The Importance of Food in Italian Culture

The northern Italian city of Bologna is famous for its university, for its endless porticos, a rather fetching statue of Neptune and a pair of splendid medieval towers. But to the nation it is known as La grassa, the fat. This is not, you may think, the sort of label that is going to invoke much civic pride. But for the Bolognese, it is one that they wear as proudly as their Gucci and Armani. For La grassa reflects a culinary tradition that is, dare we say it, the envy of the rest of Italy.

A short stroll through the back streets offers up tempting windows filled with pastries and cakes, or fresh pasta and cured meats, that are a testament to how seriously the culinary art is taken. This dedication is mirrored in the eyes of those gazing in through the glass.

Passion for What You are Doing

There is a care taken in the preparation of food and produce that is complemented by a receptive audience willing to take the time to appreciate it. Whether it be art, politics or sport, in Italy the most important thing is to have passion for what you are doing.

The same philosophy is applied to eating. It is found in every region of the country, each fiercely proud and protective of its own signature dishes, and it inhabits everyday conversation on a regular basis, preferably a conversation that takes place over a meal, or at the very least an espresso in the bar.

Italy is a deeply Catholic country that views the family as the foundation of society. And where is it that mothers and fathers, sons, daughters and cousins come together to argue, to discuss, to bond? Yes, that's right the dinner table. It may sound all rather clichéd, the harassed but attentive mamma working her way through creating four or five courses a night for la famiglia, but it is a scene that if not entirely dovetailing with the realities of 21st-century working schedules in post-industrial Europe, still has a powerful resonance.

Traditional Values

Tourists seduced by this popular image flock to the country in their millions every year. And while they are squeezing into corner tables for lunch in anticipation of an authentic 'experience', they are missing the sight of flocks of Italian teenagers descending on branches of McDonald's and Burger King. So, no, Italians are not immune to the enticements of the multinational food giants, but even here, what other country would respond to the inroads made by the fast-food industry by, wait for it, initiating the development of an international organisation called Slow Food, dedicated to preserving and promoting traditional culinary values?

And if all that doesn't convince you that the Italians think longer and harder about food than anyone else, consider another great passion of theirs, football. When the national team suffered a disastrous World Cup campaign in England in 1966, they were met on their return at the airport by a barrage of rotten tomatoes. Rotten, mind. You wouldn't catch the Italians wasting good food.