The Impact of Cuisine on Italian Culture and Identity

Italian cuisine makes up the Italian identity and culture. It is amazing to see how much their cuisine impacted their daily lives and the traditions they have in Italy. While studying abroad in Italy, I made the most of my experience by trying different foods that represent the Florentine culture, as well as cooking different traditional dishes to connect with their culture. I adapted to the eating habits in Italy in hopes to feel like an actual Florentine and to connect to my family heritage to see how they used to live their lives. Food reflects the Florentine culture, as it does in all the other cities in Italy. It was an amazing experience to see this firsthand.
               In Italy, I tried many different foods that represented the Florentine culture. These foods really did reflect the new city that I was living in. For example, I tried the lampredetto sandwich, which you can find at every street corner being sold. These sandwiches represent Florence and allow Florentines to relate back to their culture. These are cow stomach sandwiches that are slow cooked in a broth for hours, and sold as a sandwich with a special green sauce. Since Florence used to be a working-class city, many living in Florence were poor and could not afford the more expensive cuts of meat. Therefore, many turned to this portion of the cow stomach and ate this as a source of calories and protein. Today, the tradition still carries on as many people in Florence value tradition and history, so they continue to consume these sandwiches. I also tired tripe salad (another portion of the cow stomach), rabbit ragu, chicken liver, and wild boar. I was not a fan of the tripe or lampredetto, due to the rubbery texture, and I also was not the biggest fan of the chicken liver. However, the wild boar was amazing, as well as the rabbit ragu. Overall, I tried many different foods in hopes to feel connected to Florentine culture and tradition.
               While in Italy, I tried to balance the amount of eating out with cooking at home due to the expenses of eating out every day. There were many grocery stores near my house with cheap products, as well as a public market, where I could get fresh foods to cook with. I tried to cook many of the pasta dishes I knew how to make that were Italian, and tried it with fresh pasta and cheese from the market, as well as fresh vegetables. I really enjoy cooking (I even have a cooking Instagram), so I tried to cook as much as possible, especially since buying food there is much cheaper than going out to eat!
               I had to change and adapt to the eating habits in Italy while I was there for a month. I would say the biggest adaptation I had in Italy was what I ate at each meal. In the United States, my breakfast tends to be a bigger meal, my lunch is lighter, and my dinner is the biggest meal. Although in Italy dinner is still a large meal, the breakfast is basically skipped. Many tend to just have a coffee and croissant. So, when I was in Italy, I had to switch my habits to having a small breakfast and a larger lunch. Another thing that was much different in Italy was the timing of meals. In Italy, most do not eat dinner until 8 pm at the earliest. This was very difficult for me because I tend to eat dinner around 6 pm. However, as time went on, I got more used to this tradition and I was able to eat around this time. Another thing that was much different in Italy was the small portion sizes. To get more used to this, I tended to participate in the aperitivo tradition between lunch and dinner, so I would be full after eating dinner. Although I had to change some of my eating baits, I still ate similar foods and tried to continue to consume fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. I tried to cook a lot so I could eat similar dinners from home. The eating habits in Italy are much different, so I had to change and adapt to these habits while living in Italy.
               Overall, food in Italy really does represent the Italian identity and culture. Food represents happiness and bringing people together in Italy. While in Florence, I tried many of the national dishes that represented their culture and tried to understand why it was so important to Florentines. Although I went out to eat a good amount, I tried to cook most of my dinners at home, since grocery stores around my house were extremely cheap. The eating habits in Italy were also much different, which led to the need to adapt to these habits while living in Italy. Overall, I loved the food culture in Italy, and living as if I was a Florentine while traveling abroad.