L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 10 THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2018 L'Italo-Americano I talians are everywhere, spreading culture, design, creativity, and all things Ital- ian. "Italian," however, does not necessarily mean strictly from Italy but, rather, it has come to define what sounds Italian, what reminds of Italian culture. Italian meatballs and Ameri- can meatballs It will come as a surprise, for example, to learn that spaghetti and meatballs, the most iconic dish, the quintessential symbol on which Italian-American cuisine is founded, is not an Italian recipe. When immigrants from Southern Italy came to the US at the end of the 19th century, they were very poor. In the US not only did they find a job and started earning money, but also began enjoying more often ingredients they would only consume on spe- cial occasions back home, espe- cially meat. The percentage of income spent on food, thanks to the high- er earnings and to the availability of products, went from 75% to 25%. The immigrants, many of whom worked in the Chicago slaughterhouses, started eating meat like never before, but they were not buying steak or filet mignon, they were buying beef and re-creating the recipes that made them feel at home.  Nothing more so than meat- balls: they were originally very small and made with 50% bread- crumbs soaked in water or milk, and 50% meat. But first genera- tion Italian Americans wanted to eat more, so they started making them bigger and covering them abundantly in cheese. Spaghetti and meatballs symbolized a com- bination of home and never- before-experienced abundance and wealth, and they became the symbol of Italian culture in the US. Back in Italy meatballs, polpette, remained smaller and a dish to be consumed on its own. Still today, they are never added to pasta except when, in some cases, tiny polpette are added to broth. So, are spaghetti and meat- balls Italian? No. They are Ital- ian-American and symbolize a longing for home mixed with the sacrifices that immigrants faced in their new country. Next time you have spaghetti and meatballs, feel reverence and send your thoughts to our ancestors. The history of lasagne from ancient Rome to the US Lasagne - better than lasagna for the same reason you say spaghetti and not spaghetto - is an Italian word and recipe. Lasagna derives from the Latin "laganum" and the Greek "laganon." The first to write about a recipe involving a thin layer of pasta made with whole wheat flour was Apicius, a wealthy merchant passionate about cuisine, who lived in Rome in the 1st century AD. He wrote about a layer of diamond shaped pasta dough, that was fried and to which meat and cheese were added. In the Middle Ages, poets like Cecco Angiolieri wrote about lasagna: "he who makes lasagne with another person's flour will have a castle with no walls and no moat." It is in the Renaissance, with the advent of egg pasta, that a particular recipe becomes popu- lar. It was written in the Neapoli- tan Liber de Coquina and called for alternated layers of pasta and cheese: it was the beginning of a tradition, shared between clash- ing Neapolitan and Emilian recipes. In fact, the Emilian paternity of lasagne is quite DONATELLA POLIZZI Little, tasty nuggets of Italy recent, dating to the early 19th century. However, Pellegrino Artusi, the nearby Romagna author of La Scienza in Cucina (1891), a text still considered one of Italy's cooking bibles, ignored this recipe and it was only the activity of Bologna chefs to give this dish the popu- larity it enjoys today. There are several versions of lasagne: pesto lasagne from Genoa, given to sailors to carry on boats since the 12th century; the Veneto lasagne, with Treviso radicchio; the Sicilian lasagne with ricotta and fried eggplants. The two best known are the Emilian, with Bolognese ragout, Parmesan and béchamel sauce, and the Neapolitan with Neapoli- tan ragout, tiny meatballs, ricotta, Pecorino, provola, mozzarella, eggs, and white pasta dough. Lasagne have become a symbol of Italian cuisine especially in the US, where they arrived in a "poorer" immigrant version, as lasagne kept well and were edible for several days. Just like spaghetti and meatballs, lasagne in the US changed from the origi- nal recipe thanks to the larger availability of meat. Reflecting fast paced American life, more compromises were made: the long simmered ragout was substi- tuted with hamburger meat, hard- boiled eggs, sausage and meat- balls were jettisoned, and ricotta substituted with cottage cheese! Italy and US like different salads The approach to salads marks another difference between Italy and the US. Here, it is always served at the beginning of each meal. In Italy, instead, salad has always been a small side dish to accompany the second course. It is served in a small plate set to the left of the main course one. Salad plates are often moon shaped, so that they do not take take too much space. Fai le corna! The good luck little horn sym- bol can be found in many food shapes, one for all: the Sicilian cannolo. It has ancient origins: symbolized the male genitalia, embodiment of life and protector against evil spirits. In Roman cities like Pompeii, it was drawn on walls, street pavements and used as door chimes. Businesses often kept a symbolic phallus in the premises to keep away jeal- ousy. Water bottles or caffé? Moving from food to bever- age, I have noticed that in the US many people always carry a bot- tle of water along. I have never seen such a habit in Italy, and it really struck me. The water bottle seems an obsession, a security blanket. Drinking is good for you, but why always carry a bot- tle along? Why doesn't it happen in Italy? Maybe because in Italy people walk more and can just stop by a café and ask for a glass of water; except in the North, where they ask you to pay for it, you can usually get a free glass of water in all coffee shops. Or you can stop at a bakery and buy a bottle if you are thirsty. In Italy, when you are around town, you have a caffé or a gelato or what- ever you are in the mood for. Water, you drink it at home. Maybe it's because Italians pay more attention to formalities and drinking water from a bottle when walking around in the street is not considered that classy. Different places, different habits! Delicious, yes. Italian, no. Spaghetti and meatballs are an all-Italian American concoction Italians like "fare le corna," because horns are supposed to bring good luck LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE

• Cover