And then the invaders came along
When the Roman Empire
was about to collapse (V century AD), invaders from northern Europe
seized the opportunity and went down the boot of Italian peninsula. They
brought with them new culinary traditions such as baccalà (salted cod), smoked fish and meat, and casseroles.
At
the same time, in southern Italy Arabs introduced almonds, rice,
artichokes and spices. Arabs also provided one of the most distinctive
features of Italian food, coffee. Still today, the only coffee
resembling Italian espresso I could find abroad is Arabic coffee. Dark, strong and prepared with a particular ritual.
At school we were taught that in late Middle Ages, through the birth of the first Comuni and Signorie
(local independent communes), a sense of nation was arising for the
first time. With them another important aspect of Italian food history
was about to be set, regional diversity.
Every large city had a
typical dish, cake, cheese or wine. Bologna is famous for its
tortellini, Milan for its risotto, the region of Campania for its
mozzarella, Tuscany for Fiorentina.
Spanish, French and Austrian
influences also played a huge role in the history of Italian food.
Tomato is perhaps the vegetable that defines our cuisine. We couldn't
even imagine ourselves without it, and was introduced by Spanish
conquerors.
Spritz, one of the most famous Italian aperitifs, is said to have been brought along by the Austrian army.