It sounds like a simple question until you take the question seriously. I don’t claim to have the right answer if there is one. I’d love to hear what you think about it. What determines an Italian recipe as Italian? Is it where the recipe originates? It is the ingredients? Is it the name of a dish? Some recipes are obvious, for example pasta is Italian even though the chinese invented the noodle first, so they say… But “pasta” is Italian.
Here is my dilemma: I tend to come up with new recipes from time to time, and if it is a winner I write it down and put it in my recipe box. Not all my recipes are Italian, but what I post on my site I consider Italian. If I’m using what I consider Italian ingredients then I consider it an Italian dish. But if I make a chicken dish using kalamata olives which are from Greece, but I’m using garlic, Italian herbs, olive oil etc… is the dish still Italian or if I were Greek, would I call it a Greek dish? How about my Kale Soup Recipe? I consider it Italian, but I know it is a common soup in other cultures. I’ve seen people just put the word “Tuscan” in the recipe name and voila serve it with some Italian bread and you got Tuscan soup! I’ve also seen non-Italians cook terrible mushy spaghetti and I’ve thought, “This is NOT Italian!” But to them it is Italian. Perhaps that is where “authentic Italian” recipes come into play.
I remember many years ago, when my father found out my sister in law didn’t care what kind of pasta to use for an Italian dish. He was taken aback by the lack of interest in knowning the various types of pasta! In the end, to some it will matter, to others they will say, “Who cares”. I don’t have a strong opinion on this matter. But I can say I want to respect Italian culture and thier culinary achievements. I am truly convinced the more a person can learn about the history and uniqueness of Italian cooking and ingredients, the better they will become as an Italian cook in thier own kitchen and for thier family and friends!
Any thoughts?
Liz
www.simpleitaliancooking.com
“If it’s not simple, I won’t post it!”
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