Every Italian-American Recipe Has a Story That Leads to One Place—Home

Dec 23, 2018 1521

BY: Marianna Gatto

It is said that every recipe has a story behind it. This statement rings especially true among Italian Americans, for whom the significance of food extends far beyond sustenance, and cooking is among the most visible expressions of identity and pride. Eating rituals figured prominently in the Italo American immigration experience. Distinct food and traditions, such as the revered Sunday dinner, played an integral role in constructing and preserving Italian American identity and maintaining family cohesion.

In Italian American households, the holidays, and Christmas in particular, are often occasions when family recipes reemerge, and generations gather to prepare time-honored dishes and share stories, thereby ensuring that such traditions are passed on to future generations. Whether purely Italian in origin or an amalgamation of Italian and American foodways, heirloom recipes provide links to our family histories and allow us to commune with the loved ones and bygone eras to which they belong. In short, recipes are memories; recipes are heritage.

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SOURCE: https://www.orderisda.org/

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