History of Italian Food

Rafaelle Esposito is the origin point of this story - many people don't know that Italy's food history is actually quite young. The Tomato isn't actually from Italy! We explore how external influences created Italian nationalism, identity, culture, and cuisine - The Forgotten History of Italian Food!

If you enjoyed then let us know! Thanks!

[Carloshache]

You try to dispell myths but you create new myths yourself. Too many errors here. Sorry..

1. Where in the world DID you get the idea that Basil entered Italy from the Indian Ocean (?) in the 19th century? Basil was used in Italy and the Mediterranean since antiquity - it came from the Middle east it was used in ancient Roman and Greek cuisine, although not as much as oregano.

2. Potatoes, maize, and tomatoes enter Italy in the very beginning of the 17th century. 200 years earlier than you claim. They were controversal but were eaten right at the very beginning. We have recipes. Gnocchi and Polenta existed before maize and potatoes but were made with other ingredients such as millet, buckhweat, hazelnuts, chestnut and wheat.

3. Various varieties of Pizza existed long before the 19th century throughout Italy it's only during that century when NEAPOLITAN pizza became the most famous one. You have various varieties of Ligurian, Calabrian, Sicilian varieties of Pizza before such as ligurian Pisciandrea or Sicilian Sfincione.. There's also many stuffed pizzas and also some varieties in the neighboring countreis such as Pissaladiere nicoise in Nice in France.
Pizzas were invented in the Medieval era and was originally a food for the elite but fell out of favour among the snobby small minoity of 19th century bourgeoise. In this way Pizza is really an ancient very Italian thing, even though it has evolved through the years.

4. It's pretty false to claim that Northern Italy ate "French" and southern Italy ate "Spanish cooking", even though their cuisine were a bit influenced from these cuisines during the 18-19th century. Southern Italy was also influenced by French cuisine as the aristocracy liked to use Monzius (French chefs). What they ate was Italian cuisine, which has its old base in the ancient mediterranean diet (olive oil, meat, wine, cereal, cheese, vegetables, fruit, nuts, herbs, fish, legumes) combined with the festive and creative cuisine of the renaissance Italian cities - were the pasta and risotto culture was invented, which was influenced by the Near East and India (where spinach, spices, sugar, citrus fruits, coffee, ice cream, liquor and many other things came from).

The French influence in the 19th century was pretty limited, giving Italians the order they eat their meals, things like putting Bechamel sauce on lasagne, breaded cutlets and calling meat sauce "Ragout". Italian renassaince cuisine has had more influences on French food than the reverse. The French got various kinds of salads and many other vegetable dishes, ice cream, pastas, herbs, egg sauces, steaks, onion soup, sponge cake, merengues, nougats and pastries and many other dishes via Italy during this period.

[AdmiralBison]

Never realized how relatively "young" Italy is as a country.

[pomeoxfl]

Wait, what? No basil, really? It was described (regarding the dishes) by Plliny the Elder, even ancient Romans used it. Not so much, as we or as Italians nowadays, but it was in the zone!

[giorgiodifrancesco]

When a non-Italian deals with Italian history stuff like this turns up. So, let's be precise. Pizza was of no importance to the Royal House of Savoy. No one ever thought of using it for political purposes. However, it often happened, every time a member of the aforesaid House visited any city in Italy, that he was gifted with local food by the restaurateurs. Food that royal servants ate. However, by protocol, the kind restaurateur were oficially thanked to advertise himself.
Espòsito (not Exposìto, which would be Spanish) did this promotional action.
Pizza as we know it today is a dish exclusively from the city of Naples. In the rest of the south, dishes called "pizza" were made, but which had little in common with the Neapolitan. Some pizzas were fried. Others were stuffed with ricotta, even mixed with sugar and still others were simple rustic "focacce".
In the North (and also in Southern France), "focacce" of various kinds were made. In Rome, Lazio and Umbria, there were even some called "pinsa".
Pizza (tomato, mozzarella and basil or tomato and anchovies) made its fortune in the USA, due to emigration from Naples and there it was singled out as an Italian dish. Then, all the other variations were born. At that point, after the Second World War, it began to spread and slowly arrived in Northern Italy, especially in the 1960s, when immigration from the South to Milan and Turin increased. It spread especially because it was cheap and good.
Today, Neapolitan pizza is a modern Italian dish of the international cuisin, but in our country there are yet many regional cuisines.
Abroad there is only "Italian cuisine", often made by foreigners who have seen Italy through a telescope.

[anthonyn.]

Loved this video! One small thing is that at 2:27, Italy never annexed the island of Corsica, and Nice and Savoy were given to the French before Italy unified.

[JonquilCatNew]

This was such a well made video. Voice over is peaceful and in pretentious, imagery is lovely, background music is not overwhelming and the information is delivered in a well constructed narrative. Well done, and thank you.

[fleaburns]

This video is amazing, first time ive ever commented just out of sheer surprise by how small the channel is, thanks to the algorithm for recommending me this video

[kirbow]

This is the most awesome video on pizza and perhaps on the history of food I've ever seen. Drank red wine while eating pizza as I watched it too, bonus points

[MarcoMenozziPro]

Of course, there is the need to simplify in eight minutes, but there are too many mistakes, starting with the map that includes Corsica, Nice and Savoy, which were already France at the time.

[moumous]

Ah, the famous French and Spanish spaghetti, ravioli, lasagne, piadine and focacce! The way you ended the video was a bit stupid.

[Dmarkus_greene]

So pepperoni contains zuchini flowers originally? I couldnt find anything on that

[louisxix]

Wow, so interesting, and such high quality! I hope your channel grows.

[mnossy]

Wow, so interesting! I was super surprised this isn’t a super big channel. I’d love more details about the history of Italian food. What did they eat before the new foods like tomatoes arrived? Mostly medieval French style?

[YamamtKu]

I was interested specifically in the topic in the thumbnail, so I was disappointed by how it was only squeezed in at the end after a different subject for most of the video.

[davidlee]

So maybe Caesar Salad will retake the History Books in 2024?
I'm all for the Mediterranean Diet!

[chrisk]

Just gotta ask… why is the flag of Kenya on your shirt? Especially when doing a video on Italy. Maybe my OCD is kicking in haha

[towncrieronfire]

Heat sealed glass bottling, or pasteurization?

[alexpascal]

My little sister !!
Her clam is open !!
Fill it !!
Like an ocean !!!
My little sister !!
Her mouth is open !!
Shove it, make it pop
Yup. Slop slop.

[Dr.Frasier_Crane]

Wait. How do you know what I think of Italy?

[philippeplouchart]

I read that Pizza was invented in New Jersey, then exported to Italy. Noodles originated in China.