What is IELTS?

This test is for people who intend to study or work where English is the language of communication. It measures ability to communicate in English across all four language skills listening, reading, writing and speaking IELTS is jointly managed by British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations (Cambridge ESOL) through more than 350 locations in 120 countries.

Who is the ‘IELTS Examination Preparation’ course for?

This course is suitable for students seeking admission to undergraduate and postgraduate university courses, who already have an Upper-Intermediate level or higher of General English.

What does the exam involve?

Listening -This is a test of listening comprehension in the context of general language proficiency. The test is in four sections. The first two sections are concerned with social needs, while the last two are concerned with situations more closely related to educational or training contexts. Texts include both monologues and dialogues between two or three people, and are heard once only.

Reading -The Academic Reading module consists of texts of general interest dealing with issues which are appropriate for, and accessible to, candidates entering postgraduate or undergraduate courses. The module consists of three passages or sections with forty questions. Question types include multiple choice, sentence or summary completion, identifying data for short-answer questions, matching lists or phrases and identifying writers’ views/attitudes.A variety of question types are used for the forty items, including multiple choice, short answer questions, notes/summary/flow chart completion, sentence completion, labeling a diagram and matching.

Writing – Appropriate responses for the Academic Writing module are short essays or general reports, addressed to tutors or to an educated non-specialist audience. There are two compulsory tasks. Task 1, requires at least 150 words. Task 2, the more heavily weighted, requires at least 250. words. In Task 1, Academic Writing module candidates are asked to look at a diagram, table or data and to present the information in their own words.In Task 2, candidates are presented with a point of view, argument or problem and asked to provide general factual information, outline and/or present a solution, justify an opinion, and evaluate ideas and evidence.

Speaking -The Speaking Module takes between 11 and 14 minutes. It consists of an oral interview between the candidate and an examiner. There are three main parts. Each part fulfils a specific function in terms of interaction pattern, task input and candidate output.

In Part 1 the candidate answers general questions about themselves, their homes/families, their jobs/studies, their interests, and a range of similar familiar topic areas. This part lasts between four and five minutes.

In Part 2 the candidate is given a verbal prompt on a card and is asked to talk on a particular topic. The candidate has one minute to prepare before speaking at length, for between one and two minutes. The examiner then asks one or two rounding-off questions.

In Part 3 the examiner and candidate engage in a discussion of more abstract issues and concepts which are thematically linked to the topic prompt in Part 2.The discussion lasts between four and five minutes.

Why choose IELTS?

IELTS is recognized as an entrance requirement by universities in UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and USA.

When can I take the examination?

Students can take the IELTS examination in India any month.

When are the results published?

Results are normally issued within two weeks of a candidate taking the test. IELTS provides a test Report Form giving a profile of ability to use English as assessed by the Test. A score in each of the four modules, and an overall score, are recorded as levels of ability, called ‘Bands’. These Band scores are recorded on the candidate’s Test Report Form. Each Band corresponds to a generalized descriptive statement of a candidate’s English at that level. The profile provided on an IELTS Test Report Form is normally valid for a period of two years.

IELTS Tips and Information:

Preparing to Take:

IELTS tests your ability to use English for academic or training purposes – for example, your ability to write assignments or interpret academic texts. Youll probably get a better result in the test if you prepare properly.

Ways of Preparing:



Read the latest version of the IELTS Handbook (we can lend you one of these). The Handbook explains the test format and has examples of questions.

Buy some IELTS practice materials – available in the Library.

If you haven’t got much time, or if you feel you need individual tuition to help you with any particular problems, we can offer 1-to-1 lessons as well as our English for IELTS group course.

Take an IELTS pre-test – this will give you an indication of your present IELTS level in the reading and writing modules. The Director of Studies can give you the pre-test.





How Do I Apply?

You can get an application form from the Library. Please ask the Library staff. The Director of Studies will help you complete the form and will check available examination dates.

When Do I Get My Result?

Your result should be available within two weeks. You will get an overall score, (called ‘Band’) and also an individual score for each of the 4 parts of the examination.

