So interesting! Was one of them Benedetta Marinetti (Marinetti's wife. Possibly one of the only women he could stand since he openly talked about how he hated women!)?
I know what you mean, but I probably simplified it a bit, I am not sure they were all fascists but like so many things it was a bit complicated. Certainly many aspects of it I really am dubious about -- they advocated for pills and powders to replace meals (they really were ahead of their time on that) as they believed eating for pleasure should be done away with! Futurism predates Fascism so it is said that it even influenced Fascism but then as Fascism grew, the two movements grew apart. They were warmongers and glorified war and violence, but for example Futurists were against anything traditional and classic, which of course Fascism was for and at times for certain things they could be described as being left on the political scale (eg they wanted to abolish marriage and implement gender equality! But then they were also against feminism and openly talked about contempt for women). Complicated -- but one thing is for sure they were bonkers and they definitely did not love food!
The Futurists are such a whacky bunch! The cookbook provides endless entertainment -- but I think that was always part of it, the shock of the unlikely combinations of ingredients and the senses.
I love this. Thanks for writing it. Many years ago I worked in a rare book and manuscript library and remember seeing a first edition of the La Cucina Futurista. It was such a strange (but beautifully designed) book. I don't read Italian and had no idea of its links to fascism. Very interesting indeed!
Wow what a fascinating job (I would have loved to see that! I used to be a book and art restorer before starting a food blog!). I admit the designs I've seen for the book covers are fantastic!
The past is so quickly forgotten. This happened not all that long ago and yet so few seem aware of Italy’s history in the 20th century. Are you familiar with the book A Bold and Dangerous Family, by Caroline Moorehead? It’s about another anti-fascist family (Rosselli) who helped to lead the resistance. Filled with details I knew nothing about. A fascinating read.
You said it, it is so quickly forgotten and everyone moves on. Reading more about this has made me understand Italian food today in such a different way. I've been talking a lot about this with my mother in law who was born in 1946 but knew all the stories of what her whole family went through, including when her brother, a young boy at the time, was questioned on the whereabouts of his father by two fascists and he -- poker faced -- told them he was in Torino and saved his life (he was hiding in the attic) and how their home was looted by fascists while they hid in the countryside later -- they took everything. I don't know this book but I'm going to look for it now! My mother in law has lent me all of her Italo Calvino collection, his first book is about his experience as a partisan, and the stories by Beppe Fenoglio as a partisan in the Langhe in Piemonte. I've also just ordered a book called Pane Nero by Miriam Mafai, which is about the everyday life of women in the Second World War. Fascinating.
I was thinking I should write a whole post about "pastasciutta" too! One day! It truly is heartbreaking -- I can't tell you how many times I've teared up while reading and researching for this series. All the more reason to remember the history; we can't forget what people went through to get this Italy that we all love and enjoy so much. Not to mention the pasta! So much appreciation for pasta in bianco now!
Non sono sicura, da ricercatore di storia, di essere d'accordo con le parole di Alberto Grandi. La pasta era molto diffusa nel Nord e Sud Italia: nel 1600 i napoletani conquistano l'appellativo di mangia-maccheroni in precedenza attribuito ai siciliani. Fra l'altro, in Sicilia, attorno al '200 nacque la prima fabbrica di pasta secca. La pasta fresca è diffusa sulla tavola degli Italiani sin dall'epoca dei romani. Durante il Medioevo le torte di epoca precedente diventano tortelli e tortellini. In campagna la pasta fresca è più diffusa di quella secca ma che a casa di Mussolini, romagnolo, non si facessero tagliatelle e strozzapreti, non è credibile. Pellegrino Artusi parla ampiamente di molte paste, e relativi condimenti, nel suo ricettario pubblicato nel 1891, ben prima della Prima Guerra mondiale. Sono però d'accordo sul fatto che la pasta diventi un pilastro della identità italiana grazie alla spinta che arrivò dagli expats italiani di Oltreoceano (ma non grazie alla prima ondata migratoria bensì a quella successiva).
Certo, ci sono svariati pensieri sulle opinioni di Alberto Grandi (deve andare in giro con la scorta) e certo la storia della pasta in Italia e profonda, non ci sono dubbi su quello ma negli anni fra le due guerre mondiali quello che si mangiava normalmente in certe regioni non erano le stesse cose che mangiavano nel medioevo o nel 1600; penso quello che intendesse dire è che in America gli italiani di regioni diverse abbiano avuto l'opportunità di incontrarsi e conoscersi meglio che in Italia, e questa "mescolanza" ha introdotto piatti diversi (pasta inclusa) agli italo-americani. Poi su Mussolini era saputo che avesse tantissimi problemi per un ulcera duodenale che interferivano con i suoi impegni; aveva una dieta particolare, per questo e lui stesso dichiarava che non mangiava la pasta, mangiava riso sopratutto. Infatti non era un buongustaio!
