The “cucina italiana” should become an intangible world cultural heritage – so pasta should now also be on astronauts’ plates. But how traditional is Italian cuisine really?
There is hardly anything that Italians are more proud of than their culinary tradition. Italian cuisine is considered the epitome of tradition and enjoyment – and is a bestseller worldwide.
But that’s not enough. Now, for the first time, “cucina italiana” is to be served in space: Italy’s current application for the recognition of the national cuisine as an intangible UNESCO world cultural heritage includes that the astronauts on the new mission of the International Space Station (ISS) will also be given pasta. Fittingly, one of the astronauts is Italian, Air Force Colonel Walter Villadei.
The astronauts will begin their journey into space from Florida this Wednesday (January 17th). As usual, there are numerous scientific experiments on the program. The special project “Italian Space Food” is led by Italy’s Minister of Agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida. It envisages that the astronauts on Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) will be fed ready-made pasta meals.
Colonel Villadei probably won’t have to do much convincing with his three fellow travelers, even if the pasta and sauces are of course only ready-made meals. They already got a foretaste during the quarantine before departure.
World day of “cucina italiana” and pasta in the cosmos
In addition, the flight with pasta also takes off on “International Day of Italian Cuisine” – a coincidence that will please the right-wing government in Rome. Since taking office more than a year ago, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government, which insists on tradition, has been promoting everything that is “Made in Italy”. The World Day of “Cucina Italiana” and the All-Project are just right for her. Meloni said he was pleased to bring “excellent food and an iconic product like pasta” into space.
On International Day of Italian Cuisine, events and food festivals in honor of the cuisine take place all over the world. World Day takes place on the feast day of Anthony the Great, a Christian monk who is the patron saint of butchers.
But how traditional is Italian cuisine really? For some time now, critics have seen the label “typically Italian” in connection with food as a clever marketing strategy and – with a view to the right-wing government – also as an identity-creating function.
Italian cuisine not so traditional?
One of the critics is the historian Alberto Grandi, who repeatedly causes an emotional stir in his homeland with his strong theses about Italian cuisine. His thesis: The “cucina italiana” is not traditional at all, but only a few decades old and can be traced back to good marketing. “You can say that almost everything that is said about Italian cuisine is wrong,” Grandi told the German Press Agency.
The 56-year-old became known for his book “Denominazione di Origine Inventata (DOI)” (Italian for: invented designation of origin) – a corruption of the DOP seal for Italian goods, which stands for the protected designation of origin. He now also does a podcast under the name DOI.
Carbonara and traditional parmesan from the USA
Most Italians only heard of pizza in the 1950s, says Grandi. Carbonara is originally an American dish, and he considers tiramisù and panettone to be relatively new inventions. The best Parmesan – named after the region around Parma in northern Italy – is actually produced in the US state of Wisconsin. The popular Pachino tomatoes – named after Pachino in southern Sicily – were bred by researchers in Israel.
According to Grandi, the Italians want to stop the further development of their cuisine. History shows that the dishes that are now considered 100% Italian are in fact the result of crossbreeding, substitution and imitation. “Italians didn’t teach the world how to cook, they learned it as migrants in the countries where they worked.”
Criticism of Grandi’s theses also came from the government in Rome
His theses are causing offense in Italy. An interview in the British newspaper “Financial Times” last year even brought the government in Rome into action. “I believe that today the cuisine is the last element of identity that Italians have left. That’s why they get very angry when the history of our recipes is questioned,” says Grandi. “Italy wants to stop time, live in an eternal present, without a past and without a future. But it is precisely this attitude that will destroy our image.”
The historian also doubts whether a world day and pasta in space will do traditional cuisine any favors. The International Day of Italian Cuisine is simply another advertising initiative. The pasta project in space is also similar. According to Grandi, these PR tricks are not a specialty of Meloni’s right-wing government. “Tradition and cuisine are cross-cutting issues that even the left harps on to a certain extent.”
It remains to be seen whether the ISS astronauts will enjoy the finished menus – and whether the initiative will bring Italy one step closer to becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Application for UNESCO World Heritage Site (Italian) Information from the Ministry of Agriculture “Italian Space Food” (Italian) Information about Alberto Grandi University of Parma (Italian) Information about the German translation of the DOI book