ITALIAN CULTURAL AND TRADITIONS HISTORY

Chef Lidia Bastianich celebrates Navajo milestone in Utah in PBS series

For many years, television chef and cookbook author Lidia Bastianich has traveled the country celebrating the cultures and food traditions of people who, like her, risked everything to come to America for a better life. But Bastianich’s personal immigrant story came full circle when she arrived at the Navajo reservation in Utah for a traditional house blessing. “Here I was an immigrant in ...Read More

Eat, drink and be merry in Montclair: Italian food

The Zecchino family, owners of Nicolo's Italian Bakery Read More

Seasonal traditions speak to deeper levels of humanity

In this season of traditions, some are homespun and heartfelt, some quirky and comical. They are embodied in the sweet, flaky cookies baked each year ... Read MoreThis runs in the italian traditions and families!

The history of the italian traditions is rich and varied, with a lot of attention reserved to food traditions.

Italians have not simply a relationship with their food, but an indissoluble bond: this is surely to be traced back to when Italy started to develop its “gastronomy” as opposed to an already established set of “nutrition” habits.

But there is more to this, much more.

One that was not aware of the forces and events that shaped and transformed the italian peninsula would probably believe that all over the Nation people are just following a consolidated habit.

This is what italians themselves could sometimes do, unaware, for example, of why they are still following a (much appraised!) “antipasto-primo-secondo-contorno-dessert” sequence when having a meal... this is one of the founding italian traditions!

Knowing italian food traditions is essential to understand a number of other italian traditions: after centuries, different populations have come and gone, others have settled and their descendants are still present, others belong to the past.

But all of them (be sure of it) have left their visible traces: in the language, in the history, in some typical italian products, in the places around the peninsula.

Being Italian, I happened (and do it still today) to travel through my Country, always able to find something new and surprising, still with a decisive flavor of times long past.

I have always been fond of history and research (and of food naturally!), and this is why I decided to share my passion and the direct experience from my peregrinations with all the other fellow passionates who will read my pages.

Italy is (since the past) one of the main destinations for tourists worldwide: when you visit, you want to make the best of your time there and, most of all, you want to be a savvy tourist and “feel” the culture you are immersed in.