Authentic Italian

Daisy said:

I visit Italy about every 2 years or so. Always in the North. I
have foiund that the quite interesting American/Italian cookery
programs do not relfect what I eat when I am in the Veneto or Emelio
Romagno provinces. Yes, the recommended cheese is the same, as is the
proscuitto but the food I eat with family and at restaurants is
nothing like the American/Italian presenters cook.

Perhaps American Italian/American cooks are from a different region of
Italy -Sicily or the south perhaps?

Thsi is NOT a criticism but seeking an explanation for the difference.
Thank you.

Daisy

Carthage demands an explanation for this insolence!

😄 think in terms of language/accents variations... I think it
applies to all cooking in general... cooks try to bring in authentic
stuff... but end up fusing it with the local ingredients and popular
taste etc... I think it's a fusion whether delibrate or not...

Wow! You are so lucky to a) get to go to Italy so often and b) get to
eat with italian families. It's only my most fervent dream!

I think Italians are very regional and very proud of what they eat and
how they make it in their own district. Despite being such a small
country, there's not much fusing and blending. I've seen popular roman
dishes eaten with tentative suspicion when brought to the south. I
think American italian cooks, like a lot of tv really, are just trying
to make what would be appealing to audiences and will more happily
blend techniques and ingredients they've gathered from their cooking
experiences. Here in Australia, we had a big fad of fusion - I called
it 'con-fusion' - it mixed asian ingredients with Italian etc etc but
everyone is pretty over it now.

I think a good cookbook will be able to tell you the main difference
between regions, eg spicier in the south and dishes particular to the
different regions. I grew up in Sydney's little Italy and loved
grabbing and aranchini after school but when I travelled Italy,
starting from North to South, I realised when I got to Sicily, where I
spotted my first aranchini, that I probably grew up in little sicily,
rather than the Australian-imposed label of little italy. Italians have
told me that outsiders think Italian food is one cuisine but Italians
are very aware of the regional distinctions.

tinny

Daisy <[email hidden]> hitched up their panties and posted
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

I visit Italy about every 2 years or so. Always in the North. I
have foiund that the quite interesting American/Italian cookery
programs do not relfect what I eat when I am in the Veneto or Emelio
Romagno provinces. Yes, the recommended cheese is the same, as is the
proscuitto but the food I eat with family and at restaurants is
nothing like the American/Italian presenters cook.

Perhaps American Italian/American cooks are from a different region of
Italy -Sicily or the south perhaps?

Thsi is NOT a criticism but seeking an explanation for the difference.
Thank you.

Daisy

Carthage demands an explanation for this insolence!

You are so lucky. I am jealous 😉 Ramsey is sitting here with me on the
'puter and he wants some sausage. Northern Italian is a good thing. Let's
eat 😉

Michael

--
"The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she
served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been
found."

--Calvin Trillin

In article <[email hidden]>,

Daisy said:

I visit Italy about every 2 years or so. Always in the North. I
have foiund that the quite interesting American/Italian cookery
programs do not relfect what I eat when I am in the Veneto or Emelio
Romagno provinces. Yes, the recommended cheese is the same, as is the
proscuitto but the food I eat with family and at restaurants is
nothing like the American/Italian presenters cook.

Perhaps American Italian/American cooks are from a different region of
Italy -Sicily or the south perhaps?

Thsi is NOT a criticism but seeking an explanation for the difference.
Thank you.

I think it's pretty much the same reason why there is a world of
difference between mexican food in Mexico, California and Texas. ;-)
--
Peace, Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-[censored]." -Jack Nicholson

"Daisy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I visit Italy about every 2 years or so. Always in the North. I
have foiund that the quite interesting American/Italian cookery
programs do not relfect what I eat when I am in the Veneto or Emelio
Romagno provinces. Yes, the recommended cheese is the same, as is the
proscuitto but the food I eat with family and at restaurants is
nothing like the American/Italian presenters cook.

Perhaps American Italian/American cooks are from a different region of
Italy -Sicily or the south perhaps?

Thsi is NOT a criticism but seeking an explanation for the difference.
Thank you.

A lot of it is due to the fact that most Italian immigrants to the US were
from the south - Naples, Sicily, etc. naturally that style of cooking became
predominant here - pasta, meatballs, tomato sauce, etc.

--
Peter Aitken
Visit my recipe and kitchen myths page at www.pgacon.com/cooking.htm

Peter Aitken wrote on 16 Mar 2006 in rec.food.cooking

Quoted message said:

A lot of it is due to the fact that most Italian immigrants to the US
were from the south - Naples, Sicily, etc. naturally that style of
cooking became predominant here - pasta, meatballs, tomato sauce, etc.

Plus a lot of these recipes are dated back to times when People didn't move
around much...many families lived and died without getting more than 5
miles out of their village/town/city. That's how regional foods start.

--
-Alan

Daisy said:

I visit Italy about every 2 years or so. Always in the North. I
have foiund that the quite interesting American/Italian cookery
programs do not relfect what I eat when I am in the Veneto or Emelio
Romagno provinces. Yes, the recommended cheese is the same, as is the
proscuitto but the food I eat with family and at restaurants is
nothing like the American/Italian presenters cook.

