A new book by a food historian has revealed that the countries of origin of many famous national dishes are not what one might think.
In a new book called La Cucina Italiana Non Esiste (which translates to Italian cuisine does not exist), food historian Alberto Grandi claims that Italians discovered tomato sauce in America.
Grandi says they did so when they immigrated to the region where tomatoes are native in the 19th century.
Talking to the Italian newspaper the RepublicGrandi said: “Pizza has turned red in America.”
“Before it was plain focaccia, sometimes garnished with pieces of tomato.”
A new book by a food historian has revealed that the countries of origin of many famous national dishes are not what one might think. Pictured: Stock image of a pizza topped with prosciutto and arugula.
In fact, Grandi, a professor of business history and European history at the University of Parma, has made a career out of busting myths about some of Italy’s most famous culinary products.
Although he never questioned the quality of Italian food products, he added: “We confuse identity with roots, which we are crossing.”
Tomatoes are an example of this, as they were initially unpopular in Europe because they resembled their deadly cousin, the nightshade, and due to an early example of fake news.
This was courtesy of rumors circulating that some upper-class Europeans died after eating them when, in reality, it was as a result of lead poisoning from their pewter tableware.
Grandi suggests that tomato-based pizza actually became popular in the US after Italians immigrated to the United States in the 19th century.
The expert in gastronomic history adds that, during World War II, there were more pizzerias in the United States than in Italy.
However, the history of foods being mistakenly adopted by nations from which they did not originate is not limited to Italy alone.
What may surprise many pastry lovers is that croissants are not French.
They were actually invented in Vienna, the capital of Austria, where some say they were given to Duke Leopold in 1227 as a Christmas gift.
Croissants were actually invented in the Austrian capital of Vienna, Austria, where some say they were presented to Duke Leopold in 1227 as a Christmas gift.
Others claimed that the cakes imitating the moon on the Turkish flag were prepared to celebrate the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in the 17th century.
Parisians are said to have adapted the recipe after the first Viennese bakery closed in 1838.
Perhaps the most famous story about the origin of the croissant is that Queen Marie Antoinette, who was born in Vienna, missed Austrian pastries so much that she asked French bakers to make them for her.
Another example of mistaken food origins would be people who associate tempura with Japan or vindaloo with India, since both dishes have Portuguese origins.
Catholic missionaries brought the frying method to Japan in the 16th century, while vindaloo is derived from the Portuguese “vinha de alhos,” which refers to the dish’s two main ingredients, wine and garlic.
Vindaloo was created because wine and garlic helped Portuguese sailors keep ingredients fresh.
Vindaloo was created because wine and garlic helped Portuguese sailors preserve fresh ingredients.
They chose to transform it after arriving in Goa using local spices and chillies, which helped it become one of the most popular and spiciest curries in the world.
Not even Portugal can escape its guilt when it comes to claiming as its own food that actually comes from somewhere else.
Their famous piri piri seasoning, which has become popular in the UK due to its use in Nando’s, It was discovered in America in the 15th century during Portugal’s mercantile era and brought back to the African colonies.
It did not even arrive in Portugal until relatively recently, arriving in the country only in the late 1960s.
