Alt History Idea: Northern Italian American Food
Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2022 10:01 pm
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the bulk of Italian immigration to the United States came from southern regions such as Sicily, Campania, and Calabria. As a result, when Americans think of Italian food, they most often imagine pasta, olive oil, and tomatoes. Working class staples like polenta are to be found in trendy modern restaurants, not your Noni's hand-written cookbook. But what would Americanized Italian food look like if the bulk of Italian immigration to the US had been from places like Lombardy or Piedmont?
First of all, we cannot assume that American Italian food would bear any resemblance to the food eaten today in Milan or Venice. Italian food culture evolves like any other. Spaghetti and meatballs, the most iconic American Italian dish, was not invented by clueless non-Italians, but by Italian-Americans themselves, augmenting traditional recipes. So we must assume that Italian-Americans in our alternate history scenario will augment their own recipes as well. This includes making substitutions, adopting ingredients and techniques from other groups, and assimilating to mainstream culinary tastes.
In no particular order, here are the biggest changes I foresee happening to traditional Northern Italian food culture. Butter (and to a small extent clarified butter) becomes the main fat, compared to the mix of butter and olive oil used in most parts of northern Italy. The line between German and Italian cuisine blurs, as both culture rub shoulders in American cities making breaded cutlets and potato dumplings. Risotto, polenta, and stuffed pasta are the standard carbohydrates for most meals, while orecchiette in tomato sauce is the hot new thing in high-class Italian dining. Lastly, the northern Italian penchant for meaty, creamy foods reaches absurd proportions, with beef and fontina added to nearly everything. Ciabatta was invented in northern Italy, but long after the main thrust of immigration to North America, so it is not part of our hypothetical Italian-American cuisine.
I have gone through a few classic northern Italian dishes, and applied what I imagine would be the historical pressures that would shape their modern form.
Steak and Polenta
This is the dish people think of when they think of Italian food. Even a small town in deepest, darkest Nebraska will have at least one restaurant that serves steak and polenta. The steak was originally tripe, liver, and onions cooked in clarified butter with garlic, black pepper, and salt, but modern recipes use thin slices of steak and cut back on the seasonings. Some restaurants ask you if you want fontina or mozzarella cheese melted on your polenta, because of course that’s an option.
Agnolotti
Pumpkin has long since disappeared as a popular stuffing for these small stuffed pastas. Instead, they are stuffed to bursting with ground beef, and served with melted butter. The hand tool used to make agnolotti is a common household item, appearing in the kitchens of Italians and non-Italians alike. Making agnolotti together and getting covered in flour is a cliche date scene in movies.
Pizzoccheri
This one is a little weird. In Italy, pizzoccheri is widely seen as a joke food: a thin excuse to shove as many kilograms of carbs and cheese into your face as science will allow, while using a small garnish of vegetables to stave off God’s wrath. Perfect for America, right? Of course, Italian-Americans eschew the buckwheat noodles for regular ones in various shapes, and add (you guessed it!) meat. The result is layers of noodles and soft cheeses somewhat reminiscent of lasagne.
Risotto
You know where this is going. Another staple of Italian cooking that has crossed over into the mainstream, this version of risotto is made from rice cooked in beef broth with some perfunctory attempt at vegetables like peas, mushrooms, or carrots. As an entree, it will usually have pan-fried steak and onions on top, and once again you may have the option to get it with a thick layer of melted cheese.
Cotoletto e Canederli
The above-mentioned cutlet and potatoes. Traditionally veal, but usually chicken in recent years, the cutlet is tenderized, breaded, and fried in clarified butter. The dumplings were originally stuck together with asiago, but today some cooks will shamelessly use cheddar, or whatever cheese is available. A lemon wedge and radicchio salad that no one eats complete the dish in restaurants, but home cooks usually skip the garnish (and sometimes the tenderizing).
Cassoeula
This pork stew has evolved into a sort of pot roast, slow cooked in broth, spices, and hearty vegetables. Because it is associated with traditional home cooking and never took off in restaurants, it has slowly declined in popularity. This in turn has lead to a renaissance, with trendy Protestant home cooks making “casserola” with quinoa and chard. Italian-Americans lament the betrayal of "real cassoeula," by which they mean a food unrecognizable to actual Italians.
Bagna Cauda
In this alternate history, it is the Italians who introduce America to the idea of fondue. The original bagna cauda was made mostly of garlic and anchovies, but this quickly turned into a cheesy bechamel similar to Kraft Mac N Cheese, with some garlic added back in for the adventurous. Skewers of cooked meat and vegetables are then dipped in the hot cheese. Bagna cauda remains the chief “exhibition” food for American Italian restaurants, the way fajitas are for American Mexican restaurants.