Harvard University, one of the worlds leading centers for scientific research, has established that creationism is becoming increasingly more powerful in the world and that the global center for this is the work of the Science Research Foundation (BAV). The latest edition of the book The Creationists, from Scientific Creationism to Intelligent Design devotes a special section to the work of the BAV in setting out the fact of creation. The section in question is summarized as follows in a report headed Creation Museums and the Rise of Global Creationism:

An unusual phenomenon that seems to be popping up a lot latelythe creation museum. America’s first one is set to open this spring in Petersburg, Kentucky. The $26.4 million facility boasts animatronic dinosaurs and a state-of-the-art SFX theater, all designed to convince visitors that God created the world exactly as its described in the Bible.

And it’s not just in the US. Like everything these days, creationism is going global, as evidenced by a campaign to open small creation museums across Turkey (a typical one, located in an Istanbul kebab shop, greets visitors with a portrait of Charles Darwin framed in dripping blood). Matt Mossman reports in this month’s issue of SEED Magazine:

In its latest campaign, BAV [Bilim Arastirma Vakfi, or "Scientific Research Foundation"] has opened more than 80 “museums” in restaurants, malls, and city halls across Turkey, each stocked with fossils, posters, and eager volunteers. Oktar’s disciples use tactics cribbed from US organizations like California’s Institute for Creation Research, instructing passersby that evolution cannot explain biology’s complexity and is against the word of God.

BAV runs quite a sophisticated operation, as evidenced by its website, which, according to Mossman, offers downloadable Power Point presentations and questions with which students can challenge their evolution-loving science teachers. And the affinity with US creationists isn’t mere coincidence–a BAV spokesman traveled to the US last year to testify in the Kansas Board of Education’s intelligent design hearings. Beyond the US and Turkey, creationist movements in Britain and Australia (where they seem to be particularly strong) suggest a growing global trend.

For some time, the standard account of the rise of global creationism has been Ronald Numbers’s The Creationists: From Scientific Creationism to Intelligent Design. In November, HUP will publish an expanded edition of this classic, which tracks the development of creationist thinking over the centuries. Two new chapters chronicle the intelligent design movement and the new thrust of global creationism, which we can see at work in the examples above.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR, HARUN YAHYA

Born in Ankara in 1956, Adnan Oktar writes his books under the pen name of Harun Yahya. Ever since his university years, he has dedicated his life to telling of the existence and oneness of Almighty Allah, and to disseminating the moral values of the Qur’an. He has never wavered in the face of difficulties and despite oppression, still continues this intellectual struggle today exhibiting great patience and determination. For mor information pls visit: http://www.harunyahya.com/theauthor.php

Housing loan sanctions has dropped to 7.9% in Australia due to the high interest. Tasmania’s 19% drop is the largest one in all states. HIA optimistic on interest rates in order to improve the current situation of housing section in Tasmania.

Let us figure out why HIA optimistic on interest rates. The Tasmania Housing Industry Association (HIA) states that, in Tasmania housing loan sanctions have dipped to a drastic nineteen percent, which is the largest drop in Australia. All over Australia it has dropped to 7.9%. This increase has affected the housing sector very badly and it is high time that some stability is needed.

All over the country the real estate has declined due to Reserve Bank policies of which Tasmania is the worst hit, standing at 19%. There is a large retrenchment in the housing industry due to lack of buyers and the companies are unable to hold on to their employees. HIA is optimistic on interest rates as it feels with certain incentives the sector could be pulled back to track and hopefully more houses would be built in the coming year.

Apart from new construction, reconstruction work is umpteen with government projects like hospitals, transport complexes and business establishments still hanging on, but the builders are going to find hard to retain the skilled workers.

The State government should provide an impressive budget keeping in mind the requirements of the housing sector, to help them sustain in the industry. In this context the government on other hand has promised to build one thousand four hundred new houses through the new rental assistance program under the equity scheme. So the budget initiatives would be appreciated by the sector if it helps them tide over the problem.

The sales were down 31% last March according to the Real Estate Institute. The main culprit here was the increase in interest rates. By the next financial year it is further expected to fall by 5%. If this happens then the real estate owners will be further affected, which could hamper their business.

Investing in a home is ones dream as they save their major earnings to buy a house. It is also felt that after deciding to go for a property and designing their dream project, nobody goes against their idea just because the interest rate goes up.

