Unique to the country, Italy’s deep-rooted history is a place where it specializes in carrying out tradition though not only culture but also its cuisine. The country prides itself on the recipes and techniques that were formed years ago and continue to influence current society. The layout of Italy is constructed of twenty different regions, which not only have their own particular history but stick solely to their indigenous crops and specific recipes for a variety of food options and influences across the country. The region of Lazio that contains Rome, the capital, specifically has a rich history that plays a large influence on their cuisine. The sectioning of Italy into twenty specific regions, with communities solely identifying with their region rather than Italy, plays a role into why dishes, like cacio e pepe, and produce like artichokes are indigenous to them exclusively.

The history that surrounds Rome, Lazio is distinctive. Rome as a city in the region of Lazio began in the ninth and eighth centuries of small agricultural settlements and grew into the capital and the desired city that it is today (Domencio 125).  Italy as a whole had its government recognize the importance of regional identities when it re-created and strengthened them beginning with the1948 Constitution (Domenico 8). The idea of regional identities is an important role in the creating the local cuisine. Lazio as a whole is the ninth largest region and is third in population (Domenico 9). Aside from the Roman empire being full of incredible landscapes and artifacts, there is a prominent history of an intersection of cultures that date back as far as the Etruscans reflect the regional cooking (Lazio in Tavola 1). As a whole, the native vegetation reflects the prevailing diversity (Britannica 1), and with Rome, Lazio being located in the central part of Italy, it is known for long hot summers and winters that are chilly. This weather allows for diverse amount food to come for this region, which is to be discussed in the following paragraph. As a whole, it is important that the history of regionalizing the country and the geography of the region are necessary to the delicious food culture that is linked to that of Rome and Lazio itself.

With such a distinct region comes a diverse place for cuisine, produce, and techniques pertaining to just itself. The food that stems from Rome and Lazio reflects the history that formed it and the surrounding landscape. This city and region truly stick to making use of everything that they have. Rome and Lazio are apart of a central part of Italy which is a place where their cooking philosophy is known for camaraderie, individuality, and one-upmanship (Larner). This type of cooking viewpoint creates an environment that continuously builds to make something even more delicious than it started. Something simple that this place is known for is Artichokes. Artichokes can be prepared in a couple of different ways, however, indigenous to this region one way that the Romans prepare them is called alla giudia. Alla giudia is when they are deep fried in olive, this was introduced to Rome by its Jewish community (Domenico 127). The use of olive oil in any dish is a staple, and the olive tree is native to the Romans and is at the base of almost all dishes. A staple where olive oil is an important component is in sauces. A simple pasta sauce described by Montalbano was garlic and oil or also known as aglio e olio. What she stressed about this sauce was the simplicity of it, that it is only a little garlic and a little oil just enough to cover. Ingredients and methods like this fuel, the notion of artless delicious meals that encompasses the identity of Rome and Lazio. Another staple ingredient that is involved in much of Roman cooking is mint, people can see it in the recipe, including artichokes and in other ones where it simmers with tomatoes.

Continuing on with the simplicity of Roman food, two main dishes are Cacio e Pepe and Carbonara. Both of these pasta dishes are uncomplicated recipes that contain ingredients local to Rome. Cacio e Pepe pasta is a dish that has salty Roman pecorino and pepper. What makes this dish special to Rome is that the sharp cheese is made from sheep’s milk in the nearby countryside to Rome (Rome Info). Pasta alla Carbonara is a favorite of the city. It’s a dish cooked with thicker pasta noodles traditionally tossed together a meat that comes from the pig called guanciale. Nowadays it is cooked with pancetta or even bacon. It is then coated with a beaten egg and pecorino sauce that’s poured all over and topped with fresh parsley. In most places dessert would come after the main dish, however, here in Rome desserts, are often connected with festivities (Rome Info). Even though they are more associated with festivities one thing that is important to their desserts is the Roman Ricotta. The ricotta is used in a lot of different desserts and fillings. Last, but not least, the wine of Italy varies from place to place, here in Lazio it is known for Est Est Est white wine (Academia Barilla). All the components of meals described, beginning with a simple vegetable, to how its cooked, and spices and oils used to cook it, moving to main pasta dishes and desserts and topping it off with a wine, resembles everything that the culture of Lazio and specifically Roman food embodies.

When thinking about how all the components of a meal come together, it is interesting to think how it varies from place to place. The elements of Roman cuisine echo the history of the past, cultivates from its nearby hills, and produces dishes incorporating the freshest and the finest ingredients possible. It would seem that all the ingredients that are incorporated into dishes discussed above strictly from only the area of Lazio. The citizens of this region of Italy pride themselves on using what is near to them and this is true to most places around. The artichokes that are discussed in depth not only show how they use the produce according to seasons, but that they cook them with olive oil that comes from the trees of their region. When it comes to a dish like carbonara, that incorporates a cut of meat it shows how the meat that they use is a less expensive cut. This is an important component in the sense that it is a flashback to the days when people of poverty only had what was left over the rich class (Understanding Italy). Not only does this type of pasta work to show the past and how they ate, it also shows that still today the region uses lesser cuts of meat because that is the tradition. The extensive use of ricotta and pecorino cheese in dishes shows how the region uses the animals that live in the hills that surround the region itself, such as the sheep. The fact that places like Lazio and Rome, specifically, really stick to their own region for ingredients shows the separation of Italy. Since there are twenty regions it would seem that like mentioned earlier in the paper, that they pride themselves on their regional identities. Because they have distinct recipes and crops it gives them a way to identify with the locals rather than Italy itself. It shows that even today the post-war Italy still remains and that even though regions may have similar recipes they do continue to reflect their own specific ingredients and identities.

After looking at all the components that make up what we know as Italian food, one can conclude that it alters from location to location. Italy’s landscape varies throughout the country and offers an abundance of different crops that make up some of the unique dishes. The past of Italy, to this day, still has an effect on its food culture. Its division into twenty different regions allows for each region to echo their own identity through food. These specific regions pride themselves on spreading their history through their food, and it is most prevalent inthe region Lazio and specifically Rome, which is discussed throughout.

 

References:

“Italy.” Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc, 16 Dec 2016,

https://www.britannica.com/place/Italy

“Rom Food and Cuisine.” Rome.Info>Rome’s Food, Roman Cuisine, Italian Food,

            https://www.rome.info/food/

Larner, Monica. “Food of Central Italy- Ingredients of Lazio & Rome.” Wine Enthusiast

Magazine, 10 Dec 2015, http://www.winemag.com/2013/08/12/the-cuisine-of-central-italy/

“Lazio in Tavola.” Italian Recipes-Italian Food Culture-Academia Barilla,

                        http://www.academiabarilla.com/the-italian-food-academy/lazio/default.aspx

Domenico, Roy Palmer. The Regions of Italy: A Reference Guide to History and Culture.

Greenwood Publishing Group, 2002. EBSCOhost.