Culinary Changes

A quick historical review of the 19th and 20th centuries and the changes in nutrition and diet clearly reveal that the Italian diet was unique among other Western nations.

The Gastronomy and The Unity of Italy

The long-standing, historic division of the country into administrative states caused the development of many distinct local cuisines. In the royal courts throughout Italy, local specialties were exalted and typically served alongside international dishes. 

Despite political and geographical divides, the Italians knew how to make the most of their local resources. Regional gastronomic diversity developed in Italy, whereas national cuisines were codified in the other unified nations. National cuisines were certainly more symbolic, but possibly less rich in flavors and preparations than Italy’s local realities.

This was the case in France.  French cuisine was recognized internationally as the official cuisine of the European royal courts. The French language appears on menus and was spoken in the court kitchens. Even at the official lunches of the newly formed Italian State, menus were written in French. This continued until the early 1900s when Vittorio Emanuele insisted that the menus of the House of Savoy be written in Italian.

Pellegrino Artusi was the first person to describe and codify the variety and richness of Italian cuisine. In his book “The Science of Cooking and the Art of Eating Well,” published in Florence in 1891, Artusi gives clarity and organization to the cuisine of the growing Italian middle class.

He brings back the most popular dished and simplifies the preparations of the Court cuisine, making them more accessible to a social class in progressive economic and social growth. Even though Artusi was able to unite the Italians (at least at the table), regional differences remained strong, even at the gastronomic level.

The World Wars

Paradoxically, World War I helped to create a national Italian diet based on rationing and the equal distribution of the rations. Soldiers had to adapt to the new ways of eating, which were quite different from their previous habits. Coffee was officially allotted, like many other staples including biscuits, canned meat, dry pasta, stock concentrates and ready-made sauces. The new, restricted diet of the masses later led to the growth of the food-conservation business.

The Ventennio (1922-1942) is known for its politics of restrained consumption and push towards becoming self-sustaining. In the culinary world, this resulted in the increased use of appetizers and local products like salumi, preserves and foods preserved in oil or vinegar. On a nutritional level, during these twenty years people were encouraged to adopt a diet based primarily on fruit and Italian crops.

The Italians were forced to give up meat and, for love or necessity, they lived off the Mediterranean diet. It is somewhat ironic that after just a few decades, foreign nutritionists would celebrate the Mediterranean diet.

During World War II, the situation was completely different. The State was unable to adequately distribute food and provide enough sustenance for the soldiers and common citizens. During this terrible time, Italy reached really low nutrition levels, almost to the point of risking the country’s survival.

The reconstruction of Italy and the economic boom

The reconstruction of Italy brought the desire, especially in the kitchen, to show off how the country’s wellbeing and wealth. Finally, meat – a real status symbol – could be found in every household. The meat was used in a rich, elaborate, abundant fashion. 

After the prosperous years of the economic boom, Italy became an entirely new place. The food industry relied on new technologies to create both traditional and innovative foods. During the Seventies, people began to look for natural, whole foods, reacting against the industrialization of food production This shift in attitude became known as the “greening of demand.” The differences between Northern and Southern Italy finally leveled out, due in part to the mass emigration between 1955 and 1971. A truly modern society was born and the country’s diet changed. For example, Italy witnessed the growth of restaurants, the popularity of snacks or pre-prepared foods, the deconstruction of meals (a metaphor for much larger social changes), and the delocalization of products and ingredients.

The globalization and the concept of local foods

The economic and cultural phenomenon of globalization during the Eighties and Nineties contributed to the birth of the concept of “local” foods. Previously, rural traditions were simply understood as deeply rooted and unchangeable facts of life.

The pleasure of food remained an important of the Italian lifestyle and the concept of “quality” became increasingly more important, as did the typicality or authenticity of a product. Biodiversity and culinary diversity became a strategic tool in the face of “global” cuisine.