Is the food still Italian if the chef is a foreigner?

By Ian Fisher

International Herald Tribune

ROME: Last month, Gambero Rosso, the prestigious reviewer of restaurants
and wine, sought out Rome's best carbonara, a dish of pasta, eggs,
pecorino cheese and guanciale (which is cured pig cheek; pancetta, for
aficionados, is not done) that defines tradition here.

In second place was L'Arcangelo, a restaurant with an Indian head chef.
The winner: Antico Forno Roscioli, a bakery and innovative restaurant
whose chef, Nabil Hadj Hassen, arrived from Tunisia at 17 and washed
dishes for a year and a half before he cooked his first pot of pasta.

"To cook is a passion," said Hassen, now 43, who went on to train with
some of Italy's top chefs. "Food is a beautiful thing."

Spoken like an Italian. But while the world learned about pasta and
pizza from poor Italian immigrants, now it is foreigners, many of them
also poor, who make some of the best Italian food in Italy (as well as
some of the worst and everything between).

With Italians increasingly shunning sweaty and underpaid kitchen work,
it can be hard now to find a restaurant where at least one foreigner
does not wash dishes, help in the kitchen or, as is often the case,
actually cook. Egyptians have done well as pizza makers, but restaurant
kitchens are now a snapshot of Italy's relatively recent immigrant
experience, with Moroccans, Tunisians, Romanians and Bangladeshis all
doing the work.

The fact itself may not be surprising: On one level, restaurants in
Italy, a country that even into the 1970s exported more workers than it
brought in, now more closely mirror immigrant-staffed kitchens in much
of Europe.

But Italians take their food very seriously, not just as nourishment and
pleasure but as a chief component of national and regional identity. And
so any change is not taken lightly here, especially when the questions
it raises are uncomfortable: Will Italy's food change - and if so, for
the worse or, even more disconcerting, for the better? Most Italian food
is defined by its good ingredients and simple preparation, but does it
become less distinct - or less Italian - if anyone can prepare it to
restaurant standards? Does that come at some cost to national pride?

"If he is an Egyptian cook, nothing changes - nothing," said Francesco
Sabatini, 75, co-owner of Sabatini in Trastevere, one of the oldest
neighborhoods in Rome. His restaurant is considered one of the city's
most conservative, serving classic Roman dishes like oxtail, yet 7 of
his 10 cooks are not Italian.

For Sabatini, the issue is not who cooks but the training - his chefs
apprentice for five years - and keeping alive Italy's culinary
traditions, which he defines as "the flavors of your mother's kitchen."

"That's why I'm here," he said. "If not, I'd just go to the beach."

But in a debate likely to grow in the coming years, others argue that
foreign chefs can mimic Italian food but not really understand it.

"Tradition is needed to go forward with Italian youngsters, not
foreigners," said Loriana Bianchi, co-owner of La Canonica, a restaurant
also in Trastevere, which employs several Bangladeshis, though she does
the cooking. "It's not racism, but culture."

While much of Italy's best food is prepared at home, Bianchi despairs at
the difficulty of finding people to do the same in restaurants. (There
is even a greater shortage, experts say, of Italian waiters.) "It's
tiring, and the hours are very long," she said.

But it has been an undeniable boon to Italy's new immigrants.

Twelve years ago, Abu Markhyyeh, a young Jordanian, finished an
apprenticeship with a Neapolitan pizza maker, borrowed money from his
Italian mother-in-law, then opened his own pizzeria in Milan, Da Willy,
after his nickname here.

He did well, in part because he made the pizzas bigger but kept the
prices low. Now Markhyyeh, 41, presides over an untraditional pizza
empire. He has 11 restaurants in Milan, four in Jordan, two in Cyprus
and franchises in Dubai; Beirut; Sharm el Sheik, Egypt; and now in
Shanghai.

Despite this success - and thousands of loyal Italian customers - he
said he never felt fully accepted. "Italians say they aren't racist, but
then they say to me that in Milan I have found America," he said,
referring to a slightly insulting expression for finding success without
really working for it. "It makes me feel lousy."