Perhaps American Italian/American cooks are from a different region of
Italy -Sicily or the south perhaps?

That's a big part of it. Also, many recipes changed due to the
availability of ingredients in the US.

Lidia Bastianich often talked about these things in her show, both the
regionalisms and the changes made by immigrants. She was originally
from northern Italy, in fact a part that's not even Italy anymore.

Brian

--
If televison's a babysitter, the Internet is a drunk librarian who
won't shut up.
-- Dorothy Gambrell (http://catandgirl.com)

Mr Libido Incognito said:

Peter Aitken wrote on 16 Mar 2006 in rec.food.cooking

Quoted message said:

A lot of it is due to the fact that most Italian immigrants to the US
were from the south - Naples, Sicily, etc. naturally that style of
cooking became predominant here - pasta, meatballs, tomato sauce, etc.

Plus a lot of these recipes are dated back to times when People didn't move
around much...many families lived and died without getting more than 5
miles out of their village/town/city. That's how regional foods start.

Like West Virginia & Western PA.
http://www.coalregion.com/recipes.htm

Daisy said:

I visit Italy about every 2 years or so. Always in the North. I
have foiund that the quite interesting American/Italian cookery
programs do not relfect what I eat when I am in the Veneto or Emelio
Romagno provinces. Yes, the recommended cheese is the same, as is the
proscuitto but the food I eat with family and at restaurants is
nothing like the American/Italian presenters cook.

Perhaps American Italian/American cooks are from a different region of
Italy -Sicily or the south perhaps?

Thsi is NOT a criticism but seeking an explanation for the difference.
Thank you.

Italian food is regional and it varies a lot for the north to the south. I
think you will find that most Italian Americans come from the south

Daisy said:

I visit Italy about every 2 years or so. Always in the North. I
have foiund that the quite interesting American/Italian cookery
programs do not relfect what I eat when I am in the Veneto or Emelio
Romagno provinces. Yes, the recommended cheese is the same, as is the
proscuitto but the food I eat with family and at restaurants is
nothing like the American/Italian presenters cook.

Perhaps American Italian/American cooks are from a different region of
Italy -Sicily or the south perhaps?

Thsi is NOT a criticism but seeking an explanation for the difference.

In the north an organ grinder, in the south the monkey with a tin cup.

"Default User" <[email hidden]> hitched up their panties and
posted news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

That's a big part of it. Also, many recipes changed due to the
availability of ingredients in the US.

Lidia Bastianich often talked about these things in her show, both the
regionalisms and the changes made by immigrants. She was originally
from northern Italy, in fact a part that's not even Italy anymore.

Brian

Who is Lidia Bastianich? I've never heard her name. Gawd... and I live in
St. Louis with a huge Italian culture.

Michael

--
"The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she
served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been
found."

--Calvin Trillin

On Fri 17 Mar 2006 03:23:34a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Michael
"Dog3" Lonergan?

Quoted message said:

"Default User" <[email hidden]> hitched up their panties and
posted news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

That's a big part of it. Also, many recipes changed due to the
availability of ingredients in the US.

Lidia Bastianich often talked about these things in her show, both the
regionalisms and the changes made by immigrants. She was originally
from northern Italy, in fact a part that's not even Italy anymore.

Brian

Who is Lidia Bastianich? I've never heard her name. Gawd... and I live
in St. Louis with a huge Italian culture.

Michael

But she doesn't live there! <g>

http://tinyurl.com/zrway

--
Wayne Boatwright o¿o
____________________

BIOYA

Wayne Boatwright <wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com> hitched up their panties
and posted news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

On Fri 17 Mar 2006 03:23:34a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Michael
"Dog3" Lonergan?

Quoted message said:

"Default User" <[email hidden]> hitched up their panties and
posted news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

That's a big part of it. Also, many recipes changed due to the
availability of ingredients in the US.

Lidia Bastianich often talked about these things in her show, both the
regionalisms and the changes made by immigrants. She was originally
from northern Italy, in fact a part that's not even Italy anymore.

Brian

Who is Lidia Bastianich? I've never heard her name. Gawd... and I live
in St. Louis with a huge Italian culture.

Michael

But she doesn't live there! <g>

http://tinyurl.com/zrway

Wonferful link. Thank You!!!!

Michael

--
"The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she
served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been
found."

--Calvin Trillin

Michael 'Dog3' Lonergan said:

"Default User" posted:

Quoted message said:

Lidia Bastianich often talked about these things in her show, both the
regionalisms and the changes made by immigrants. She was originally
from northern Italy, in fact a part that's not even Italy anymore.

Who is Lidia Bastianich? I've never heard her name.

Lidia has the best rack on foodtv.

Sheldon

On Fri 17 Mar 2006 07:04:09a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Michael
"Dog3" Lonergan?

Quoted message said:

Wayne Boatwright <wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com> hitched up their panties
and posted news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

On Fri 17 Mar 2006 03:23:34a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Michael
"Dog3" Lonergan?

