The Origins and History of . . .
Italian Food
The mere mention of Italian food conjures up
specific imagery, dishes, and even a few basic ingredients. While the
stereotypical Italian restaurant in America (and to a great extent any country
outside of Italy) reliably serves up plates of hot pasta with tomato or
cream-based sauces, this is far from true Italian cuisine. Or, at the very
least, the stereotype represents only a small part of the many diverse and
multi-regional styles that make up Italy’s total gastronomic picture. The
culinary history of Italy is deeply indebted to cross-cultural currents of
people and societies from over three thousand years of history that slowly
defined the Italian peninsula as a geographical, political, and cultural entity--and
that was long before anything even remotely resembling a national cuisine could
be established. Indeed, international Italian cuisine often has specific,
easily identifiable, common characteristics that can be traced to specific
regions or that resemble customs in general usage throughout the country. But
the geographically defined area recognized today as Italy itself has a cuisine
as diverse and multifaceted as its long, complex history.