It is also considered that Tasmania median house price has increased 13% from two hundred and fifty thousand dollars to two hundred and eighty thousand dollars currently. Different home loans have different interest rates, meaning during the period of the loan the rates fluctuate. The Reserve Bank of Australia has been changing the interest rates. Standard home loans have more characteristics than variable loans, like making extra payment or by withdrawing the deposited money.

In spite, of all the global cues HIA optimistic on interest rates as the Reserve Bank of Australia may take initiates to curb the interest rates for the better concern of the housing sector.

In the financial year 2006-2007 Tasmanian builders has built more than two thousand eight hundred homes. These figures prove that the Tasmanian market is very good and HIA ptimistic on interest rates is evident.

For many young people in the UK, making the move from home to university can be a big step. But for the large number of international students moving from foreign countries to study in Britain, the process can be much more lonesome. Couple this with the fact that staying in contact with overseas relatives by phone can be very costly, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for acute homesickness.

The miracles of modern technology, however, have made keeping in telephone contact with people in other countries much easier and cheaper. AndSo, if you’re a foreign student studying in the UK, rest assured that there are now more affordable ways to stay in touch. For instance, many VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) providers allow users to make free or low-cost international calls to another computer. Applications like Google Talk and Skype, for instance, effectively route voice conversations over the internet or through any other IP-based network, enabling two people on opposite sides of the planet to talk to each other over their computers.

However, VoIP can be unreliable. Using VoIP to make phone calls via a computer relies on an uninterrupted internet connection and a good sound output and input device, in order to clearly have a conversation between two parties. Unfortunately, for Mmany foreign students in the UK, they often rely on their university library for internet access, where phone chats will be forbidden, or depend on their laptops for computer-use, which often have ineffective sound input and output devices.

A more reliable – and convenient – alternative is using a phone card or access number to make cheap international calls on a normal telephone. Most cheap call access numbers allow you to make calls to hundreds of countries worldwide at all times of the day, and usually work by a very simple process. You simply need to call the access number and then dial your international number; your phone service provider will then only charge you for calling the original access number.

And Plus, if you don’t have access to a normal landline, you’ll also be able to dial the access number from your mobile, so you’ll be able to make cheaper international calls whether you’re between classes or you want to share your degree result with your family as soon as it’s known! Furthermore, Ttaking advantage of cheaper long-distance calls means that you’ll be able to feel closer to your family while you’re pursuing your studies in Britain. And while social networks, like MySpace, Bebo and Facebook , allow you to keep in close contact with your friends and relatives, sometimes there’s just no replacement for a good old-fashioned chat!

Strata titled holiday apartments on the east coast of Australia first came about well over a quarter of a century ago as a means of building holiday accommodation in large building complexes without the whole resort being owned by a single identity.

A ten storey building could then be built with each seperate apartment sold off to the public and one of the apartments to a resident manager who maintained the whole resort. They kept the gardens maintained, cleaned the pool and generally looked after the building. The other role they played was to rent out the apartments of owners to vacationers as an onsite real estate agent.

All this looks great and while the building is relatively new doesn’t cause any great problems.Once the apartments become aged and in need sprucing up a bit it is up to each owner to then renovate there own apartment. Many owners don’t understand or simply refuse to update to a standard you would like to stay in on holiday. Older buildings can then have a variety of standards of accommodation and not all apartments look like the glossy brochures you see.

Apartment managers actively encourage owners to update, as the quality of apartments on offer, if left to decline will adversely affect there business.

It is important that you either check with managers what your standard of accommodation will be or you book through a company that will insist that there buildings are maintainted at certain standard to come under there banner.

This is a varietal grape that is grown all over the world. It has been a very popular cash crop in both Australia and South Africa for over a century. It was once known as the most popular wine grape in the world. It was grown everywhere and it was drunk as a single variety or as a varietal component in all kinds of different wine blends. It is used to be called the “industrial grape” because it was used in so many different things from sparkling wines to port to ice wines.

In the early part of the last century, the Semillon used to cover ninety percent of the South African vineyards and over 75% of the vineyards in Chile. It is no longer that popular and in both countries the production of this so called “industrial” grape is down to less than 1%.

