"This comparison is inappropriate and completely unacceptable," Schroeder said at the beginning of a speech in the German parliament.

"I expect that the Italian prime minister will apologise fully for this unacceptable comparison," he said to applause.

The German government on Wednesday called in the Italian ambassador to Schroeder's office to explain the comments.

Berlusconi made the remarks in a debate in the European Parliament in Strasbourg after a speech presenting Italy's priorities for its six-month presidency of the European Union, which began on Tuesday.

He later said he did not mean to offend German feelings, but he declined to retract the comment or apologize.

The German media slammed the comments on Thursday, stirring the row with some strong remarks of their own.

Franz Josef Wagner, a commentator for Germany's best-selling Bild daily, wrote an open letter to Berlusconi in which he praised Italian food and the country's rich cultural heritage, but said the Italian leader had done his country no favors:

"You, Silvio Berlusconi, are currently the richest, most influential and most controversial Italian. But spaghetti Berlusconi won't feature on any menu. Spaghetti Berlusconi will not conquer the world. Spaghetti Berlusconi doesn't taste good."