The cliche scene in Western film involving a romantic, drawn out Italian dinner of gourmet food is a familiar one, for many going all the way back to a childhood viewing of Disney’s Lady and the Tramp. But summing up the complexities of the importance of the overall culinary experience in modern Italian culture in such a scene is giving it short change. In this paper, we will explore the topic a bit more in-depth.
One aspect of Italian cuisine is the constant evolution of the food itself. Often, Italian food is associated with, for example, tomato-based sauces over pasta. Yet like many other crops essential to Italian cuisine (you can’t make Gnocchi without potatoes, after all), the tomato is a fairly recent addition to Europe and, by extension, Italy. These are now inseparable from the standard Italian fare, yet did not come into extensive use in Italian cooking until only a few centuries ago. Ingredients, though, be they Old World in origin or New, are prized for quality, and good Italian cooking emphasizes the importance of fresh ingredients grown locally and that are in-season. Oftentimes, ingredients are procured even by or from family members, adding to the personal relationship the food has with the people themselves.
Italian meal times and customs also have their own unique character. Breakfast is light, perhaps a bit of biscotti, accompanied by an almost-obligatory espresso. Lunch, traditionally the most important meal, is losing significance due to modern working habits, but still consists of antipasto, a first plate often consisting of pasta or soup, and a main dish with a protein. The pace is not rushed, and it often runs over an hour in length. Dinner then follows a similar pattern, but is often extended even longer and accompanied by excellent wine or grappa, both of which are renowned as Italian specialties. And as with all aspects of cuisine in Italian culture, the people it is shared with is just as important as the food itself, which is one very good reason that time is taken out of the day to enjoy these meals with colleagues, friends, and, most importantly, family.
Italian culture famously emphasizes the importance of family, and this extends to Italian culinary culture as well. Sundays are often spent at a family lunch event, a large gathering of relatives and friends. The multi-course event can go on all day. An Italian Sunday lunch combines two central tenets of Italian culture, food and family, into one enjoyable event underscoring the strengths of the local culture and strengthening the central bond of the family unit. And, in a culture of drawn-out, relaxed, and personal culinary events, it is fitting that it is also meal that best showcases these qualities by showcasing the most important of relationships, those involving the family. These multi-generational events ensure that the bond to the past remains strong in modern Italian culture.
This paper can only begin to scratch the surface of Italian cuisine and its central role in Italian cultural and interpersonal relationships. But the love of good food and taking the time to procure and enjoy it remain a central part of the unique, carefree, and family-oriented nature of Italian culture.
Works used:
“Italian Food Culture, All About Joy, Family, and Tradition”. discoveritalianfood.com. Web. Accessed on 2/13/2013. Retrieved from http://www.discoveritalianfood.com/italian-food-culture.html.
Thornley, Robin. “Culture & Food Habits of Italy”. USA Today Travel Tips. Web. Accessed on 2/13/2013. Retrieved from http://traveltips.usatoday.com/culture-food-habits-italy-11428.html.