Chile is the largest producer of the Semillon in the world today even though the crop has dropped 74% in the last century, due to the popularity of other varietals such as Roussanne (http://www.wineaccess.com/wine/grape/Roussanne/). Part of the reason for the drop is that wine growers began to regulate it as it was choking out other kinds of vines. Heritage grapes were being lost so many of the vines were pulled up by the mid-century of the 1900s so that the Semillion grape variety would not take over vineyards entirely.

The Semillon grape plant is very hardy and produces six to eight tons of grapes per acre. You don’t need a lot of these plants to produce a full crop. It is a pink grape with a thick skin that does best in hilly areas with sunny days and cool nights. The best Semillon grapes are those that are grown in coastal areas as it helps to make this naturally oily and alkaline grape more acidic.

This is an oily grape without much acidity. It is used to make Bordeaux wines in France and is essential to the product of sweeter wines like Sauternes. It is often blended with Sauvignon Blanc and Muscat. As a dry white wine it is commonly known as a Bordeaux Blanc. The acid and sugar in these wines is very complex.

The grape is also popular in Australia where it is nicknamed Hunter River Reisling. The Australian Semillon (http://www.wineaccess.com/wine/grape/Semillon/) single variety wines are known for their buttercup yellow color and flavors of honey, fig, lemon, saffron, pear, bell peppers and asparagus. If it is aged in oak barrels it can also have aromas of vanilla, oak, smoke or toast.

The grape is also still grown in Chile and Africa. It is also grown in Argentina, New Zealand and in California in the U.S. However the grape grown in these places is considered to be too weak to really be sold on its own. Mostly it is grown to blend with Sauvignon Blanc (http://www.wineaccess.com/wine/grape/Sauvignon%20Blanc/).

The Semillon grape also makes many premium ice wine including the famous d’Y'Quem which gets rave reviews from all of the critics. Y’Quem can be found in liquor stores world wide and it is also not that expensive.

In general, the cost of airline tickets from the United States to Australia is not really cheap even if advertised that way. After all, it’s a long, long trip that takes anywhere from 14 to 20 hours each way even on non-stop flights. This being said, it is still possible to enjoy a substantial savings by shopping air carriers carefully and purchasing a ticket as far in advance as you can. This is easier by far if you do so online via the Internet where all the carriers and travel agents stand ready to provide you with both a quote and your reservation quickly with a credit card payment.

The price for a round-trip ticket from Sydney Australia to Los Angeles, California and visa versa, price quotations were obtained for a one way ticket on September 20th with a return 7 days later. Ticket prices for nonstop flights varied from $1,324.60 to $2,211.60 from Qantas; $1,701.60 to $2,336.60 on American and cost $1,619.60 for the single United flight given for that date set. Qantas showed other flights with one or two stops in Nadi and Auckland that were actually six dollars more than their lowest non-stop flights. American’s flights with a single connection stop in Auckland were priced the same as their lowest non-stop fare and a few dollars higher with a stop in San Francisco only. Air Canada also provided fare information showing that their non-stop flights with stops in either San Francisco or Vancouver varied between $1,733.60 and $2,031.50 for a round trip ticket. Finally, Air New Zealand offered a round trip fare with stops in Nadi, Auckland or Christchurch for $2,247.00 while Air Pacific came in with a one-stop price of $2,031.70 for a round trip fare. Extending the return trip time from 7 days to 30 days showed about a 20-30% reduction in these prices.

The prices mentioned above where obtained from one of the major online travel expeditors. And while there is a possibility that shopping still others may have produced a slightly lower fare, it seems unlikely when compared to fares directly from the airlines websites.

Air Travel to and from Australia and New Zealand to the U.S. has increased significantly during the past several years. This is particularly true in America’s summer months when

as more tourist vacationers consider those destinations prime. The real key to obtaining the cheapest-possible fare is to purchase well in advance of any planned trip.

The geographical shape of Australia is very simple and can be divided into three specific regions: The Australian Shield; Tasmania and The Great Dividing Chain, which is a series of rolling hills and high plains, that run parrallel to the West Coast, for over 2000 kilometres, forming the characteristics of a tropical climate at one end and those of sub-alpine at the other.