So what do you think of my experiment? Do you think this is a plausible result? Do any of these foods sound like they would become American staples? Have I wildly missed the mark of what early immigrants to America would bring with them? Let me know what you think.
First of all, we cannot assume that American Italian food would bear any resemblance to the food eaten today in Milan or Venice. Italian food culture evolves like any other. Spaghetti and meatballs, the most iconic American Italian dish, was not invented by clueless non-Italians, but by Italian-Americans themselves, augmenting traditional recipes. So we must assume that Italian-Americans in our alternate history scenario will augment their own recipes as well. This includes making substitutions, adopting ingredients and techniques from other groups, and assimilating to mainstream culinary tastes.
In no particular order, here are the biggest changes I foresee happening to traditional Northern Italian food culture. Butter (and to a small extent clarified butter) becomes the main fat, compared to the mix of butter and olive oil used in most parts of northern Italy. The line between German and Italian cuisine blurs, as both culture rub shoulders in American cities making breaded cutlets and potato dumplings. Risotto, polenta, and stuffed pasta are the standard carbohydrates for most meals, while orecchiette in tomato sauce is the hot new thing in high-class Italian dining. Lastly, the northern Italian penchant for meaty, creamy foods reaches absurd proportions, with beef and fontina added to nearly everything. Ciabatta was invented in northern Italy, but long after the main thrust of immigration to North America, so it is not part of our hypothetical Italian-American cuisine.
I have gone through a few classic northern Italian dishes, and applied what I imagine would be the historical pressures that would shape their modern form.
Steak and Polenta
This is the dish people think of when they think of Italian food. Even a small town in deepest, darkest Nebraska will have at least one restaurant that serves steak and polenta. The steak was originally tripe, liver, and onions cooked in clarified butter with garlic, black pepper, and salt, but modern recipes use thin slices of steak and cut back on the seasonings. Some restaurants ask you if you want fontina or mozzarella cheese melted on your polenta, because of course that’s an option.
Agnolotti
Pumpkin has long since disappeared as a popular stuffing for these small stuffed pastas. Instead, they are stuffed to bursting with ground beef, and served with melted butter. The hand tool used to make agnolotti is a common household item, appearing in the kitchens of Italians and non-Italians alike. Making agnolotti together and getting covered in flour is a cliche date scene in movies.
Pizzoccheri
This one is a little weird. In Italy, pizzoccheri is widely seen as a joke food: a thin excuse to shove as many kilograms of carbs and cheese into your face as science will allow, while using a small garnish of vegetables to stave off God’s wrath. Perfect for America, right? Of course, Italian-Americans eschew the buckwheat noodles for regular ones in various shapes, and add (you guessed it!) meat. The result is layers of noodles and soft cheeses somewhat reminiscent of lasagne.
Risotto
You know where this is going. Another staple of Italian cooking that has crossed over into the mainstream, this version of risotto is made from rice cooked in beef broth with some perfunctory attempt at vegetables like peas, mushrooms, or carrots. As an entree, it will usually have pan-fried steak and onions on top, and once again you may have the option to get it with a thick layer of melted cheese.
Cotoletto e Canederli
The above-mentioned cutlet and potatoes. Traditionally veal, but usually chicken in recent years, the cutlet is tenderized, breaded, and fried in clarified butter. The dumplings were originally stuck together with asiago, but today some cooks will shamelessly use cheddar, or whatever cheese is available. A lemon wedge and radicchio salad that no one eats complete the dish in restaurants, but home cooks usually skip the garnish (and sometimes the tenderizing).
Cassoeula
This pork stew has evolved into a sort of pot roast, slow cooked in broth, spices, and hearty vegetables. Because it is associated with traditional home cooking and never took off in restaurants, it has slowly declined in popularity. This in turn has lead to a renaissance, with trendy Protestant home cooks making “casserola” with quinoa and chard. Italian-Americans lament the betrayal of "real cassoeula," by which they mean a food unrecognizable to actual Italians.
Bagna Cauda
In this alternate history, it is the Italians who introduce America to the idea of fondue. The original bagna cauda was made mostly of garlic and anchovies, but this quickly turned into a cheesy bechamel similar to Kraft Mac N Cheese, with some garlic added back in for the adventurous. Skewers of cooked meat and vegetables are then dipped in the hot cheese. Bagna cauda remains the chief “exhibition” food for American Italian restaurants, the way fajitas are for American Mexican restaurants.
So what do you think of my experiment? Do you think this is a plausible result? Do any of these foods sound like they would become American staples? Have I wildly missed the mark of what early immigrants to America would bring with them? Let me know what you think.