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He’s cleaning up Italian cuisine – and making a lot of enemies. “People hate me here,” says Alberto Grandi (56). The economics professor teaches in the Italian city of Parma. His specialty: the history of Italian cuisine. But he’s tough on the country’s famous dishes.
His statements are therefore seen as an insult. In 2018, Grandi published a book on “Marketing lies about typical Italian products”. An interview with Grandi in the “Financial Times” recently apparently finally exhausted the Italian temperament.
Grandi focuses on myths surrounding traditional Italian dishes: the cult classic spaghetti carbonara is an American invention. The same goes for Parmesan cheese. The original recipe came from the US state of Wisconsin. And according to Grandi, the Wisconsin Parmesan is the best.
“The cuisine is actually more American than Italian”
Incidentally, Italian cuisine is not as steeped in history as it is often claimed. The dessert hit Tiramisù, for example, has not been around that long. The fluffy Christmas classic panettone has also been around for a short time – and was originally a hard flatbread with raisins.
Even Italy’s culinary flagship does not spare Grandi: the majority of Italians first heard of pizza in the 1950s. “Even in the 1970s, pizza was as exotic to my dad as sushi is to us today.”
Grandi’s conclusion: “The cuisine is actually more American than Italian.” Despite the headwind, the scientist remains steadfast: “I reconstruct the history of these dishes in a historically and philologically correct way.”
Government member speaks of envy
Grandi’s theses are causing a stir. The largest Italian farmer’s association, Coldiretti, describes the professor’s statements as a “surreal attack” on symbolic Italian cuisine. Especially now that Italy wants to have its kitchen recognized as UNESCO intangible cultural heritage, such claims are misplaced.
Grandi is also causing a stir in the Italian government: Matteo Salvini (50), deputy prime minister and president of the far-right Lega, erupts: “‘Experts’ and newspapers are jealous of our taste and our beauty,” the politician writes on Facebook.
Grandi does not understand the hateful reactions: Italian cuisine is taking on “a dimension of identity beyond all reason”. (Darling)
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