Flashbooking provides backpackers, students and families with a list of budget selected and independent accommodations worldwide -mostly run by locals- in order to promote an alternative tourism respectful of cultures and different societies.

Cairns is a regional city and Local Government Area located in Queensland, Australia.

Flashbooking accommodation database is easily available online and comes completed with all relevant information about cheap hostel Cairns location, description, contacts, prices, instant real availability, customer ratings, facilities and pictures.

Originally settled in 1876, and named after William Wellington Cairns to serve miners heading for the Hodgkinson River goldfield, the settlement declined when an easier route was discovered from Port Douglas.

Recently put at travellers disposal is another useful tool: the Free Pocket City Guide of Cairns. This free travel guide of Cairns contains, in just 6 printable pages, all the essential information and very good suggestions about the Cairns flea markets, Museums and Art Galleries, budget restaurants and cheap lodgings, classic itineraries you cant miss, transports and a lot more.

However, Cairns’ future was secured as it developed into a railhead and major port for the exportation of sugar cane, gold, precious metals and agricultural industries from the surrounding coastal and Tableland regions.

The city is rapidly expanding, with a population of 128,284 and is reliant on the sugar and tourism industries.

In particular Flashbooking provides a large selection of cheap accommodation offers in Cairns where there are plenty of low cost solutions for backpackers in budget Bed and breakfast Cairns, cheap hotels and guesthouses.

The City of Cairns lies about 1070 miles from Brisbane and about 1600 miles from Sydney by road.

Moreover, for anyone that owns a personal website or a travel blog, the travel guides (London, Rome, Amsterdam, Florence, Prague, Barcelona and more coming on soon!) come for free and can be used as an extra travel resource for theirs users.

Cairns is a popular travel destination for foreign tourists because of its tropical climate and proximity to many attractions.

In Flashbooking website there is also a section dedicated to the world cities events where you can also get a quite exhaustive list of main festivals, exhibitions, concerts and cool things to do and see in other top European cities.

The Great Barrier Reef can be reached in less than an hour by boat. The Daintree National Park and Cape Tribulation, about 80 miles north of Cairns, are popular areas for experiencing a tropical rainforest.

It is also a starting point for people wanting to explore Cooktown, Cape York Peninsula, and the Atherton Tableland.

The customer service is always available to suggest you the perfect accommodation for your trip. A Skype account has been recently added in order to give more assistance to our travellers and backpackers needs. In just a sentence here the flashbooking motto:

Those who love travelling light, those with a sense for adventure, those who love flexibility in their trip, those who like meeting locals and travelling slow and low… THOSE ARE OUR TRAVELLERS!

So mates, we are looking forward to finding the best accommodation for you on your next trip!

A vision to fulfill our life with knowledge, skills, and enthusiasm. Study in a high level of quality into reputable educational institution is one of our dream. A dream that we admit on study abroad programs is a total journey for better enhancement of our goal in life. In order to fulfill those vision, universities in Australia provides you a complete educational program and courses with highly innovative educational methods and instruction which recognized internationally. Some of Universities here in Australia, have their different reputations that provide a broad range of courses that are up-to-date or relevant to the modern employment in the country and through out the world.

As they invest, it is one way to empower the country by means of important breakthroughs in modern technology and gaining high standard of quality education whom they made the whole world proud of them. Australia reach now the honor of center for quality education as they prove that large number of international students was decided to choose Australia as their destination in pursuing their study. We search and explore everything in order to uplift our life in best lifestyle that we pursue to achieve. That’s why study in Australia is the best destination for us to start-up our career and enhance knowledge and talents.

Australia is a safe and friendly country. It was sophisticated and harmonious society in which the students can learn, travel and work. In that matter, Australia has a different Visa programs which intends to every purpose of a person who want s to visit, migrate, travel, work, and study in the amazing country of Australia. For those who want to study in Australia, there are specific Visa programs for you to secure. That is Australian student Visa Program. In securing your student Visa, make sure that you meet the respective qualification and requirements. Student Visa are categorized into five programs.