Qunfeng Zhu, 30, a Chinese immigrant who opened a coffee bar in Rome's
center, has had a similar experience even though he makes an authentic
espresso in a classic Italian atmosphere (overlooking a few bottles of
Chinese liquor).

"Some people come in, see we are Chinese and go away," he said.

But in the last few years, he said, that happens less frequently, one
sign that Italy is opening up - if slowly - to other kinds of food.
Twenty years ago it was hard to find anything beyond the odd Chinese
restaurant. Now the choices are broader, especially for Asian food like
Japanese or Indian.

"We live in a globalized society - there are so many people represented
in our city," said Maria Coscia, the commissioner of Rome's public
schools. So much so that last year the city began a program of serving a
meal from different countries once a month. But many parents complained
loudly.

"The first time we did it, the menu was Bangladeshi," she said. "That
was a problem."

As a result of the complaints, the program was tweaked slightly and now
at least one dish in four on those days - even grade-school students eat
well in Italy - will remain Italian. Now the program is largely
accepted, though its Web site includes this reminder for those still
wary, "In the total of the 210 school days, when lunches are served,
only 8 days are dedicated to the menus from other countries."

With this mixing of cultures only in its early days, there seems to be
no major shift in Italian cuisine, even if foreigners are doing the
cooking more and more often. Unlike in France, where foreign flavors
have blended well over time with native ones, attempts here at some
fusion of Italian and other cuisines have not caught on. There is, as
yet, no equivalent to curry in Britain.

Still, there seems to be some leakage. Food experts say that foreign
chefs, here and there, add spices not often used in Italy, like
coriander and cumin. Couscous and vanilla are no longer novelties.

But there is a question as to whether these changes, so far subtle, are
happening as a conscious effort to be creative, or simply reflect that
foreign chefs are reverting to the flavors they know from home.

Pierluigi Roscioli, a member of the family that runs the restaurant that
won the best-carbonara award, said there was a risk that tradition would
slowly erode if Italian chefs did note oversee those foreign ones who
have had less training.

"Without supervision, they tend to drift toward what is in their DNA,"
Roscioli said. "When it's by choice, it's great, but not when it happens
because someone isn't paying attention."

Given the current pace of change, he and other experts estimate that
cooks in low- to middle-level restaurants in Italy may be almost
entirely non-Italian within a decade. But this trend coincides with
another, in which Italians are showing a rejuvenated interest in the
best of their own food, as shown by the popularity of groups like
Gambero Rosso, which publishes a magazine and books reviewing wine and
restaurants, and the Slow Food movement, which emphasizes fresh and
local products.

Four years ago, the International School of Italian Cooking opened in
Parma, arguably Italy's best food city, and is attracting a new
generation of Italian chefs more interested in high-end cooking than the
home-style cooking in local restaurants that has made Italian food
popular around the world.

Its executive manager, Andrea Sinigaglia, said it was possible that
Italian restaurants would soon divide into two camps, with elite
restaurants staffed by Italian chefs and trattorias and restaurants
aimed more at tourists run by foreign chefs.

But with Italy changing, he said, its food will inevitably change, too,
though his school is partly aimed at keeping the basics - local
products, fresh ingredients, simplicity in preparation - intact.

"We cannot defend a recipe," he said. "We cannot stop progress. We can
indicate, pinpoint, what are the real important things. And the rest is
creativity."

"Victor Sack" > wrote in message
>
> Spoken like an Italian. But while the world learned about pasta and
> pizza from poor Italian immigrants, now it is foreigners, many of them
> also poor, who make some of the best Italian food in Italy (as well as
> some of the worst and everything between).
>
> With Italians increasingly shunning sweaty and underpaid kitchen work,
> it can be hard now to find a restaurant where at least one foreigner
> does not wash dishes, help in the kitchen or, as is often the case,
> actually cook. Egyptians have done well as pizza makers, but restaurant
> kitchens are now a snapshot of Italy's relatively recent immigrant
> experience, with Moroccans, Tunisians, Romanians and Bangladeshis all
> doing the work.
>

While I did not take a census at the places we ate at, there was definitely
a lot of non-Italian kitchen help in places we went to. Seemed more so in
the larger cities than the small town, but give it time. It has to have
some effect long term.

