Hey guys, welcome back! Today we are going to talk about Italy and Italian food. Believe it or not, these can be two different things when we are talking about Italian American food. There are multiple different foods that we call Italian foods here in the United States but are not served in Italy at all. If you are booking a trip to Italy and are excited to try all of your favorite Italian American dishes, you will sadly be disappointed. Unless you are eating at a location that caters to Americans and American Italian cuisine, then you won’t get those dishes you are so used to.
You may be asking why? Why are American Italian dishes so different than classic Italian dishes. There are two main reasons for this. For starters, between 1876 and World War 1, millions of Italian immigrants came over. In Italy, things like meat, cheese, and even pasta were luxury items that the poor couldn’t afford. When they came over to the United States, they realized things were more affordable. They were now able to afford the foods they couldn’t. This is why they would make huge meatballs and then put them on spaghetti. Because it made them feel wealthier. They could enjoy not just meat, or not just pasta, but both, together, at the same time.
Another huge factor is how diverse the Italians were when they migrated to the United States. They came from different regions in Italy to now being all together. Italy’s regions all serve different dishes. True Italian food is very diverse and locally driven. There are a few dishes you can only get in certain areas. When Italians moved and were now all local to each other, they swapped recipes and tips. This is how some dishes have come about to be classic Italian American dishes.
