Few people know that Italian-American cuisine owes its origins to the English. Back in the 18^th century, many young English aristocrats partook in the Grand Tour, a long journey through the artistic centres of Europe, particularly those of Italy. In Naples, they saw people drying pasta on balconies and rooftops, and street vendors selling cooked spaghetti. The English were intrigued by this food, which they learned to call macaroni, and they brought it home and then to their American colonies. In 1798 a pasta factory opened in Philadelphia, probably the first on the North American continent. (The owner was neither English nor Italian, but French.) American macaroni had its distinct characteristics: it was made from soft wheat rather than durum wheat, and it was baked with cheese and rich cream or custard sauces.

Italians arrive in America

Things evolved with the arrival of millions of Italian immigrants around the end of the 19^th century and the beginning of the 20^th. They were used to poor people’s food, which mostly consisted of fruit, vegetables and legumes, but they also adapted to their new circumstances and opportunities. They started eating more meat because it was cheaper than in Italy. Pasta was also less expensive, so, what back home was mostly a holiday dish, became an everyday staple. Pasta factories sprang up in Italian neighborhoods, and Italians across the US opened ‘spaghetti houses’ that served pasta dishes to blue-collar workers. At the end of the 1920s, the most popular ethnic restaurants in the country were Italian. American companies took notice and began producing canned macaroni with tomato sauce and grated ‘Parmesan’ cheese to put on spaghetti.

The Italian-American blend

Italian-American cuisine evolved by combining Italian traditions, such as the use of pasta, with American ones, such as the heavy reliance on animal products. Probably the most iconic Italian-American dish is spaghetti with meatballs. Although similar dishes existed in Italy, none had meatballs as large as those used in the American version. In 1955, the dish was immortalized in a famous scene from the Disney movie Lady and the Tramp. In the film, the two protagonists accidentally kiss when eating a single strand of spaghetti from opposite ends. Another popular Italian-American dish is spaghetti bolognaise, a relative of Italian pasta al ragù. Once again, the American sauce tends to be richer, with more herbs and extra garlic, and more abundant than that of its Italian counterpart. The same goes for lasagna, which, in the States, might also contain ricotta cheese and sausages, bell peppers and onions.

Italian food enters the mainstream

Italian-American food is not limited to pasta with rich, meat sauces. Other popular dishes include pasta fazool, eggplant parmesan, shrimp scampi, and sweets such as cannoli and sfogliatelle. Then there’s the enormously popular pizza. According to statistics, Americans eat more pizza per capita than Italians do. Also, Italian immigrants had a significant role in establishing the Californian wine industry at the beginning of the 20^th century. During the last few decades, new imports from Italy, such as coffee drinks like espresso and cappuccino, have taken root. In many ways, in the United States, Italian dishes are no longer considered ethnic foods but rather beloved classics of mainstream cuisine.

(Carlo Dellonte)
(Image: agphotography, 123rf.com)