On Apr 8, 2:58*pm, (Victor Sack) wrote:
> * * * * Is the food still Italian if the chef is a foreigner?
>
Interesting mixture of attitudes, from rational to cultural to DNA
(!). Here in the U.S. in most parts of the country, most kitchens
draw their staffs from immigrant communities because it's hard, hot,
sweaty, demanding, low-paying work. But at its best it's a
meritocracy and talented people rise from dishwasher to chef. The
notion that any country's food needs to be cooked by natives of that
country wouldn't have much traction here. -aem

"Victor Sack" > ha scritto nel messaggio
.. .
> Is the food still Italian if the chef is a foreigner?

Eccomi!

It's a struggle to get Italians to believe you can cook Italian if you
aren't, and they often tell you that you MUST have Italian blood if you are
good. The best restaurant cook in my city is Filipina and has worked here
20 years-- 17 under Italian chefs and 3 in her own restaurant. She
struggles to stay open, but her food is undeniably lighter and brighter
versions of the local food and it is delightful.

I had cooked since I was 6 years old when I went to culinary schol here.
When I started working I made stiffer rules for myself, like testing each
new recipe 5 times and the last time the tasters had to be Italians. I
cooked for Italian friends all the time, but Italians never hired me. One
excitedly told me I was a great cook, not just for a foreigner but even
against Italian cooks. I still laugh.

This year I have been hired by Italians, though. Five years to get the
first euro from an Italian!

Foreigners have to be super-traditonalists until they get famous. If you
start adding anything from your own cuisine to theirs you can expect
accusations. Only famous Italians are allowed to make radical dishes and
new flavors. The wok is absolutely ideal for tossing pasta into sauces, but
don't let an Italian see you do it. Tabasco, considered Mexican here, by
the drop lifts stodgy egg dishes to new heights, but don't let them know you
did it.

Italians are highly suspicious of foreign food and there is strong official
support for it. To many Italians foreign food can include dishes from the
next region over, or even from a nearby town. There is a good dish from
Lake Trasimeno, thirty miles from here, that only I make. They like it, but
they only eat it at a fall festival when the restaurants make it or at my
table.

Will it change? Sure. But slower than anywhere else I know, because the
most common question to travel agents in Italy is "Do they have Italian food
there?"

"aem" > ha scritto nel messaggio
...
On Apr 8, 2:58 pm, (Victor Sack) wrote:
> Is the food still Italian if the chef is a foreigner?
>
Interesting mixture of attitudes, from rational to cultural to DNA
(!). Here in the U.S. in most parts of the country, most kitchens
draw their staffs from immigrant communities because it's hard, hot,
sweaty, demanding, low-paying work. But at its best it's a
meritocracy and talented people rise from dishwasher to chef. The
notion that any country's food needs to be cooked by natives of that
country wouldn't have much traction here. -aem

Italian kids don't want to work for the low pay, either. I hire assistants
easily because I pay from euro 7.50 to 10 per hour from the local cooking
school and that's more than anyone else will pay.

The euro 100,000 a year chef is a daydream here. There are very few. A
lucky chef opens a small restaurant and makes a go of it and when he's ready
to retire he finds a buyer and other than a moderate living, that's his
whole profit. Most of Italy is small places, not big cities.

Giusi > wrote:

> The wok is absolutely ideal for tossing pasta into sauces, but
> don't let an Italian see you do it.

Here is a dish suitable for finishing in the wok. The recipe is from
_Traditional Recipes from Florence_ by Carla Geri Camporesi.

