arance biologiche.

The final product will be this: Sicilian arancello, made with the rinds of organic oranges.

Captions 49-50, Adriano L'arancello di Marina

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Limoncello and arancello are usually served from the freezer. They don't freeze because of the alcohol, but remain very cold. 

One famous after-dinner drink is "Strega" (strega means "witch" as in "witch's brew"). It's made in Benevento, Campania, and involves about 70 different herbs and spices, among them: cannella (cinnamon), ginepro (juniper), menta (mint), zafferano (saffron), and more. It’s the saffron that gives Strega its characteristic yellow color. 

You may have heard about the Premio Strega for literature in some of Yabla videos. The name of this literary award comes from the company that produces Strega, whose owner helped create this award in the 1940s. Learn more about the Strega award here, with a list of all the winners over the years. Maybe you'll find a book in Italian you want to read!

In the following example, a Strega award winner tells a story about taking someone's suggestion seriously (to drink plenty of Strega).

"Mi raccomando, bevi tanto Strega, bevi tanto Strega, festeggiamo bevendo tanto Strega".

"Please, drink a lot of Strega [digestive bitters] drink lots of Strega, let's celebrate by drinking lots of Strega."

Captions 33-35, Romanzo Italiano Lazio - Part 10

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Although this type of digestive liquore is made in many different countries, amaro is a word used uniquely in Italy.

One famous brand of amaro is L'amaro del Capo. Marika mentions it in her tour of a typical Italian supermarket.

Qui trovi una vasta scelta di liquori nazionali, come il Limoncello e L'amaro del Capo.

Here, you will find a vast selection of national liqueurs, like Limoncello and L'amaro del Capo [digestive bitters from Calabria].

Captions 11-12, Vocaboliamo Supermercato - Part 5

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Some people make their own amaro. If you have a walnut tree (un noce), for example, the still-green hulls can be used to make nocino. A homemade liqueur can make a great Christmas present. 

When you want something alcoholic after the coffee you have after a meal, it can be called a "coffee killer": un ammazzacaffè.

It's not necessarily un amaro and might be something stronger such as grappa. 

Va be', che, che, che, che fa? -Ah, alle venti ha cenato alla trattoria Da Mimmo's. Spaghetti, cotoletta. -Caffè e ammazzacaffè, commissario.

OK, what, what, what, what does he do? -Ah, at eight P.M. he had dinner at Mimmo's eatery. Spaghetti, breaded cutlet. -Coffee and coffee killer [after-dinner drink], Commissioner.

Captions 43-44, Il Commissario Manara S1EP12 - Le verità nascoste - Part 5

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Whether you drink alcoholic beverages or not, it's good to know what they are, especially when being entertained or going to dinner in Italy.  

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