Quello che non mi convince del libro di Grandi sono le fonti (che non supportano le sue tesi mentre il lavoro di Massimo Montanari è sempre supportato da lavoro di archivio e fonti). Un vero storico non prescinde mai dalle fonti, altrimenti sono opinioni personali. Detto ciò, tagliatelle all'uovo e orecchiette sono state una presenza costante sulla tavola della mia trisavola romagnola o di quelle delle mie amiche pugliesi (lo stesso dicasi per pizzoccheri and so on). In campagna, uova e farina o farina e acqua per fare la pasta non sono mai mancati. Le privazioni più dure ci furono in occasione della seconda guerra, non della prima, quando i tedeschi (durante la loro permanenza e il loro passaggio) portavano via tutto.
Infatti anche Massimo Montanari ha elaborato molto su questo stesso tema -- ma è troppo lungo da riportare qui, se hai la copia del suo libro "L'identità italiana in cucina", puoi leggerlo nel capitolo, "Mangiamaccheroni. Come si costruisce uno stereotipo nazionale". Li, Montanari spiega molto meglio di me (citando tutte le fonti) quello che dice anche Grandi, del fatto che intorno alla fine ottocento/inizio novecento, tanti italiani andati in America (spesso contadini poveri, di solito del sud) si ritrovano a cambiare la cultura della pasta. Certo che qui in Italia c'è stata per centinaia di anni una ricca cultura di pasta, non ci sono dubbi, ma se stiamo parlando di come è cambiata l'abitudine degli italiani nella storia recente e come la pasta sia diventato un simbolo della cultura italiana (come sto cercando di riportare qui per spiegare perchè Mussolini considerava la pasta non completamente italiano), lo zampino americano è interessante e fa parte della ricerca storica. La pasta era solo un piatto da famiglie ricche, ma in America, come scrive Montanari, "Terra di abbondanza, 'Carnevale realizzato' che finalmente consentiva di avere pasta -- e carne -- nel piatto quotidiano, l'America fu il vero luogo di produzione del fortunato stereotipo italiano. Molti contadini meridionali, ha scritto ancora Teti, 'diventarono mangiamaccheroni proprio in America.'" E come ha notato Paola Corti, "attraverso il canale della ristorazione italiana si sono realizzati, all'estero, gli incontri delle tradizioni regionali della penisola."
As a lover of food and history I am finding this series so interesting, thank you Emiko. Even having studied this general time period at school and university I have never heard much about the Italian experience, and I am so glad to learn more now.
Wow. Interesting. My Grand father was an Italian Army prisoner in German POW camps, he refused to serve Hitler. While in a camp, he collected and wrote a "cook book", recipes from the other prisoners, on scraps of paper he found in the camp. My mother has it now.
Yes, it is an amazing story, my mothers experience as a child during the war, my grandfathers time in the camps and the recipes he collected. You can imagine the wild dreams of food that starving prisoners would come up with. Some knew how to cook, others didn't but that didn't stop them from coming up with wild recipes to fill their dreams.
That is exactly what I was thinking. The anecdotes and testimonies I have been reading have so much information about food because it was something at the forefront of people's minds. Incredible! What a treasure!
Did you read this book in Italian? I am a native who speaks excellent Sicilian and pretty good Italian, but reading it is another game that just frustrates me. I struggle to find books like this in translation.
I need to get better at my literary Italian. Also, found a book you might like it's only in Italian. "La Cucina Dell'amore -Manuale Culinario afrodisiaco per GLI adult dei due sessi" by Omero Rompini. Published in Catania in 1926. The illustrations alone are worth it! I'm researching it at the moment.
It is wonderful to see a photo of the Cervi family, including the two daughters. What a tragic end. My mother was a child in Rome during the war, but she never spoke about it, and she is dead now. So I am very interested your war articles.
This was SO interesting. And, I loved learning more about the Futurists.
There are some futurists I really love but I hate that (if I understand correctly) they were all fascists 😭😭.
But especially Sironi’s painting are ❤️.
Same same same! Last years art Biennale highlighted some women Futurists, which was super interesting
I’m sort of amazed the “let” the women be futurists. I’ll have to look!
So interesting! Was one of them Benedetta Marinetti (Marinetti's wife. Possibly one of the only women he could stand since he openly talked about how he hated women!)?
