FAVORITE FAMILY RECIPES… A POEM FOR THE SENSES

What does the word popular mean? Is it something familiar, every day, ordinary, or readily accepted by everyone {i.e., popular opinion or a name]? Yes, it is. Is it a person that is well-liked? Yes, it is. The word is often used as part of specific phrases: 'back by popular demand,' 'contrary to popular opinion or belief.'  There are magazine titles that use the word to catch the eye of potential subscribers (think "Popular Mechanics” or “Popular Woodworking”). Even our presidential election has a 'popular vote' versus that of an 'electoral vote.' Whatever the word means to you, the implication behind it invokes something positive, and what's more positive or popular…than food?!

I have never met a person that did not love or at least enjoy Italian food… well, I did once, but we don't speak anymore. It is one of the most popular cuisines in the world and when asked…it is often touted as a favorite amongst people of all ages and ethnicities. The most obvious reason is that it's delicious. It's beautiful to look at, smells divine, and it's delicious... [did I already say that? Well, it bears repeating].

Italian cooking is a poem for the senses. It is not just pizza or spaghetti, although that's pretty tasty. It's steeped in family history. Recipes handed down with pride from grandmothers and mothers to their daughters. It's not unusual to look further back than a couple of generations: to learn why we cook in a certain way and why we eat certain things.^[1] Whole dialogs have been known to center around a particular recipe. Most of which are based on oral conversations with our elders, and therefore have a limited lifespan. Consider yourself fortunate if you find the recipe written down anywhere, like the blank pages inside a cookbook that you rarely open. That's where I found my family’s homemade ravioli recipe. It was actually more of a list of ingredients with the notation "to taste" written next to each one.

Cuisine…even the word sounds delicious. It's a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, techniques, and dishes. It's usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region. It can be as much a part of an individual's history as any known ancestor.  

Italian cuisine has a history as rich, colorful, and fascinating as the most amazing of recipes. It's no secret that the Roman Empire loved to feast, and their banquets were often representative of the various lands that it conquered. Exotic spices and ingredients from the Middle East, fish from the Mediterranean, and grains from North Africa. Of course, these were meals prepared for high society. The majority of the population's diet consisted of mainly three things and products made from them:  the vine, the olive, and cereal grains. The Mediterranean Diet is a popular trend in eating today and is based upon this diet. It is also considered and recommended as one of the healthiest diets around.  Wine, olive oil, and bread. Add a few healthy helpings of vegetables, legumes, and cheese, and this is what the people of Rome would eat daily.

Spices and dried fruit became a popular blend in the Middle Ages and are often still found in Sicilian dishes. Dried pasta is generally characterized as an Italian thing but was brought to Sicily by the Arabs. They appreciated the fact that it was easy to carry and preserve on long sea voyages. From the shores of Sicily, dried pasta made its way to Naples and Genoa, as well as France and Spain. So, contrary to what we hear about the origins of pasta, it wasn't Marco Polo that brought noodles to the Italian shores. ^[2]
   
Three of the most popular homemade dishes in my family center around pasta. Lasagna, ravioli, and my personal favorite… Zuppa di Pollo (chicken soup). There's nothing so comforting as a big, steaming bowl of this simple chicken broth and orzo pasta, sprinkled with freshly grated parmesan cheese, and topped with a sprig of fresh parsley or dried parsley flakes. Serve it with a piece of hot Italian bread dipped in olive oil and grated cheese or slathered in butter. Well, maybe go easy on the butter or the slathering, and you will have a cure for whatever is ailing you. 

It cannot be denied that Italian cuisine (or as it is referred to in Italy… "food") offers some of the most popular and tasty dishes imaginable. From bruschetta, pizza, pesto, pasta alla carbonara, and cannelloni to espresso, cappuccino, cannoli, and tiramisu… the popularity of these fantastic dishes is hard to beat. So, what are you waiting for?  Mangiamo! (Let's eat!)

[3] Pasta Shapes

RESOURCES:

[1] The History of Italian Cuisine I - Life in Italy. https://www.lifeinitaly.com/history-of-food/the-history-of-italian-cuisine-i

[2] The History of Italian Cuisine I - Life in Italy. https://www.lifeinitaly.com/history-of-food/the-history-of-italian-cuisine-i

[3] Pasta Shapes.  https://www.huffpost.com/entry/pasta-shapes-deathmatch_n_3416286?guccounter=1