American Misperceptions Of Italian Cuisine

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The American Misperception of Italian Food There is a common misperception amongst Americans of what Italian food truly is. No, it is not chicken parmesan, nor spaghetti and meatballs, not even fettuccini alfredo for that matter. These have all become symbols of Italian food, but not in Italy. In order to determine what a true Italian dish of Italy is, we must first define a symbol. A symbol is “a material object representing something, often something immaterial; emblem, token, or sign”1, a representation of something intangible. In this case, we are defining what foods represent Italy, and what foods Americans commonly misinterpret as traditional Italian food. Many Americans interpret Italian food as being covered in tomato sauce and parmesan cheese. This is where the misperception begins. In actuality, Italian food is distinct by its regions, not so much as a country.2¬ Because the variety is so large, we must focus in on a specific region to compare the Italian-American food to. The comparison will focus on the Tuscan food of Firenze. In order to solve why Americans are feeling this way, we must dissect each of the dishes by preparation and ingredients, comparing to the commonly cooked Florentine way. Tomato sauce. Better yet, marinara sauce. A commonly used ingredient in any Italian restaurant in America that consists of olive oil (EVOO for the Rachael Ray fans), onions, garlic, celery, carrots, bay leaves, salt, pepper, and tomatoes3¬. Consisting of a puree after simmering on the oven, these are the ingredients that create the instant classic. Already one mistake in this recipe is the lack of wine, an ingredient used to cook almost any Italian dish. Yes, this is a delicious sauce, but according to a post on culinarycafe.com, a traditional Italian recipe should consist of the following: canned tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes,

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