Italian Cuisine History

The diversity of Italian geography, differences in cultures and myriad shades of dialects are reflected in the Italian cuisine. Often associated with pizzas, pastas and tantalizing sauces, Italian cuisine has much more to offer than just this. Italian cuisine history can be traced back to 4th century BC, when the Archestratus, an Italian food writer penned a poetic treatise about Italian cooking styles. He spoke about flavors that complimented the original taste of fish and herbs that made the food aromatic. Since then, Italian food has seen a paradigm shift in cooking methods and found its place on international food map. This globally recognized cuisine has something to offer to every gourmet and every novice. Let's take a look at Italian cuisine history to see how it evolved and grew to be the way it is today.

History of Italian Cuisine Through the Ages

Ancient Italian Cuisine History
History of Italian food dates back to 4th century BC. Italian cuisine is a blend of cooking traditions that many empires and tribes have left behind. Apicius, which is also referred as De re coquinaria, the ancient book of Roman recipes, mentions Roman traces in Italian cooking. Influences of great kingdoms of Etruscan, Greek, Saracens and Mediterranean also brought about a change in Italian concoctions. Etruscans were the creators of pulmentum, a porridge made out of grains. The Greeks introduced a fish stew, which was known by the name of brodetto in South Italy. The Arabs were responsible for the famous dried pasta, made out of kneading water and pulverized wheat into a dough. This typically Arabian concept has played a huge role history of Italian cooking. It gave an impetus to Italian pasta, as we know it today. Lagana a predecessor of lasagna existed in ancient Rome where the same technology was used. The Neapolitan cuisine recognized along the coastline of Naples, uses a lot of German and Spanish savories for the dishes. During the 8th century crusades a number of fruits and spices found their way back in Italy. The techniques of preservation, storing ice cream and sorbet preparation were also acquired from the Saracen empires.

Middle Ages Italian Cuisine History
The Arabs brought spinach, almonds, rice and probably spaghetti to Sicily in12th century. It was a Norman king who saw Sicilians make long strings out of water and flour called atriya, which was later known as trii, a term still used for spaghetti in Southern Italy. The art of preservation become more refined during this time. Besides summer refreshments, meats would be preserved too. North Italian cuisine saw an influence of Arabs while the South Italian cuisine saw a mark of Mediterranean cooking. Maestro Martino, in his book written in the 15th century talks about pasta cooked in saffron, showing a quintessential Arabic influence.

Early Italian Cuisine History
The early modern era of Italian food, introduces a gourmet to pies, tarts and of course pizzas. Opera, written in 1570 by Bartolomeo Scappi, a chef to Pope Pius V penned 1000 recipes of grand banquets. This records the usage of poaching, broiling, grilling and frying of fish. It also talks about the right seasons to get a good catch. In the 17th century Giangiacomo Castelvetro wrote Breve Racconto di Tutte le Radici di Tutte l'Herbe et di Tutti i Frutti, which is a collection of recipes of Italian vegetables and fruits. Simmering of vegetables, use of olive oil, fresh ground pepper, lemon juice and orange are famously used ingredients in those times. The ideas of roasting vegetables over charcoal are also captured in this book.

Modern Gourmet Italian Cuisine
The modern Italian cuisine is far more evolved and a lot less complicated than the earlier ages. It uses a lot of fruits, vegetables, sauces and meats that are readily available. However, distinction between Northern Italian cuisine and Southern Italian cuisine is still very clear. For instance, fish such as cod, or baccala, potatoes, rice, corn, sausages, pork and myriad cheeses are peculiar ingredients to North Italian cooking. Towards the south, various types of fish, basil, nuts, tomatoes and olive oil are very common. However, the traditional ingredients such as tomatoes, peppers, olives and cheeses are common to most Italian cooking. Influences, deviations and derivations throughout the history of Italian food has made it what it is today.

Despite the differences in Italian cuisine recipes, it has the ability to unify gourmets around the world under its overarching array of dishes. Although Italian cuisine history has witnessed huge influences, it still has an identity of its own, internationally. This aspect of irresistible Italian cuisine, says a lot about the fact that, Italians eat to live a life of merriment and fulfillment!