"Monk's Head" cheese requires a special shaver.

Artichokes form the backbone of this vegetal liqueur.

Grown in the volcanic soil around Mt. Vesuvius, these tomatoes are one of only a couple varieties used in authentic Neapolitan pizza.

Once an insect-dyed health tonic, this liqueur now adds a scarlet tint to Italian pastries.

Historians debate whether this dish actually originated with Italian sex workers.

As fine as the marble it's cured in, this pig fat salumi is a Tuscan masterpiece.

The secret to this sandwich is the cow’s fourth stomach.

The washed and dried root of the licorice plant was once a popular natural “candy.”

Baloney's predecessor is sweet, delicately spiced, and bigger than your head.

The fiery Calabrian meat spread also goes by "red Nutella" and "poor man's Viagra."

This sweet symbolic figurine is a Sicilian holiday tradition.

These Neapolitan Christmas sweets double as decorations.

Some Sicilians start their day with this decadent combination.

The seductively delicious Easter cake once made an entire convent neglect its prayers.

The ultimate in nutty brews.

Created in Rome's Jewish ghetto, the fried artichokes herald spring.

Most people have never tasted the real thing.

This layered pastry from Italy's Amalfi Coast may have origins in a 17th-century convent.