I know what you mean, but I probably simplified it a bit, I am not sure they were all fascists but like so many things it was a bit complicated. Certainly many aspects of it I really am dubious about -- they advocated for pills and powders to replace meals (they really were ahead of their time on that) as they believed eating for pleasure should be done away with! Futurism predates Fascism so it is said that it even influenced Fascism but then as Fascism grew, the two movements grew apart. They were warmongers and glorified war and violence, but for example Futurists were against anything traditional and classic, which of course Fascism was for and at times for certain things they could be described as being left on the political scale (eg they wanted to abolish marriage and implement gender equality! But then they were also against feminism and openly talked about contempt for women). Complicated -- but one thing is for sure they were bonkers and they definitely did not love food!
The Futurists are such a whacky bunch! The cookbook provides endless entertainment -- but I think that was always part of it, the shock of the unlikely combinations of ingredients and the senses.
I love this. Thanks for writing it. Many years ago I worked in a rare book and manuscript library and remember seeing a first edition of the La Cucina Futurista. It was such a strange (but beautifully designed) book. I don't read Italian and had no idea of its links to fascism. Very interesting indeed!
Wow what a fascinating job (I would have loved to see that! I used to be a book and art restorer before starting a food blog!). I admit the designs I've seen for the book covers are fantastic!
Fascinating! I'll never look at pasta in bianco the same way again.
Me neither!
The past is so quickly forgotten. This happened not all that long ago and yet so few seem aware of Italy’s history in the 20th century. Are you familiar with the book A Bold and Dangerous Family, by Caroline Moorehead? It’s about another anti-fascist family (Rosselli) who helped to lead the resistance. Filled with details I knew nothing about. A fascinating read.
You said it, it is so quickly forgotten and everyone moves on. Reading more about this has made me understand Italian food today in such a different way. I've been talking a lot about this with my mother in law who was born in 1946 but knew all the stories of what her whole family went through, including when her brother, a young boy at the time, was questioned on the whereabouts of his father by two fascists and he -- poker faced -- told them he was in Torino and saved his life (he was hiding in the attic) and how their home was looted by fascists while they hid in the countryside later -- they took everything. I don't know this book but I'm going to look for it now! My mother in law has lent me all of her Italo Calvino collection, his first book is about his experience as a partisan, and the stories by Beppe Fenoglio as a partisan in the Langhe in Piemonte. I've also just ordered a book called Pane Nero by Miriam Mafai, which is about the everyday life of women in the Second World War. Fascinating.
Pane nero is a great book, very interesting
This is truly fascinating, Emiko. Thank you so much for sharing!
Thanks Meryl, so glad you enjoyed it!
What a terrific read. That period is so heartbreaking--and like Domenica said, just not that long ago.
My Italian landlady used to say “pastasciutta” and that was the first time I’d heard it. Now I can proudly declare myself a Pastasciuttist!
I was thinking I should write a whole post about "pastasciutta" too! One day! It truly is heartbreaking -- I can't tell you how many times I've teared up while reading and researching for this series. All the more reason to remember the history; we can't forget what people went through to get this Italy that we all love and enjoy so much. Not to mention the pasta! So much appreciation for pasta in bianco now!
Non sono sicura, da ricercatore di storia, di essere d'accordo con le parole di Alberto Grandi. La pasta era molto diffusa nel Nord e Sud Italia: nel 1600 i napoletani conquistano l'appellativo di mangia-maccheroni in precedenza attribuito ai siciliani. Fra l'altro, in Sicilia, attorno al '200 nacque la prima fabbrica di pasta secca. La pasta fresca è diffusa sulla tavola degli Italiani sin dall'epoca dei romani. Durante il Medioevo le torte di epoca precedente diventano tortelli e tortellini. In campagna la pasta fresca è più diffusa di quella secca ma che a casa di Mussolini, romagnolo, non si facessero tagliatelle e strozzapreti, non è credibile. Pellegrino Artusi parla ampiamente di molte paste, e relativi condimenti, nel suo ricettario pubblicato nel 1891, ben prima della Prima Guerra mondiale. Sono però d'accordo sul fatto che la pasta diventi un pilastro della identità italiana grazie alla spinta che arrivò dagli expats italiani di Oltreoceano (ma non grazie alla prima ondata migratoria bensì a quella successiva).
Certo, ci sono svariati pensieri sulle opinioni di Alberto Grandi (deve andare in giro con la scorta) e certo la storia della pasta in Italia e profonda, non ci sono dubbi su quello ma negli anni fra le due guerre mondiali quello che si mangiava normalmente in certe regioni non erano le stesse cose che mangiavano nel medioevo o nel 1600; penso quello che intendesse dire è che in America gli italiani di regioni diverse abbiano avuto l'opportunità di incontrarsi e conoscersi meglio che in Italia, e questa "mescolanza" ha introdotto piatti diversi (pasta inclusa) agli italo-americani. Poi su Mussolini era saputo che avesse tantissimi problemi per un ulcera duodenale che interferivano con i suoi impegni; aveva una dieta particolare, per questo e lui stesso dichiarava che non mangiava la pasta, mangiava riso sopratutto. Infatti non era un buongustaio!
