While it's difficult to imagine now, there was once a time when our favorite "Italian" dishes were seen as strange or foreign. A combination of assimilation and marketing turned these foods into must-haves for Americans of all backgrounds. 

In the 1800s, there was an influx of immigrants from Southern Italy; by the 1880s, 80% of the Italian immigrants in the U.S. were from Southern Italy. Some moved to the U.S. permanently, while others just wanted to make enough money to return home and buy land in Italy.