Victor

Penne pasta from the pan

400 g (16 oz) pasta "penne" type
200 g (8 oz) lean red minced meat
100 g (4 oz) bacon
2 chicken livers
2 carrots
1 stick of celery
1 small onion
a little parsley
400 g (16 oz) peeled tomatoes
30 g (1 oz) butter
extra virgin olive oil
1 glass red wine
salt and pepper

Mix together very finely chopped flavouring herbs and vegetables and
brown gently in four tablespoonfuls of oil and 30 g (1 oz) butter. When
they are brown, add the meat, bacon and chicken livers, all previously
minced, and brown these very gently. Pour in the wine and let it
evaporate. Add the peeled tomatoes and cook it all on a moderate heat.
Boil the pasta until cooked but not soft ("al dente"), and then drain.
Transfer the cooked pasta, together with the sauce into a sufficiently
large pan. Sauté it all for two minutes over a good heat and then tip
the steaming hot "penne" on to a serving dish.

"Victor Sack" > ha scritto nel messaggio
. ..
> Giusi > wrote:
>
>> The wok is absolutely ideal for tossing pasta into sauces, but
>> don't let an Italian see you do it.
>
> Here is a dish suitable for finishing in the wok. The recipe is from
> _Traditional Recipes from Florence_ by Carla Geri Camporesi.
>
> Victor
>
> Penne pasta from the pan
>
> 400 g (16 oz) pasta "penne" type
> 200 g (8 oz) lean red minced meat
> 100 g (4 oz) bacon
> 2 chicken livers
> 2 carrots
> 1 stick of celery
> 1 small onion
> a little parsley
> 400 g (16 oz) peeled tomatoes
> 30 g (1 oz) butter
> extra virgin olive oil
> 1 glass red wine
> salt and pepper

What happened? You got partway to ragù and fell off the edge.

Giusi > wrote:

> "Victor Sack" > ha scritto
> >
> > Here is a dish suitable for finishing in the wok. The recipe is from
> > _Traditional Recipes from Florence_ by Carla Geri Camporesi.
> >
> > Penne pasta from the pan
>
> What happened? You got partway to ragù and fell off the edge.

The way from Florence to Bologna is long enough.

Here is another, very similar recipe:
<http://ricette.leonardo.it/ricetta_rigatoni_alla_fiorentina_1017.html>.

Victor

"Victor Sack" > ha scritto nel messaggio
...
> Giusi > wrote:
>
>> "Victor Sack" > ha scritto
>> >
>> > Here is a dish suitable for finishing in the wok. The recipe is from
>> > _Traditional Recipes from Florence_ by Carla Geri Camporesi.
>> >
>> > Penne pasta from the pan
>>
>> What happened? You got partway to ragù and fell off the edge.
>
> The way from Florence to Bologna is long enough.
>
> Here is another, very similar recipe:
> <http://ricette.leonardo.it/ricetta_rigatoni_alla_fiorentina_1017.html>.
>
> Victor

That's a protected site unavailable to the unwashed masses. Don't need it
today, though, because I am making tagliatelle ai carciofi con spicchi di
Pecorino affumicato.

On Fri, 11 Apr 2008 11:56:37 +0200, "Giusi" >
wrote:

>"Victor Sack" > ha scritto nel messaggio
.. .
>> Giusi > wrote:
>>
>>> "Victor Sack" > ha scritto
>>> >
>>> > Here is a dish suitable for finishing in the wok. The recipe is from
>>> > _Traditional Recipes from Florence_ by Carla Geri Camporesi.
>>> >
>>> > Penne pasta from the pan
>>>
>>> What happened? You got partway to ragù and fell off the edge.
>>
>> The way from Florence to Bologna is long enough.
>>
>> Here is another, very similar recipe:
>> <http://ricette.leonardo.it/ricetta_rigatoni_alla_fiorentina_1017.html>.
>>
>> Victor
>
>That's a protected site unavailable to the unwashed masses. Don't need it
>today, though, because I am making tagliatelle ai carciofi con spicchi di
>Pecorino affumicato.
>

They protect it by writing it in Italian and not providing
translation. LOL! I found a tiramisu recipe.
http://ricette.leonardo.it/ricetta_tiramisu'_956.html

