L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2025 www.italoamericano.org 32 L'Italo-Americano T h e d e b a t e o v e r the authenticity of Italian cuisine r e c e n t l y t o o k c e n t e r s t a g e again, fueled by comments f r o m t w o h i s t o r i a n s , Alessandro Barbero and Alberto Grandi. The controversy began in 2023, when Alberto Grandi, a professor of food history at t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f P a r m a , appeared in an article in The F i n a n c i a l T i m e s , a r g u i n g t h a t m a n y i c o n i c I t a l i a n dishes were either created or popularized outside of Italy, often by Italian immigrants i n A m e r i c a — y o u m a y b e familiar with the debate, as we discussed it on our pages about a year ago. In his cri- t i q u e , G r a n d i s t a t e s t h a t iconic dishes like carbonara or pizza are much younger than popularly believed and became "famous" around the c o u n t r y o n l y i n r e c e n t decades. For example, Gran- di suggests that carbonara l i k e l y d e v e l o p e d i n p o s t - W o r l d W a r I I I t a l y , w h e n A m e r i c a n s o l d i e r s i n t r o - duced bacon as a substitute for traditional Italian ingre- d i e n t s . I n d e e d , G r a n d i ' s r e s e a r c h i n d i c a t e s t h a t recipes for carbonara did not appear in Italian cookbooks until the mid-20th century. Further challenging Ital- i a n c u l i n a r y o r t h o d o x y , G r a n d i a l s o e x p l a i n s t h a t parmesan from Wisconsin could be an acceptable alter- native to the famed Parmi- giano-Reggiano, given its similar taste and production processes; he argues that the sanctity given to Italian culi- nary ingredients sometimes overlooks quality substitutes developed outside Italy. This p o s i t i o n d r e w s i g n i f i c a n t criticism from Italian food purists and agricultural orga- nizations, including Coldiret- ti, who accused Grandi of diminishing the cultural and economic importance of Ital- ian food exports. Enter Alessandro Bar- bero, a well-known histori- an and media figure in Italy, who, just a handful of days ago, penned yet another page in the diatribe, suggesting that Italian cuisine is not a cohesive national entity but rather a series of regional traditions and that Italian American cuisine may well be the only unified "Italian cuisine" we have. Barbero argues that Italy's culinary identity is defined more by diversity than by a singu- l a r , u n i t e d c u i s i n e . B u t what's even more interest- ing is that he places Italian American cuisine at the f o r e f r o n t o f w h a t m a n y a b r o a d c o n s i d e r " I t a l i a n food," a perspective that has become especially relevant as more people in Italy itself question the impact of Ital- ian American adaptations o n g l o b a l p e r c e p t i o n s o f Italian culture. B a r b e r o ' s i n s i g h t s emphasize how, in fact, Ital- ian American food may be t h e c l o s e s t t h i n g t o a "national" Italian cuisine, at l e a s t f o r p e o p l e a b r o a d : developed by immigrants a d a p t i n g r e c i p e s t o n e w ingredients and tastes, Ital- ian American cuisine has d o n e m o r e t o s h a p e t h e international perception of Italian food than any single regional cuisine from Italy. Dishes like spaghetti with meatballs, chicken parme- san, and generously sauced pasta, which are mainstays of Italian American cuisine, reflect an Italian culinary identity adapted to Ameri- c a n p r e f e r e n c e s a n d , f o r Barbero, these foods are the real culinary bridge between Italy and other cultures. He further suggests that, unlike I t a l y ' s i n t e r n a l r e g i o n a l d i v e r s i t y — w h e r e d i s h e s from Sicily, Tuscany, and Piedmont stand distinctly apart—Italian American cui- sine offers a unified image of Italian food abroad. W h i l e s o m e m i g h t s e e Italian American cuisine as " i n a u t h e n t i c , " B a r b e r o instead sees it as a unique culinary evolution that speaks to the adaptability of Italian traditions and has become a successful export that has solidified Italy's cultural influence globally, c r e a t i n g a s h a r e d I t a l i a n food identity that does not exist within Italy itself. A l s o A l b e r t o G r a n d i , i n s p i r e d b y t h e a t t e n t i o n and interest his interview with the Financial Times s u m m o n e d , h a s r e c e n t l y r e t u r n e d o n t h e s u b j e c t , w i t h t h e p u b l i c a t i o n o f a b o o k c o - a u t h o r e d w i t h Daniele Soffiati, titled La Cucina Italiana non Esiste ("Italian Cuisine Does Not Exist"), published earlier this year. The book largely expands on the content pre- sented in last year's article, and outlines the history of Italian dishes in a way that challenges their perceived a u t h e n t i c i t y . G r a n d i a n d Soffiati maintain that the strength of Italian cuisine l i e s i n i t s a d a p t a b i l i t y , p o i n t i n g o u t t h a t r e c i p e s a n d i n g r e d i e n t s h a v e evolved based on external i n f l u e n c e s o v e r t h e c e n - turies. They, too, give credit to Italian immigrants in the U n i t e d S t a t e s f o r h a v i n g altered dishes to accommo- date locally available ingre- dients and American tastes, a choice that had a lasting impact on the global percep- t i o n o f I t a l i a n f o o d . T h i s adaptation has led Grandi to argue that Italian cuisine, as viewed from abroad, is less a b o u t t r a d i t i o n a n d more about an ongoing interaction between Italy and the cultures of Italian diaspora communities. The views of Barbero and Grandi reflect a larger dis- cussion on the identity and evolution of Italian cuisine: Grandi's claim that many Italian dishes are modern constructs or Italian Ameri- can innovations challenges traditional notions of culi- nary authenticity, while his assertion that the UNESCO bid for Italian cuisine "does- n't stand up" highlights his belief that Italian food is constantly changing and has been heavily influenced by g l o b a l t r e n d s . B a r b e r o , meanwhile, provides a coun- terpoint by highlighting the diversity within Italy's own regions, while acknowledg- i n g t h e i m p a c t o f I t a l i a n American cuisine on global perceptions. T o g e t h e r , t h e i r a r g u - ments encourage a reevalua- tion of what "authentic" Ital- ian cuisine means. While Grandi's work calls for an u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f I t a l i a n food as a flexible and evolv- ing practice shaped by exter- n a l i n f l u e n c e s , B a r b e r o ' s views focus on the impor- t a n c e o f I t a l y ' s r e g i o n a l identities as integrant part of the Italian culinary her- itage, along with the accep- tance that Italian American c u i s i n e i s , p e r h a p s , w h a t most people outside of the Belpaese view as "Italian food." GIULIA FRANCESCHINI The authenticity of Italian cuisine: what does Alessandro Barbero say? Parmigiano is a symbol of Italian food, but what is real Italian cuisine? (Photo: Rotislav Glinsky/Dreamstime). Historian and media personality Alessandro Barbero (bottom left) has a peculiar view about it (Photo: Markus Wissmann/Shutterstock) LIFESTYLE PEOPLE FOOD ARTS ADVICE

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