Thought for the Day: ” In order to truly communicate, we must take responsibility for the heart space that exists between another and us. It is that heart space, or the absence of it, that will determine whether communication is miraculous or fearful.” – Jesse
That is in contrast to most restaurants here where I’m looked at with incredulity when I ask for oil and vinegar. And unfortunately, I’m never surprised when the answer is that they don’t have plain olive oil and vinegar, though most places do.
Our version of pizza is most decidedly not Italian. True Italian pizza would never be frozen and microwaved. It probably won’t be delivered to your door either. Schnatter may be an Italian name, but “Papa John” Schnatter is serving a US-style version of pizza. Similarly, alfredo sauce, that bastion of cream and milk that so many adorn their fettuccine with.
The world tell us that Italians (and others around the Mediterranean Sea) consume a mostly vegetarian diet, including copious quantities of those “heart healthy” monounsaturated fats, supplemented with a bit of meat here and there. I know of one Italian delicacy that is certainly not low-fat, nor is it low in saturated fat. It’s known as Lardo di Colonnata. While other regions have created their own versions of lardo, Colonnata was the genesis for this food and it’s enough of a tourist attraction that Colonnata is seeking Denominazione di Origine Protetta to protect the “di Colonnata” part of the name. Basically, it’s pork fat seasoned with herbs and spices and left to dry. Here’s an example of the exalted status lardo holds:
“Each year there’s a festival to celebrate this traditional Tuscan dish ‘ the Sagra del Lardo or Festival of Lard. It’s held on 25th and 26th August.”
Low-fat huh? Even the US doesn’t hold festivals to celebrate fat. If you look through lots of Italian recipes, you’ll notice that pork lard is used quite a bit. While Italians do consume a boatload more vegetables and fruits than most US citizens (as if that’s an accomplishment), their diet isn’t the politically-correct Mediterranean Diet that is proposed by the nutritionists here.
I think the numerous versions of preserved meat and sausages that come from Italy tells us that meat was a prized commodity. While pepperoni is actually an Italian-American sausage, not a true Italian sausage, it is very similar to the salami and other hard sausages that are true Italian meats. There are versions of salami from nearly every region of Italy: Genoa, Naples, Cotto, etc. These sausages are made of cured meat, fat, and spices. Further, there are other meats used throughout Italy, such as pancetta, a type of bacon; proscuitto, cured hams; salsiccia, another type of sausage served fresh or cured; finocchiona, a type of salami flavored with fennel seeds; soppressata, a cooked sausage of pork cuttings; and capocollo, cured shoulder butt. The first course of a meal in Italy is known as antipasti, equivalent to our concept of hors d’oeuvre. The foods typically served in this course are the above listed meats, along with cheeses and perhaps olives.
An expensive Italian restaurant in Minneapolis serves a different variation of Italian cuisine, one that I’m tempted to believe is more representative of true Italian cooking. Having eaten there once, I know that the portions are significantly smaller, but more satisfying, than those at the average pasta place. And the meats are far broader ranging, including veal, duck, and lamb, to go with the more widely served beef and chicken. You can actually eat there without having pasta on your plate at any point. Too bad you can’t feed two there for under $80.
Regional Variations
There are so many regional variations that it’s hard to list them all. I’ll just give a very broad overview here. Obviously the coastal regions have greater access to seafood, making it much more expensive in the interior of the country and therefore less widely consumed. Up north, where the land is more mountainous, there are more livestock and less olives. That translates to more butter, more lard, and less olive oil. Corn and rice were more popular, at least in the past, than pasta in these regions as well. The northern areas of Italy show influence by the neighboring countries of Austria, Hungary, and Croatia while the southern areas like Calabria and Sicily show more Arab and Greek influence. These regional variations allow the Italian cook to take advantage of fresh, seasonal, and local vegetables.
The Good:
In Italy, fresh, seasonal vegetables and herbs are the source of much flavor and nutrition. As you’ll see in our recipes to follow, there are plenty of tomatoes, peppers, basil, and oregano to go around. Southern Italy features olives, artichokes, and leeks.
Another thing about Italian cooking is that it’s not the low-fat ideal that it’s made out to be, nor does it mimic the so-called Mediterranean Diet. Here’s an example of one meal, served in Italy. Obviously this is a higher demographic than the average person, but the meal isn’t low-fat, nor is all of the fat from olive oil. You will not see any legumes or much in the way of whole grains there either.
