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The Italians have some of the best food in the world. But how old is this tradition really?
00:00 – 01:14 – A big stir
01:14 – 02:54 – Paying the bills with Myheritage
02:54 – 04:03 – why I love italy
04:03 – 04:54 – Food is a serious serious thing
04:54 – 06:45 – cancelling myself forever
06:45 – 08:25 – two myths of Italian cuisine
08:25 – 10:35 – unification and migration
10:35 – 14:45 – American influences in Italian cuisine
14:45 – 16:24 – where does the idea of strict rules come from?
16:24 – 19:21 – some civil academic discourse
19:21 – 22:05 – the dark side of food purity
22:05 – 23:04 – go buy some mozzarella
Many thanks to Alberto Grandi, his book will be out in English this year.
Sources: Riley, Gillian – The Oxford Companion to Italian food: https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont0000rile/mode/2up Zachary
Nowak (2014) Folklore, Fakelore, History, Food, Culture & Society: An International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, 17:1, 103-124 http://dx.doi.org/10.2752/175174414X13828682779249
Decoder Ring – The Great Parmesan Cheese Debate: https://slate.com/podcasts/decoder-ring/2023/07/parmesan-cheeses-journey-from-italy-to-wisconsin
Anthony F. Buccini – On Spaghetti alla Carbonara and Related Dishes of Cental and Southern Italy: https://books.google.si/books?hl=en&lr=&id=cfP6jHmSLnMC&oi=fnd&pg=PT36&dq=Anthony+F.+Buccini+carbonara&ots=NUAaZ899qB&sig=DIEEj6SWrE-LfH_EVEyL5ESQquk&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Anthony%20F.%20Buccini%20carbonara&f=false
Financial times: Everything I, an Italian, thought I knew about Italian food is wrong: https://www.ft.com/content/6ac009d5-dbfd-4a86-839e-28bb44b2b64c
Volkskrant: Kom aan de pizza en heel Italië valt over je heen: ‘Verrader. Door wie ben je omgekocht?’ https://www.volkskrant.nl/nieuws-achtergrond/kom-aan-de-pizza-en-heel-italie-valt-over-je-heen-verrader-door-wie-ben-je-omgekocht~bb5d57b1/
The Guardian – If there’s one thing Italians won’t stomach, it’s dishing the dirt on their cuisine. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/apr/02/one-thing-italians-wont-stomach-dishing-dirt-their-cuisine
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35 Comments
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you should study the history of European cuisine. when the French were nothing in the cuicine, and still ate with their hands, in the courts of the Tuscan Renaissance they were already cooking scenic and elaborate dishes and the use of cutlery and etiquette was common.
which then influenced French cuisine. among other things from which Pierre de la Varenne drew ideas and inspiration. Caterina of medici introduced italian cucine mood in france. Crepes = crespelle. And so on.
Am I the only Italian-American who likes pineapple on pizza?
1. If it tastes good to you, then it isn't wrong for you.
2. I've cooked dry pasta without salting the water. That didn't taste as good as pasta cooked in salted water. Also, given that 'traditional" Italian recipes have you reserve the pasta water and add some to the final dish, not having salt in that water means you'll have to add salt to get the seasoning to the right level. And salty water is easier to integrate into a dish with a sauce.
3. The pineapple is easier to have with every bite if it is cut into chunks instead of rings. Also, fresh pineapple tastes better than canned ones, and that taste improves if they get some grilling in the oven.
4. We went through something similar with Chinese food in America. I totally support the thesis that American Chinese food is its own culinary category, clearly descended from Chinese cooking traditions from a couple of specific, and seafaring, regions of China. It also has elements that are clearly derived from the palate of the mid-20th century American family, including ingredients and spice levels.
There's also a major bifurcation of Chinese dishes into those from the mainland, and those from enclaves of "overseas" Chinese immigrants throughout Asia and the west. When I visited Delhi, I ate at in Indian-Chinese restaurant. It was like some bizarro world of Chinese cuisine, with Indian spices and cooking methods mapped onto Chinese dishes. I've encountered one restaurant in California doing that style of food. It's arguably the same with lots of other Asian cuisines: Singaporean Chinese, Thai Chinese, Malaysian Chinese, et cetera.
I live in Japan, could you give me the phone number for the Italian Food Police please. There are a lot of very series food crimes I need to report.
(btw, you are one of the few educational YT channels that I know of who provide sources in the description)
I know what you did wrong.. You didn't cut the pineapple
I honestly think you get the worst pizza, in Italy.
Both those dishes look wonderful
But I'm from the country with chicken+banana+curry pizza. Which I don't like. I do like pizza Hawaii+banana+kebab sauce.
Let's just forget all the historical facts of the 4 Roman dishes and just focus on a mentioned to say "cabrornara is a modern dish". Pure documentation and random facts does build research, just click bait.
see i've evolved from the simple hawaiian pizza and learned if u add hot peppers onto it u get sweet, savory, and spicey all in one
if i remeber correctly Boerenkool en all stuff came from Bulgerian region but now a stapel in dutch cuisine (hey man biertje doen een keer ?)
