The Bread Mistakes Tourists Always Make At Italian Restaurants

When in Rome (or anywhere in Italy, for that matter), who doesn't want to wine and dine like a local? A chance to experience authentic Italian cuisine is one of the main appeals of visiting the Mediterranean country, yet some tourists make the occasional mistake when patronizing Italian eateries.

No one wants to be that tourist who sticks out like a sore thumb, so it's worth studying up on proper etiquette tips for eating pasta and other classic Italian dishes before your trip. Many common tourist dining mistakes involve bread, which is an integral part of an Italian meal. Although bread is often brought out before the main course, Italians don't typically polish off their bread before any other food arrives. The bread is meant to be eaten with the food, but not with other starchy foods like pasta. There is, in fact, a right and a wrong way to eat bread at an Italian restaurant.

Many Americans are used to receiving a basket of bread as an appetizer. At restaurants in the U.S., bread is often eaten while you wait for your main course; in Italy, however, bread is meant to be eaten with food. Even then, not just any food will do.

It's customary in Italy to eat bread with soup, salad, antipasto, meat, fish, or vegetables; it's not meant to be consumed with other starchy foods like pasta or risotto. That said, it is common practice to save a small piece of bread to mop up any remaining sauce after you've finished your pasta. Known as "fare la scarpetta," which translates to "make the little shoe," this method of sopping up sauce was considered bad table manners until fairly recently. According to "Il Galateo," Giovani della Cassa's 16th-century etiquette guide, the practice should be reserved for informal settings (via Italy Magazine).

There are some exceptions to bread not being an appetizer in Italy. Focaccia is considered an antipasto and can be eaten like a snack as soon as it arrives. After all, Focaccia is often best when it's fresh out of the oven and still warm. Toasted bread drizzled with olive oil, called bruschetta, is also considered an antipasto.

Americans are often accustomed to their bread being served with either butter or olive oil and balsamic vinegar. In Italy, asking for butter or oil for your bread is a great way to out yourself as a foreigner. Remember, the bread is meant to be eaten with food, not as an appetizer, so don't expect any extra condiments to come with your bread in Italy.

Your bread may be drizzled with olive oil, but dunking an entire piece into a bowl of the stuff is not the Italian way. Not only is olive oil expensive there, but it's also considered bad form to use communal bowls for dipping. If there is a bowl of olive oil on the table — there are exceptions to every rule, after all — pour some onto your personal plate instead of repeatedly dipping your bread into the shared bowl. Not only is it better manners, but you're also less likely to drip oil on the table linens.