Meat, poultry, and fish feature pretty prominently in Italian cuisine, especially now that there is a bit more money to go around. Veal, pork, lamb, and wild game are the meats of choice, while poultry includes chicken, pigeon, and guinea fowl. Being so close to the sea, there are numerous types of fish in the Italian diet, served grilled, steamed, or fried.
And let’s not forget, Italy is as well-known for its wine as Mexico is for its tequila. Italy is the largest producer of wine in the world and there’s all kinds of evidence that a glass of red wine is good for you too. So who’s bringing the red?
The Bad:
Well, the pink elephant in the room is pasta. Especially in it’s Americanized form, Italian cooking is extremely heavy in the processed grain product known as pasta. A favorite meal of most every kid is spaghetti and meatballs, emphasis on the spaghetti, not the meatballs. Obviously it’s very heavy on the carbohydrates and is a highly processed food. Pasta is one food that has to be cut to enjoy a truly whole foods-based diet. Lots of other refined grains are present in the Italian diet too. Breakfast is often a sugary pastry and the first course of the meal is often a pasta- or rice-based dish, relegating the meat dishes to the second course. Luckily, those of us concerned with eating real, unprocessed foods don’t have to do the same.
And again, for those that are avoiding nightshades, most Italian cuisine is not for you. Tomatoes, eggplants, and bell peppers abound in Italian cooking. There’s also quite a few potatoes used throughout the cuisine, which along with being nightshades are extremely starchy, and shouldn’t be used frequently in a low-carb Paleolithic diet.
The Obscure:
There aren’t a good deal of obscure ingredients left in Italian cuisine. Numerous types of olives and capers, along with artichokes, are widely known throughout the States now.
The Takeaways:
The main dishes are where the real meat is (no pun intended). A true Italian meal always features a meat course, which may include various meats, poultry, and/or fish. The antipasto is often of animal protein, either meats, cheeses, or both.
Looking through recipes though, I also found quite a few Italian side dishes mixing lots of fresh, seasonal vegetables with herbs and spices to create some incredibly rich and tasty low-carb accompaniments. You’ll see a few of those in the list below. Southern Italy is blessed with a mild Mediterranean climate and long growing seasons lending to plenty of vegetables throughout most of the year: greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, olives, artichokes, you name it, they can probably grow it.
Further, one thing that is important in the Italian way of eating is the social atmosphere. The main meal is multiple courses, not all of which are carbohydrate-centric, and the family or friends gather to enjoy the company as much as the food. I think this leads to slower, and therefore less, eating, along with less stress from the communal atmosphere, neither of which should be discounted in terms of health.
The Spirit of the Food
Nutrition begins with milk from mother’s breast, from the breast of the Great Goddess. In earth-centered cultures, the harvesting and gathering of food is interwoven with sacred threads, and the consumption of the food is a sacrament. This aspect of nutrition is invisible, immeasurable, un-discussed, but of utmost importance to the health of the individual and the ecology.
Healthy Diets
When food choices are limited, women and men eat whatever is available. As long as adequate carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins, and minerals are consumed and clean water is available, health is easily maintained.
Restricted diets (vegan, vegetarian, impoverished) generally fail to provide adequately for women and men, and the addition of milk products, eggs, or meat to these diets optimizes health.
When the food supply is abundant and foods are highly refined, as is the case in most Western countries, food choices may adversely affect health. This is due in part to an innate (healthy) craving for sweet, salt, and fat (which are scarce in nature but commercially abundant, leading to over consumption) and in part to the degradation of the foodstuffs themselves.
Protein
After water, protein is the most plentiful substance in our bodies. Without protein we cannot create enzymes, antibodies, milk, menses, skin, hair, nails, muscle, brain, heart, or organs. We require twenty-two different amino acids (building blocks of protein), of which eight are considered essential nutrients. Animal foods contain all essential amino acids. No one food of vegetable origin contains them all, but combinations (such as corn and beans) do. Each and every amino acid must be present at once in the body, and in the correct proportions, for protein synthesis. If even one essential amino acid is low or missing, even temporarily, protein production slows or stops altogether.
Adult women can be healthy on low protein diets; however children, pregnant, lactating, and menopausal women require high levels of protein.
I will get into more about fats, Vitamins and Minerals later in my blog.
-Jesse