Hahaha the moment you showed Lidl italian lasagna was a win, just because a few min before I was browshing the Lidl catalog – it’s Italian week coming up 😂 have get some pistacio paste!
of all the presented food crimes, not boiling the pasta water first is what got me the most riled up
Love this global history of italian food!
Food culture is never static. And all nations are build on myths that are actually not as abcient as they seem.
I believe the world would be a better place if more people would understand this complexity.
All Italian food comes from Long Island.
I am very disappointed by this video full of stereotypes that have nothing to do with Italy, but rather with Italian Americans (only Americans).
Pizza traces its origins back to before Rome.
I understand that you are jealous of our culture but get over it!
Sit italica sua vis!
Alberto Grandi, in Italy, is considered the type of guy who says one thing right and nine wrong.
I need this on Greece and the migrant Greeks. It's actually quite annoying how much the older generation grips onto this stupid idealism in Australia when the youth in Greece are completely different.
I'm pretty sure you just made yourself a wanted criminal in Italy
So, to recap this video, Italian emigrants made Italian food for other Italians in Little Italies, then brought the knowledge back to Italy for other Italians to then adapt to Italian ingredients and Italian culture. This was done with American wealth, though, so is the end result really Italian?
When I put pasta in my erwtensoep the Dutch around me tend to get uncomfortable — because I'm extracting Dutch food from its role in Dutch culture and clumsily jamming it into my own. If you're feeling any discomfort at this idea yourself, you might begin to understand why Italians get mad at food.
At some point the video suggests that traditions that "only" go two generations back aren't REAL traditions. Three generations ago, Italy had Mussolini trying to shape the country in his image. The world was a much different place in the 1930s, and the fact we don't have much in common with those times should hardly surprise.
You could think of a tradition, a shared experience, as having both depth and breadth. Rushing through your frugal breakfast on a work day, listening to the 15 minutes morning news cast playing on loop on the Canale 5 tv channel has only been a thing for a couple decades, but when so many people go through the same experience at the same time, the lack of historical depth is made up by the national breadth — it shapes a generation, and still ascends to the status of tradition. Sarah and abraham appears to started in the 1960s and really only caught on in the 1990s. Does that make it not a tradition?
Finally, the bit of the video were you insinuate that Italians need to feel pride for theif food because, well, the soccer isn't doing so hot feels especially misleading, not least because you conveniently neglect to mention that Italy won an Euro Cup in 2021, and a World Cup in 2016, and Eurovision in 2021, and the 100m sprint in the 2021 Olympics, and MotoGP in 2022, and… even acknowledging all that would still be super reductive.
Onvoldoende.
It's important to approach discussions about culinary traditions with a balanced and objective view, and acknowledging that change and adaptation are common in all culinary traditions. But imho this video falls short in its treatment of this subject, ultimately coming across as a somewhat personal critique of Italian culture. Most people will walk away from this video with the impression that Italian cuisine is somehow deceptive, when in reality, nearly all culinary traditions have undergone similar transformations in recent years. Take Japan, for instance, probably as renowned for its culinary heritage as Italy, and often regarded as highly 'authentic' (whatever that means). In truth, Japanese cuisine, like Italian, has also significantly evolved, with many of its signature dishes having emerged or evolved during the 20th century.
Given how tumultuous the last century was, it's completely logical that this happens. But then again I guess any clout is good clout, eh.
Mmmm this sounds more like an American trying to own everything…from south america we know about this XD
there are recipes from the roman empire that are still around (with changes, cause time affect things)
stop trying to steal culture from other countries, please
that "carbonara" killed me. and im not even italian
“Italy is famous for its scandals”. The only scandal here is this condescending, pathetic video. The food, the culture, the history of Italy is wasted on you.
lol pizza is not american and all american foods are a copy of them, just italy won a world heritage. 60% of american are fat, 10% in italy. Are just facts.
Not to mention pasta that originated in China (noodles), probably brought to Italian shores by Magellan
Poorly done video
The pizza show also points out that American square pizza can be derived from traditional sfincione, so not just the Neapolitan pizza influence but a mix of these different southern Italian cultures
I’m happy to acknowledge that Salvini abroad is as perceived as a food blogger as he is as a politician 😁
Ps I’m not sure Food sector accounts for 500 B$, I think the amount probably comes from a food sector association.
Hey, look at that. 13 thousand views in a day. I live here. In Italy. I eat the food. What part of my food is a lie? You got great click-bait, dude. Make your youtube money. I'm gone.
Why is no one talking about the amazing voiceover of the right wing politician?? 😂
I feel with this video that you have reached a Johnny Harris standard.
I can't stand food purists!
My wife & I spend about a month each year in Europe, including Italy. Honestly, Italian food is much better in the USA than in Italy. Plus, the veariety is orders of magnitude better.
Admittingly, I'm usually eating food in touristy areas of Italy. No disrespect intended toward grandmother's in country kitchens.
Hilarious TPP