Well before Italy was Italy it was lots of very different regions and the northern alps definitely a lot closer to Switzerland, Germany, and Austria than to Sicily. Polenta in northern Italy. Same for Spain and France in terms of strong regional differences that I know of, and probably Greece though I know almost nothing about Greek regions.
Chickpeas also in parts of Italy (ceci) and in my house, we love Calabrian chiles.
As for African (@harters) really interesting question about influences on the food now known as European; so much Arabic/Muslim/North African influence in Spanish cooking and to a lesser extent in Portugal. Lots of influence going in both directions between France and Africa, and France and Vietnam.
I remember being fascinated to read that the Portuguese introduced the idea of batter-coated food fried in oil to Japan…tempura. Not sure if that bears up with the historical record, but interesting.
Of course there are regional cuisines in Italy, with the north being heavier on the cream, meats, etc. whereas Sicily is more tomato / eggplant /seafood oriented, and the north most def not part of the Mediterranean, just like I wouldn’t consider the north of France part of it, but Nice, Cannes & Marseille are. The geography is self-evident.
Yes, there are hot sausages in Italy. And Calabrian peppers. I’d mentioned RPF and hot peppers in my post. Sicilians are quite fond of them as well.
Interesting point. That’s true in my area, as well. Greek, Italian, Tapas, etc., but only “middle eastern” for all those countries that comprise the area. Never occurred to me until you posted.
Spices – whether spicy or not (a distinction that is often lost) – traveled via the spice trade / silk road, while peppers (also tomatoes, potatoes, and other produce) traveled via colonization.
You’d be hard-pressed to find spicy food in the “middle east” (though many spices are used) other than in condiment form – eg shatta / schug / zhoug.
Similar to harissa in the Mediterranean countries of northern Africa.
In India there are special “Arab” menus (catch-all term locally) for middle eastern visitors and students (of which there are a LOT) that remove allspicy elements (green & red chillies, garam masala that might be heavy on cloves and pepper, and so on).
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Harters
(John Hartley - a culinary patriot eating & cooking in Northwest England)
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One of our favourite Punjabi (?) dishes, aloo gobi, owes its ingredients (apart from spices) to colonisation.
I think most of us owe 90 percent of our current diets to colonization.
Think about Greece and Lebanon without green beans, or northern Italy without polenta! Or Ireland without potatoes? Belgium without chocolate?
Shout out to the global community who has embraced the fruits of colonization and continued to work on improving the varietals and the uses. 1000s of different varieties of tomatoes, beans, peppers and potatoes, that have been improved over the centuries.
Without colonization, Alexander, the Romans, Marco Polo, Attila, the Ottomans et al, Northern Europe would be subsisting on oatmeal, Mead, and maybe some pickled herring.
I love looking at how some words and/or dishes travelled along the Spice Route from Greece to India and back again. Quite a few shared words in the Mediterranean, Middle East, Central Asia and South Asia.
I knew the Portugese and brought custard tarts to Macao, and according to some research, frying to Asia.
I hadn’t thought about the fact the Portugese and whoever else from wherever else who was on their boats (working, stowaways, captives, along for the ride, who knows!?), are the people who brought tomatoes to India, in the 16th C!
The tomato arrived in Europe in 1521. Or 1544. That darn Internet is not consistent.
The tomato was being used in European kitchens, and recipes calling for tomatoes were being published, by the late 17th C.
The majority of us are well aware of the distinction and difference between “spices” and
“spicy” dishes, and whether spice as in HEAT is used in the dish itself or as a condiment obviously varies depending on the particular cuisine.
That was my point. Further, we are a subset of (mostly?) middle-aged people on a fooddiscussionboard. I’d say we know more than the average person about food.