These are English language course Visa, School sector Visa, Vocational education or Training sector Visa, Higher education sector Visa, and Masters and Doctorate sector Visa. These 5 programs are intends for every sector of respective educational program in Australia. There are Visa for completing a language course, Visa for completing the study elementary and secondary education, a Visa for completing vocational course or any training programs, Visa for those who want to pursue their higher education in Australia such as bachelor degree or college degree courses, and a Visa for graduate study such as Masters in research and Doctoral degrees.

You can choose among those Visa programs which suited for your pursuing educational programs. Not only that, while studying in Australia, you were able to travel in some beautiful places in every regions of the country. Or by securing holiday Visa, you can have part time job in Australia. If you are industrious enough, you can earn more money there because of lot of workplace for you to have part time jobs. When you graduate d a course in certain educational institution in Australia, a brighter future is already in you that keeps your identity as a successful student which is a product of a certain university in Australia. A mark of a world class standard of quality education that gave to you by the university in Australia.

Myrthle Robillos – National Visas

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Australia Visa Immigration

Australia Visa Information

Australia Immigration General Information

Italian cuisine is as varied as the regions of Italy. Although Italy was officially unified in 1861, the food reflects the cultural variety of the countrys regions with culinary influences from Greece, Roman, Gallic, Germany, Turkish, Hebrew, Slavic, Arab, Chinese and other civilizations. In this sense, there really is no one Italian cuisine because each area boasts of its own specialties. Not only is the food of Italy highly regionalized, but a high priority is also placed on the use of fresh available produce.

Although traditional Italian dishes vary by region, they also do not follow strictly to a North/South pattern either. The north tends to use more butter, creams, polenta, mascarpone, grana padano and Parmigiano cheeses, risotto, lasagna and fresh egg pasta, while the south is more tomato and olive oil based cooking, along with mozzarella, caciocavallo and peconrino cheeses, and dried pasta. Coastal and central regions often use tortellini, ravioli and prosciutto in their cooking. Even pizza varies across the country. In Rome the crusts are thin and cracker-like, while Neapolitan and Sicilian pizzas have a thicker crust.

For most Italians, pasta is the first course in a meal with the exception of the far north where risotto or polenta is the norm. Vegetables, grains and legumes play a regular part of many Italian diets with meat often not being a regular part of everyday meals, Olive oil is usually seen in its dark green state (from its first pressing) in the south, where in the north a more refined, golden oil is seen.

Basically, Italian cuisine consists of a combination of vegetables, grains, fruits, fish, cheeses and a some meats, with fowl and game usually seasoned or cooked with olive oil (with the exception of the far north). La cucina povera, the food of the poorer Italian people of the southern coastal area, has shaped a diet popular for centuries but now there is a resurgence of this “poor people’s food”, the Mediterranean diet, which is now being touted as the model around which we should restructure our eating habits.

Breakfast is considered a minor meal in Italy, often consisting of nothing more than a bread roll and milky coffee (caf latte). Traditional lunches tend to be larger, have several courses and are eaten slowly. Italian children don’t go to school in the afternoon, and because of the heat, many small businesses close from midday until about 4pm which makes lunch the social meal of the day.

The traditional menu structure in Italy consists of basically eight courses, but the long traditional Italian menu is typically kept for special occasions such as weddings, with everyday fare including only the first and second courses, with the side dish being served with the second course. As an exception to this order, a unique course, Piatto unico, can replace the first or second course with, for example, pizza.

The traditional menu consists of:

1. ANTIPASTO which are hot or cold appetizers, literally it means before the pasta; consists of a varied combination of colorful foods. The most popular ingredients are melon or tomatoes served with prosciutto cut into very thin slices. Lettuce, such as the slightly bitter endives or rocket, or other green leaves, such as the aniseed-tasting fennel, are typically used as a garnish, placed around the edges of the serving dish. Salami, mortadella, coppa and zampone, manufactured meat products, are common in antipasti. The artistry of the food is as important to Italians as the taste. For example the reddish colour of salami provides a good contrast to the green lettuce. Fish and other seafood may also be used in the antipasti course and, of course, olives and artichokes are also common servings, as are mushrooms (fungi) seasoned with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