Quello che non mi convince del libro di Grandi sono le fonti (che non supportano le sue tesi mentre il lavoro di Massimo Montanari è sempre supportato da lavoro di archivio e fonti). Un vero storico non prescinde mai dalle fonti, altrimenti sono opinioni personali. Detto ciò, tagliatelle all'uovo e orecchiette sono state una presenza costante sulla tavola della mia trisavola romagnola o di quelle delle mie amiche pugliesi (lo stesso dicasi per pizzoccheri and so on). In campagna, uova e farina o farina e acqua per fare la pasta non sono mai mancati. Le privazioni più dure ci furono in occasione della seconda guerra, non della prima, quando i tedeschi (durante la loro permanenza e il loro passaggio) portavano via tutto.
Infatti anche Massimo Montanari ha elaborato molto su questo stesso tema -- ma è troppo lungo da riportare qui, se hai la copia del suo libro "L'identità italiana in cucina", puoi leggerlo nel capitolo, "Mangiamaccheroni. Come si costruisce uno stereotipo nazionale". Li, Montanari spiega molto meglio di me (citando tutte le fonti) quello che dice anche Grandi, del fatto che intorno alla fine ottocento/inizio novecento, tanti italiani andati in America (spesso contadini poveri, di solito del sud) si ritrovano a cambiare la cultura della pasta. Certo che qui in Italia c'è stata per centinaia di anni una ricca cultura di pasta, non ci sono dubbi, ma se stiamo parlando di come è cambiata l'abitudine degli italiani nella storia recente e come la pasta sia diventato un simbolo della cultura italiana (come sto cercando di riportare qui per spiegare perchè Mussolini considerava la pasta non completamente italiano), lo zampino americano è interessante e fa parte della ricerca storica. La pasta era solo un piatto da famiglie ricche, ma in America, come scrive Montanari, "Terra di abbondanza, 'Carnevale realizzato' che finalmente consentiva di avere pasta -- e carne -- nel piatto quotidiano, l'America fu il vero luogo di produzione del fortunato stereotipo italiano. Molti contadini meridionali, ha scritto ancora Teti, 'diventarono mangiamaccheroni proprio in America.'" E come ha notato Paola Corti, "attraverso il canale della ristorazione italiana si sono realizzati, all'estero, gli incontri delle tradizioni regionali della penisola."
Thank you for this post Emiko, I learned so much!
This just makes me sad as Italy once again embraces fascism. History is constantly being erased and too easy to forget.
Thank you, Emiko! So interesting .
As a lover of food and history I am finding this series so interesting, thank you Emiko. Even having studied this general time period at school and university I have never heard much about the Italian experience, and I am so glad to learn more now.
Wow. Interesting. My Grand father was an Italian Army prisoner in German POW camps, he refused to serve Hitler. While in a camp, he collected and wrote a "cook book", recipes from the other prisoners, on scraps of paper he found in the camp. My mother has it now.
Oh wow! That should be put in a book! Fascinating.
Yes, it is an amazing story, my mothers experience as a child during the war, my grandfathers time in the camps and the recipes he collected. You can imagine the wild dreams of food that starving prisoners would come up with. Some knew how to cook, others didn't but that didn't stop them from coming up with wild recipes to fill their dreams.
That is exactly what I was thinking. The anecdotes and testimonies I have been reading have so much information about food because it was something at the forefront of people's minds. Incredible! What a treasure!
It is an amazing thing the things that comfort people in terrible times.
We refer to pasta schiutta in Sicily as any pasta that is not in a brodo.
Yes, that is the common thought to explain the difference between pastasciutta and pasta but actually (and I had to look this up too!) it is because of the draining of the pasta! See here: https://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/pastasciutta/ and https://www.saporideisassi.it/blog/pastasciutta-perche-si-chiama-cosi/
Did you read this book in Italian? I am a native who speaks excellent Sicilian and pretty good Italian, but reading it is another game that just frustrates me. I struggle to find books like this in translation.
Yes I read it in Italian. I think it's a pretty good/fast read, not too hard to get into. I believe it's only available in Italian.
I need to get better at my literary Italian. Also, found a book you might like it's only in Italian. "La Cucina Dell'amore -Manuale Culinario afrodisiaco per GLI adult dei due sessi" by Omero Rompini. Published in Catania in 1926. The illustrations alone are worth it! I'm researching it at the moment.
Very interesting!!
It is wonderful to see a photo of the Cervi family, including the two daughters. What a tragic end. My mother was a child in Rome during the war, but she never spoke about it, and she is dead now. So I am very interested your war articles.
A captivating story and similar to what happened in Romania for 60 years after the end of the Second World War.