One of the areas affected is diet and cuisine. To my non-Italian friends, they can't quite grasp the depth to which Italian cuisine reaches. It's far, far more than just "spaghetti and meatballs." Or as one classic Quebecois invention: the Pizzaghetti. My French friends in the neighborhood would sit stunned when they'd listen to me explain the varied styles of tomatoes sauces we use. They all thought it was basic tomatoes (Marinara) or sometimes with "viande hachee" or minced meat - which would make it a Bolognese. Though they were unaware the original recipe calls for butter to be used.
I explained to them the fragmented nature and regional particularism that exists in Italy. I always told them to almost treat them as indepdendent entities within greater Italy in order to understand the history and of course what drives its cuisine.
In the North, the diet was influence by these Alpine states especially when the Austrian-Hungarian empire ruled Italy. Along the way, the use of sauerkraut, potatoes and other fine starches. The other interesting thing about Italy is how, despite its relatively small geographic size and enormous size of its food industry, many products found in one part of the country isn't available elsewhere. It happens here in Canada too thanks to inter-provincial barriers. Not sure what the reasons are in Italy.
I've had the pleasure of kicking around both in the North and South of Italy and the customs, dialects and of course diet change with each passing kilometer it seems. So if you find yourself in Venezia or in Roma or in Genoa or in Palermo - always remember: Different countries! It helps, I find, to make sense of things.
Image: Lake Como.
The best spaghetti I ever ate was a simple white pasta boiled and then warmed in butter accompanied by big cubes of cured mutton and some dryed pepper seeds. He also served a fried in olive oil green pepper sandwich that could take you a long way.
ReplyDeleteI don't know where, in Italy, Mr Figliuzzi came from but he could cook. I had his son in my Scout troop at La Madonna della Diffesa in 1948 or 49.
Northern Italy in itself is a different entity than from the south
ReplyDeleteSo if you find yourself in Venezia or in Roma or in Genoa or in Palermo - always remember: Different countries!
This is very true. Many different Italians, dialects, habits, wines, style of clothes, breads, pastas, way of moving body and hands, and, even if they speak Italian (Tuscan) they have a totally different accent that is generally disliked by other regions (this is common in many countries, but Italy’s diversity is very rich due to the longer history). I would say every region (20?) has many sub-regions totally diverse. For example in Latium the province of Frosinone in South Latium and that of Viterbo, they are two totally different worlds, like, say, Portugal and Provence. As for language diversity in the 50s with TV starting at that time only (while in America Tv started much earlier) we finally had a linguistic reunification.
Take wine or food. The French have a nobler tradition – started by us though - , but they cannot compete with our cultural variety and prizes, so our wine exports vs many countries (USA, for example) and greater.
The error of the Piedmontese, when they unified the country in 1870, was that of not choosing federalism, one of the factors why many southern areas were kinda crushed. The Piedmontese, at the periphery of the French culture, simply copied the French way, ie centralized government.
Northern Italy in itself is a different entity than from the south
ReplyDeleteSo if you find yourself in Venezia or in Roma or in Genoa or in Palermo - always remember: Different countries!
This is very true. Many different Italians, dialects, habits, wines, style of clothes, breads, pastas, way of moving body and hands, and, even if they speak Italian (Tuscan) they have a totally different accent that is generally disliked by other regions (this is common in many countries, but Italy’s diversity is very rich due to the longer history). I would say every region (20?) has many sub-regions totally diverse. For example in Latium the province of Frosinone in South Latium and that of Viterbo, they are two totally different worlds, like, say, Portugal and Provence. As for language diversity in the 50s with TV starting at that time only (while in America Tv started much earlier) we finally had a linguistic reunification.
Take wine or food. The French have a nobler tradition – started by us though - , but they cannot compete with our cultural variety and prizes, so our wine exports vs many countries (USA, for example) and greater.
The error of the Piedmontese, when they unified the country in 1870, was that of not choosing federalism, one of the factors why many southern areas were kinda crushed. The Piedmontese, at the periphery of the French culture, simply copied the French way, ie centralized government.
and greater = are greater
ReplyDeleteItalian wine rules!
ReplyDeleteDidn't realize that about Piemonte's decision to go with the French model. It makes sense given French political influence stretches back to Napoleon.
I wonder how much of an impact Federalism would have had on Italy.
Paul, my favorite spaghetti dishers are:
ReplyDeleteAlla carbonara; aglio e olio; garlic/rapini. None have sauces with them.
Could the sauces be a cultural accommodation for North Americans such as happenned to pizza, Breton crepe and many other dishes that underwent drsatic changes over here while retaining the original dishe's name?
ReplyDeleteThere's no doubt that's the case. Take alla carbonara for example. The original recipe (correctly) calls for no cream. Here in North America, because we tend to like butter-based or dairy-based thick creams, add cream to it. It kills the entire dynamic of the dish if you ask me.
ReplyDelete