2. PRIMO (first course) which usually consists of a hot dish such as pasta, risotto, gnocchi, polenta or soup, with many vegetarian options. There are many types of pasta, each type usually named after its shape with common types including spirali (spirals), farfalle (butterflies; sometimes described as ‘bow-tie-shaped’). Penne (hollow tubes) and conchiglie (shells). Different shapes are supposed to be better with the different types of sauces. Spirals are two strips of pasta twirled around each other and are used with the heavier sauces, such as those containing minced meat and vegetables. Rigatoni is cylinders or tubes, with a wide diameter and grooves (or lines) on the outside. The grooves are supposed to hold the sauce onto the pasta, meaning that this pasta is good with runnier sauces. Then there is the group of pasta made up of long thin strands, which includes the most common type of pasta, spaghetti. Typically you eat this type of pasta by coiling its long thin strands around a fork. Other long thin pastas are tagliatelle, fettuccine and linguini, which are all varieties of flattened spaghetti. Extremely thin strands of pasta are called vermicelli (meaning ‘little worms’). Yet another group of pasta is made of flat sheets (lasagna) or tubes (cannelloni), which are either layered or stuffed with meat and cheese fillings. Some pastas have ‘pockets’ to hold the sauce inside them instead of outside like ravioli or tortellini, which are soft sheets of pasta rolled around meat or cheese. Italians cook pasta of all kinds, whether fresh or dried, in boiling water until al dente (‘to the teeth’, meaning still a tiny bit hard in the centre. It is then served immediately in a bowl with sauce or cheese.

3. SECONDO (second course) this is usually the main dish of fish or meat. Veal, pork and chicken are traditionally the most common and are often pan-fried or casseroled. Beef is used as steaks (bistecca), while lamb (agnello) is roasted on special occasions, such as Easter and Christmas. Fish and other seafood are often used as main courses.

4. CONTORNO (side dish) this may be a salad or cooked vegetable. Salad is traditionally served with the main course. Common vegetables are beans (greens and pulses), potatoes (often sauted), and carrots as well as salads.

5. FORMAGIIO AND FRUTTA (cheese and fruit) this is the first dessert course and the fruit and cheese are usually served together. Grapes, peaches, apricots and citrus fruits are a major product of Italy’s agricultural industry and are common.

6. DOLCE (dessert) the cakes and cookies course Italians produce many sweet desserts and ’sweet treats’, including Amaretti, almond-flavoured meringues, which Australians call macaroons, Panforte, a sweet semi-hard ’strong bread’ based on nuts and containing dried fruit (a classic Christmas treat from Siena), and. Pannettone, a very rich bread-cake (another Christmas treat).

7. CAFF (coffee) which is usually espresso coffee

8. DIGESTIVE (liqueurs) which may be grappa, amaro, or Limon cello. The wine industry has been important to Italy for centuries and the most common drink associated with Italy is wine. Until recently, and even now in the countryside, most Italians would make their own red or white house wine after the grape harvest. This would be drunk at every lunch and dinner. Even children are given wine to drink, but it is usually watered down with mineral water. Before dinner many Italians drink an amaro (bitter) to stimulate the digestive system, while after dinner they may drink sweet wines, such as marsala (from Sicily). Children are also sometimes given Marsala, beaten with a raw egg and sugar into zabaglione, to strengthen them.

PIZZA

Modern pizza has evolved from pizzas made by peasants in Naples, Italy, but more than a few Mediterranean peoples can claim to have ‘invented’ the pizza. In ancient times many civilizations created dishes of flat bread with various herbs and toppings. As a staple for the poor, it was a matter of necessity that food could be eaten without utensils, and that the ‘plate’ it was served on could be eaten as well. They made a bread crust from flour, water and yeast, topped it with olive oil, herbs, cheeses, sometimes even leftovers, and baked the whole thing in a stone oven.

Given that most pizza connoisseurs today consider the tomato sauce to be the key ingredient, it may be surprising that pizza pre-dates the introduction of tomatoes to Europe. Tomatoes reached Italy by way of Spain in the early 1500s but were thought to be poisonous. It was several decades later that tomatoes topped a flatbread in the form of a pizza.

Italian cuisine is very popular in all its forms and is imitated all over the world. Look for a few Italian recipes on Junes Recipes page, and visit our Marketplace to find Italian cookbooks and herbs and spices to make your families Italian dishes more authentic.