Quoted message said:

"Default User" <[email hidden]> hitched up their panties and
posted news:[email hidden]:

>
>
> That's a big part of it. Also, many recipes changed due to the
> availability of ingredients in the US.
>
> Lidia Bastianich often talked about these things in her show, both
> the regionalisms and the changes made by immigrants. She was
> originally from northern Italy, in fact a part that's not even Italy
> anymore.
>
>
>
> Brian

Who is Lidia Bastianich? I've never heard her name. Gawd... and I
live in St. Louis with a huge Italian culture.

Michael

But she doesn't live there! <g>

http://tinyurl.com/zrway

Wonferful link. Thank You!!!!

Michael

My pleasure...

--
Wayne Boatwright Õ¿Õ¬
________________________________________

Okay, okay, I take it back! UnScrew you!

"Daisy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I visit Italy about every 2 years or so. Always in the North. I
have foiund that the quite interesting American/Italian cookery
programs do not relfect what I eat when I am in the Veneto or Emelio
Romagno provinces. Yes, the recommended cheese is the same, as is the
proscuitto but the food I eat with family and at restaurants is
nothing like the American/Italian presenters cook.

Perhaps American Italian/American cooks are from a different region of
Italy -Sicily or the south perhaps?

Thsi is NOT a criticism but seeking an explanation for the difference.

Well, I've been in US three or four times for my summer holidays and I've
been in an italian restaurant just once, because my american friend of mine
(who's married to an italian) wanted to eat "Italian".
First of all I think the first Italian/American cooks were mostly from
sothern regions, Campania, Sicilly, Calabria and Basilicata. Few were from
Liguria and Veneto or Tuscany.
Second: many recipes are quite old (even one century) and were probably
"family recipes". Many ingredients are now difficult to find and the Italian
cuisine is now more "light".
Third: The Italian cuisine is much more than regional, the same dish differs
a lot even 30 Km far.
Fourth: A cuisine is always "contaminated" by local taste, habits and
culture, and, of course, affected by the availability of original and local
ingredients.

Two examples: you have pizza with "pepperoni", which is a sort of salame;
"peperoni" are the vegetables (green, red or yellow) and I've no idea why
you call it this way. Probably because the sausage was originally some kind
of "soppressata piccante" from Calabria made with red hot chili pepper.
I've seen many times "spaghetti with meatballs", this is a recipe originally
from Basilicata, I think you have never found it in a northern Italy
restaurant.

lp

"Default User" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Daisy wrote:

That's a big part of it. Also, many recipes changed due to the
availability of ingredients in the US.

Lidia Bastianich often talked about these things in her show, both the
regionalisms and the changes made by immigrants. She was originally
from northern Italy, in fact a part that's not even Italy anymore.

Lidia Motika (1946) was born in Pola, now Pula, in Istria. Istria was taken
by Yugoslavia after the WWII. Now Pula is in Croatia.
The cuisine there is much more similar to the Austrian/Hungarian than to the
Italian one.

lp

Sheldon said:

Daisy said:

I visit Italy about every 2 years or so. Always in the North. I
have foiund that the quite interesting American/Italian cookery
programs do not relfect what I eat when I am in the Veneto or Emelio
Romagno provinces. Yes, the recommended cheese is the same, as is the
proscuitto but the food I eat with family and at restaurants is
nothing like the American/Italian presenters cook.

Perhaps American Italian/American cooks are from a different region of
Italy -Sicily or the south perhaps?

Thsi is NOT a criticism but seeking an explanation for the difference.

In the north an organ grinder, in the south the monkey with a tin cup.

What about Pandora...???

--
Best
Greg

"Luca Pinotti"
<[email hidden]>
wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Default User" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Daisy wrote:

That's a big part of it. Also, many recipes changed due to the
availability of ingredients in the US.

Lidia Bastianich often talked about these things in her show, both the
regionalisms and the changes made by immigrants. She was originally
from northern Italy, in fact a part that's not even Italy anymore.

Lidia Motika (1946) was born in Pola, now Pula, in Istria. Istria was
taken by Yugoslavia after the WWII. Now Pula is in Croatia.
The cuisine there is much more similar to the Austrian/Hungarian than to
the Italian one.

lp

According to my own tastes, I wonder that she is so in tune with Italian
cooking. I've been to these places (when it was Yugoslavia) and Austria and
Hungary, and I almost starved -- well, I didn't, but the food was certainly
not remarkable for me.
Ooops, I did find something remarkable -- in Dubrovnik -- they served a
plate of something I thought might be akin to tomatoes, but it was so
wonderful, a huge side dish of red bell peppers or pimentos, I didn't know
what it was until I bought a Yugoslavian cookbook, (I have to tell you, it
was very thin!) and saw a picture of a similar plate of these peppers.

It would be nice if we would have more cooks that were not so 'show
business' oriented on foodnetwork. I watched Giada's Chefography show and
it told how shy she was; I think after watching her "Bash" a few times,
she's rid herself of the shyness. I loved the part where her grandfather
told of his love of food and his loss of big bucks in L.A., and Giada said
she might follow his lead in the future. Quite a family -- I liked what I
saw.
Dee Dee