Italian-American Cuisine
Among the most popular traditional foods in America is the Italian-American cuisine. Italian-American foods were influenced by immigration of Italians to America. The popularity of these dishes began in the late nineteenth century after the Italian peninsula unification which contributed to the migration of Italians to America (Levit, 2012). Initially, only the men migrated to America in search of better jobs; however, the population of these immigrants increased with time. These communities were significant in the development of the Italian cuisine by introducing culinary practices from different Italian backgrounds and merging them to form a more integrated Italian-American dish.
The Influence of Italian Immigrants
Through immigrants, the Italian foods gradually became a part of the American diet since the 1990s (Lee et al., 2014). The settlers introduced many foods to America. some of these include the eggplants, chicken piccata, steak pizzaiola, chicken cacciatore, veal marsala, saltimbocca, and arugula among many others (Mancuso, 2012). Moreover, this era marked the influx of ingredients with Italian origin. The ingredients range from balsamic vinegar to focaccia, bruschetta, polenta, as well as extra virgin oil. All these are what define the Italian-American cuisine.
Culinary Evolution
The need of the Italians to adapt to their new environment and making use of what they had contributed to this culinary evolution. Most of the immigrants were from poor southern regions of Italy (Cannato, 2015). These areas did not have plenty of meat, and therefore their meals consisted mainly of vegetable and grain dishes. On immigrating to America, they could not access the recipes they were used to, and all they could get was lots of beef, chicken, and pork. American surplus of meat played a central role in the invention of these dishes.
The Irony of Italian-American Foods
Contrary to the various assumptions concerning the Italian-American cuisine, most of these dishes have nothing to do with Italy. In an interview by Dan Gentile, Michael White a chef based in New York explained the irony of the Italian-American foods. One of the examples he gives is concerning meatballs. In Italy, an equivalent of meatball does not exist; what they make is known as Polpette (Gentile, 2015). The size of this food is smaller than the regular meatball in America. Polpette is a combination of pork, beef, and veal or simply veal. However, when the immigrants came to America they could not find these ingredients and had to use what was available; which was mostly pecorino-Romano cheese and lots of beef.
Pepperoni Pizza
The other example is pepperoni. In Italy, this kind of pizza does not exist. In actual sense, pepperoni is red-ball pepper. The Italian type is made from soppressata or salami Picante, and these are mainly pork. The pepperoni beef in America, which is all meat, is from the Hungarian tradition (Gentile, 2015). The Italian immigrants only modified it, and the pizza does not have any correlation with Italy.
Assimilation and Influence
Therefore, these cuisines were not new to Americans and they have been around long before the immigration of Italians. However, when the immigrants arrived, they merged their native recipes to the American (Camillo et al., 2010). The Italian foods have been part of the Western diet for so long that people have menaced them into their culture and changed their way of dining.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the migration of Italian led to the spread of the Italian cuisines into American kitchens as well as restaurants and food industries. Immigration was influential in bringing the Italian culture to the American mainstream through food. Italians culinary creativity made it easy for them to be assimilated into the Western culture by shaping the cooking and eating practices of Americans, on the other hand, the Americans played a role in influencing the manner in which the Italian prepared the cuisines.
References
Camillo, A., Kim, W.G., Moreo, P., & Ryan, B. (2010). A model of historical development and future trends of Italian cuisine in America. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 29, p.549–558.
Cannato, V. (2015). How America became Italian. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/how-america-became-italian/2015/10/09/4c93b1be-6ddd-11e5-9bfe-e59f5e244f92_story.html?utm_term=.e0659a26b6eb
Gentile, D. (2015). The Surprising Origins of 8 Italian-American Dishes. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/thrillist/the-surprising-origins-of_b_7802486.html
Lee, J., Hwang, J., & Mustapha, A. (2014). Popular Ethnic Foods in the United States: A Historical and Safety Perspective. Comprehensive Review in Food Science and Food Safety, 13, 2-17.
Levit, W. (2012). From Family Meals to Four Stars: The Establishment of Italian-American Cuisine in New York City. Wesleyan University Journal, 1-72.
Mancuso, J. (2010). A Brief History of Italian Food in America. Retrieved from https://www.lagazzettaitaliana.com/food-and-wine/7627-a-brief-history-of-italian-food-in-america
