Life and Art from FT Weekend

How pasta became political in Italy

Aug 18, 2023

Explore the politics of Italian food as the FT's Marianna Giusti and historian Alberto Grandi discuss the controversial origins of classic Italian dishes, the regional diversity of Italian cuisine, and the manipulation of food culture by right-wing politicians. They also delve into the significance of pasta and the simplicity of Italian recipes.

21:28

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Quick takeaways

Italian cuisine as we know it today has only developed in recent history, after World War II.

Food has become an avenue for manipulation and propaganda by right-wing politicians in Italy.

Deep dives

Italian Cuisine: Challenging Traditional Beliefs

Mari and Alberto challenge the traditional beliefs surrounding Italian cuisine. They argue that the notion of Italians being the best cooks in the world and having a singular, fixed recipe for each dish is reductive and superficial. Alberto, a food historian, provides evidence that Italian cuisine as we know it today has only developed in recent history, after World War II. They discuss specific examples, such as pizza and carbonara, to highlight the mythologies and marketing inventions that have shaped the narrative of Italian food. The conversation delves into the political implications surrounding Italian food and the manipulation of culinary identity by right-wing politicians.

Introduction

6min

Controversy and Historical Research on Italian Food

2min

The Evolution of Italian Cuisine and the Origins of Pizza

5min

The Manipulation of Italian Food Culture

7min

The Significance of Pasta and a Preview of the Next Episode

3min

This week, we're talking about the politics of Italian food. Earlier this year, the FT's Marianna Giusti wrote a viral article called "Why everything I, an Italian, thought about Italian food was wrong", which looked at the origins of classic Italian dishes like pizza and pasta carbonara. In response she got dozens of furious emails and was condemned by some of Italy's top politicians. Today Mari is on with the man whose research she profiled, historian Alberto Grandi, to discuss how Italy's right wing has taken up what Alberto calls “gastronationalism”.

– Mari’s viral article with Alberto: ‘Everything I, an Italian, thought about Italian food is wrong’ https://on.ft.com/45yV1LO

– The FT’s Amy Kazmin on Italy’s efforts to protect Italian food against insect protein and lab-grown meat: https://on.ft.com/45iq3b9

– Slate’s Decoder Ring also featured Alberto and Mari on the origins of parmesan cheese: https://slate.com/podcasts/decoder-ring/2023/07/parmesan-cheeses-journey-from-italy-to-wisconsin

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We love hearing from you! You can email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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