--
See return address to reply by email
remove the smile first

"sf" <.> ha scritto nel messaggio
...
> On Fri, 11 Apr 2008 11:56:37 +0200, "Giusi" >
> wrote:
>
>>> Here is another, very similar recipe:
>>> <http://ricette.leonardo.it/ricetta_rigatoni_alla_fiorentina_1017.html>.
>>>
>>> Victor
>>
>>That's a protected site unavailable to the unwashed masses. Don't need it
>>today, though, because I am making tagliatelle ai carciofi con spicchi di
>>Pecorino affumicato.
>>
>
> They protect it by writing it in Italian and not providing
> translation. LOL! I found a tiramisu recipe.
> http://ricette.leonardo.it/ricetta_tiramisu'_956.html

You must have been more washed than I. Sheldon claims I never bathe anyway.
I got a message that said "in addition we found a 404 not found while trying
to resolve the address you used."

Giusi > wrote:

> "Victor Sack" > ha scritto
> >
> > Here is another, very similar recipe:
> > <http://ricette.leonardo.it/ricetta_rigatoni_alla_fiorentina_1017.html>.
>
> That's a protected site unavailable to the unwashed masses.

Strange, I encountered no protection and still do not.

Anyway, here it their recipe.

Victor

Rigatoni alla fiorentina

Tempo Richiesto (in minuti): 180
Ingredienti (per 6 persone): 500 gr di rigatoni, 150 gr di carne trita
di manzo, 50 gr di pancetta a dadini, 4 fegatini di pollo, 1/2 bicchiere
di vino bianco, olio, burro, 200 gr di pomodori pelati, sale, trito di
carota, cipolla, sedano, rosmarino, aglio, salvia, prezzemolo e
basilico.

Preparazione: Rosolate il trito di verdure con l'olio e il burro,
aggiungete la carne, la pancetta e i fegatini tagliati a pezzi
piccolissimi. Versate il vino, mescolate e fate evaporare a fiamma
vivace. Regolate di sale e aggiungete i pomodori. Coprite e cuocete a
fuoco lento per circa 3 ore aggiungendo quando necessario qualche
mestolo di acqua. Lessate i rigatoni in acqua salata, scolateli e
conditeli con il sugo ottenuto.

In article >,
"Giusi" > wrote:

> You must have been more washed than I. Sheldon claims I never bathe anyway.
> I got a message that said "in addition we found a 404 not found while trying
> to resolve the address you used."


maybe it's only accessible if you're outside Italy. I had no problem
with access, either.
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/amytaylor
She's had good news! Hurrah!

Melba's Jammin' > wrote:

> maybe it's only accessible if you're outside Italy.

Using a proxy server usually lets one get around any such restrictions.
In this case, I do not think there is such a restriction, though. I
have just used an Italian proxy and had no trouble accessing the site
and the recipe.

ObFood: Fagioli cotti nel fiasco. The recipe is from _Traditional
recipes of lucchesian farmers_ by an unknown author, translated by Sonia
Dini. The recipes are said to have been collected from actual farmers
around Lucca ("from the live voice of countrywomen living in the
surroundings of Lucca"). The oil used in the recipes is always to be
understood as extra-virgin olive oil.

Bubba

Fagioli cotti nel fiasco

For this recipe you will need an empty wine flask without the straw
cover.

Ingredients
1 kg (2 lb) fresh cannelli beans, 1/2 glass olive oil, a few fresh sage
leaves, 2 cloves garlic, salt, pepper and oil for serving.

Method
- Put the beans into the flask
- Add the sage, garlic, and oil, then completely cover with water.
- Place the flask on to a "flamegard" over a very low heat and simmer
for about 3 hours (the contents must never reach boiling point).
- When cooked drain and toss in oil with some salt and pepper.

On Sat, 12 Apr 2008 09:46:32 +0200, (Victor Sack)
wrote:

> Fagioli cotti nel fiasco

Thanks for the translation!

