TaraDeS — 1 year ago(May 26, 2024 02:26 PM)

Pasta with Solemn Seriousness - Italian Food Myths
There's much fuss about Italian food.
The historian Alberto Grandi dispels the biggest myths in his book.
Spaghetti-Performance with Alfonso Sessa
Recently I had trouble finding spaghetti at the grocery store that wasn't made with bronze molds.
That was the other way around a few years ago. At that time I learned that the good pasta makers in Italy all press their dough through bronze molds, instead of Teflon-coated ones. This is more expensive, but the surface of the pasta is roughened, which in turn improves its ability to absorb sauce.
And that's ultimately what it's all about.
Bronze knowledge apparently spread quickly. No wonder. When it comes to Italian cuisine, it's very important to do everything exactly like the Italians do. Pasta has to be
al dente
, of course. They should also be mixed with the sauce before serving and always with some pasta water in the sauce because its starch binds.
Speaking of pasta and water:
Olive oil shouldn't be in it, no spoon on the table (only a fork) and no parmesan on spaghetti frutti di mare!
As much as these may all be useful tips, they're also signals of distinction.
Look, I really know how to cook in Italy - best complemented by a travel anecdote where I learned it on site.
And please, it's called
"Ragù alla Bolognese"
and you eat it with tagliatelle, not spaghetti.
The solemn seriousness of Italians when it comes to their food and their outraged reactions
(pineapple on pizza?!?) are an internet humour category of their own.
Alberto Grandi, a historian from Parma, sees it a little more relaxed.
His thesis:
The myth of Italian cuisine emerged in the 1970s and has been systematically promoted ever since. And many of the dishes aren't that old. The Italian emigrants to America played an important role in popularizing them 100 years ago. Grandi likes to use the term
"invented tradition"
coined by Eric Hobsbawm.
Grandi's theses are published as a book
"Denominazione di origine inventata"
(invented designation of origin).
For example, before WWII Parmesan was significantly softer than it's today, Carbonara was invented in the USA and tomato sauce was also little known in Italy. Grandi particularly enjoys the Italian fuss with their quality seals for regional ingredients, DOP, IGP, PAT and whatever they are called.
I finally bought the last plain pasta at the supermarket.
My stupid palate likes spaghetti with butter and parmesan every now and then.
The thing with the bronze molds is definitely just a marketing gimmick anyway.
https://taz.de/Buch-ueber-italienische-Essensmythen/!6008785/
May 26,2024
Buon appetito!
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