Week 47 - Food Week - Ellie shares the rich food culture of Italy

Edited BY


G P Kennedy


Ellie - Milan, Italy




 Food in Italy is such a complex and big topic that there is not even the remote chance that this story will cover anything of significance. 

 

 On the other hand, Italian food as a topic in other countries is just as complex, What with all the cookbooks, TV shows, YouTube channels, and, of course, restaurants and import companies that dot the landscape. 

 

 To sum up a complex theme, yes, most of the stereotypes you have heard about it are true to a large extent, but the complexity can throw all concepts off. 

 

 Italian food is preferably local, it's fresh, healthy, and simple, all at the same time also including dishes with lard, recipes, and ingredients imported from faraway places (like China), and raw fermented specialties that defy the concept of freshness. 

 

 But yes, it definitely is based on a sense of enjoyment and community experience, as well as a notion of something that I am still looking for a good translation for: Cucina Povera, that is, poor people's cuisine which in Italy means not cheap, processed food, but simple and seasonal ingredients that are inexpensive.

 




 Let me introduce you to a dish that embodies this. Pizzoccheri is pasta that you most probably have not heard about. 

 

 It's made of buckwheat (forget semolina al dente), includes potatoes of all veggies, as well as something green like cabbage and such, and its main grease is butter. 

 

 It is the typical pasta of the mountain regions of Lombardy and believe me, it's incredibly good. So in terms of ingredients of Italian food, you can say everything and its opposite and you'll always be right. 

 



 Things have changed in the last few years, but not due to the advent of McDonald's and Starbucks in the country. 

 

 Yes, they exist and it appears that they are profitable (maybe), but the connection of daily life and food that they provide is definitely emulated by other local companies. They are trying to find ways to keep up with the model while modifying it to their local values. 

 

 For example, look at this tiny chain for fast food that is based on a traditional sandwich from Emilia Romagna. They are tiny loaves of bread with different fillings, ranging from gorgonzola and walnuts to spinach to meat. Traditionally, they are meant to be shared, that's why they are small, varied, and creative.

 



 In the last year, though, the logic and impulse of sharing have completely changed. Restaurants and eateries are mostly closed.

 

 Most importantly, the community of sharing through food is lost. For example, ice cream shops are now open for the season, but they don't have visitors. 

 

 Since coffee shops are also open, they hold now spots of congregation in front of their doors where people crowd with their disposable coffee cups and talk to friends and strangers. 

 

 People clearly need the community of food. 

 

Let's hope that this year-long experience gives us a new appreciation of food and its value of lifting spirits and sustaining connections.

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