Geography and Cultural Influences on Italian Food

Geografia d'Italia 

Geography of Italy

 

Figure 1. Worldatlas Map of Italy

Geography from World Atlas

Italy is a beautifully scenic and mountainous peninsula, often referred to as "boot shaped," in Southern Europe that stretches out into the Mediterranean Sea. During the year of the Roman Empire, Italy and other countries of the Mediterranean sea boarder became a melting pot of different cultures that introduced a variety of culinary traditions. The merging of Roman and Germanic cultures had the largest influence on Italian cuisine. The Romans followed a Greek model that represented agricultural and urban civilization with wheat, grapes, and the olive tree as the core. On the other hand the Germanic population followed and a more hunter gather approach, staying close to the forest. The two cultural traditions clashed and brought about different ways of utilizing land. For some time these different diets indicated two different civilizations but when the Germanic people invaded the Roman empire their traditions slowly took over and kept with it the Roman agricultural traditions through the practice of Christian faith. The new identity of cuisine consisted of bread, wine, and meat. 

Figure 2. Meat, wine, and fruits

(left) Figure 3. is a photo of the Roman Colosseum, shot on my parents vacation to Italy. It is one of the major land marks in Italy you can visit to sense the amazing history that comes with Italy. 

Above is another major landmark in Italy, Manarola is the oldest town in Cinque Terre and in my opinion one of the most beautiful. It has an incredible view of the Mediterranean Sea. (Also shot on my parents travels).

Figure 4. Italian Flag of Staples in Italy

(Basil,pasta,tomatoes) 

L'immigrazione da e per

Immigration To and From

The cuisine in Italy varies from region to region because of the different cultures settling in different parts of Italy. However, much of the cuisine was shaped by Italian immigrants who traveled to the Americas and brought back with them a wide range of food. These foods include: chocolate, vanilla, tomatoes, avocado, peppers, pineapple, and a variety of squash. Unfortunately much of the “Italian” food you find in the United States has been Americanized. Italians focus on simplicity and rely of the flavors of fresh products to represent the dish, while Americans like to throw in many different herbs and pull together many flavors on a single dish. 

Below in Figure 5 and 6, is an example of a loaded meaty American pizza verse the traditional basil, tomato, and mozzerella pizza from Italy.

(American)

(Italian)Attached is an excellent recipe for an authentic Italian pizza:
 Everyone Love Pizza


Sequenza di Piatti
Sequence of Dishes

In Italy, food is an art of combination; the dishes must be balanced and compliment each other. For example, certain breads,cheeses, and meats should be pared with the correct wine. In the Ancient times, meals needed to balance each other with temperatures as well. If a food was too hot, it needs to be accompanied by cold foods or moist foods should be accompanied by dry foods. Rules of cuisine such as these have carried on through time but aren't followed as strictly. Meat is also a food product that followed specific methods, such as Venison also being eaten boiled. Anthimus, a Byzantine physician said "Roasting is good if the deer is young. But a roast of venison is heavy if the animal is old."

The meal structure in Italy goes as follows: Colazione (breakfast), Pranzo (lunch), Merenda (Mid-afternoon snack), Cena (dinner). Colazione usually consists of Caffe e Latte with bread, butter, and jam. Pranzo is considered the most important meal of the day and is often spent with families and very cherished. Merenda is similar to breakfast and consists of a creamy drink, with bread, or yogurts. Cena, unlike in the United States is a light meal that consists of soups, salads, or leftovers.

Figure 7: Photo taken in Italy on family vacation. 

The final picture is of my great Grandfather Federico Marraccini (far left) and his buddies drinking wine in Lucca Italy. 

Work cited: 

The National Geographic Atlas of the World, Italy Facts, Eighth Edition. 

Capatti, Alberto and Montanari, Massimo, Italian Cuisine: A Cultural History, Columbia University Press; 1999, p. 35-70, 84-115, 273-293

Kittler, P. Nahikian-Nelms, M. and Sucher, K. Food and Culture (text book), Sixth Edition; 2012, 2008, 2004 Wadsworht, Cengage Learning p. 130-158.