--
See return address to reply by email
remove the smile first

"Victor Sack" > ha scritto nel messaggio
.. .
> Melba's Jammin' > wrote:
>
>> maybe it's only accessible if you're outside Italy.
>
> Using a proxy server usually lets one get around any such restrictions.
> In this case, I do not think there is such a restriction, though. I
> have just used an Italian proxy and had no trouble accessing the site
> and the recipe.
>
> ObFood: Fagioli cotti nel fiasco. The recipe is from _Traditional
> recipes of lucchesian farmers_ by an unknown author, translated by Sonia
> Dini. The recipes are said to have been collected from actual farmers
> around Lucca ("from the live voice of countrywomen living in the
> surroundings of Lucca"). The oil used in the recipes is always to be
> understood as extra-virgin olive oil.
>
> Bubba
>
> Fagioli cotti nel fiasco
>
> For this recipe you will need an empty wine flask without the straw
> cover.
>
> Ingredients
> 1 kg (2 lb) fresh cannelli beans, 1/2 glass olive oil, a few fresh sage
> leaves, 2 cloves garlic, salt, pepper and oil for serving.
>
> Method
> - Put the beans into the flask
> - Add the sage, garlic, and oil, then completely cover with water.
> - Place the flask on to a "flamegard" over a very low heat and simmer
> for about 3 hours (the contents must never reach boiling point).
> - When cooked drain and toss in oil with some salt and pepper.

That's a favorite in Umbria too, but we add other herbs as well. Leftovers
are layered with Polenta and baked and the combination results in a
surèprising flavor.

In article >,
(Victor Sack) wrote:

> Melba's Jammin' > wrote:
>
> > maybe it's only accessible if you're outside Italy.
>
> Using a proxy server usually lets one get around any such restrictions.
> In this case, I do not think there is such a restriction, though. I
> have just used an Italian proxy and had no trouble accessing the site
> and the recipe.

I was kidding, Bubba Vic. I forgot the wink.

OB Food: Baked chicken wings for supper accompanied by something else
and a green salad.

--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/amytaylor
She's had good news! Hurrah!

Melba's Jammin' > wrote:

> I was kidding, Bubba Vic. I forgot the wink.

You may have been kidding, but there are, or used to be, rather a lot of
Web sites inaccessible to residents of certain localities.

ObFood: Mushrooms canapés. The recipe is from _Dreaming of the Tuscany
Table_ by Carla Geri Camporesi. Note: broth is mentioned in the
instructions but not in the list of ingredients.

Bubba Vic

Mushrooms canapés
Crostini di funghi

7 oz mushrooms (porcini (ceps) or ovoli), 1 clove garlic, half a small
onion, a handful of parsley, 1 tablespoon capers in vinegar, 1 teaspoon
butter, extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper

Clean mushrooms, avoiding washing them when possible. Chop garlic,
onion, parsley and mushrooms very finely. Warm 2 spoonfuls oil and
butter and gently brown the mushroom mixture. Continue cooking adding
salt, pepper and small quantities of broth from time to time. When
ready, add minced capers, more parsley and blend the mixture, stirring
gently and leave it to cool.

Giusi > wrote:

> "Victor Sack" > ha scritto
> >
> > Fagioli cotti nel fiasco
>
> That's a favorite in Umbria too, but we add other herbs as well. Leftovers
> are layered with Polenta and baked and the combination results in a
> surèprising flavor.

Do you think it might perhaps make more sense to prepare the dish in the
oven rather than on stovetop, as called for in the recipe I posted? I'd
be somewhat uncomfortable putting the bottle on the fire, even if there
is a flame tamer in between.

Victor

"Victor Sack" > ha scritto nel messaggio
.. .
> Giusi > wrote:
>
>> "Victor Sack" > ha scritto
>> >
>> > Fagioli cotti nel fiasco
>>
>> That's a favorite in Umbria too, but we add other herbs as well.
>> Leftovers
>> are layered with Polenta and baked and the combination results in a
>> surèprising flavor.
>
> Do you think it might perhaps make more sense to prepare the dish in the
> oven rather than on stovetop, as called for in the recipe I posted? I'd
> be somewhat uncomfortable putting the bottle on the fire, even if there
> is a flame tamer in between.
>
> Victor

Didn't notice that. It's never done on top here. It is traditionally a
dish baked in the stone oven on bread baking day. Otherwise it would have
been done in the fireplace, like all the Artusi recipes.