Contemporary Issues in Food and Drinks among Italian - Literature review Example

Contemporary Issues in Food and Drinks among Italian Name Id Course Instructor’s name Institution Affiliation Location Date Contemporary Issues in Food and Drinks among Italian The choice of food among Italians is shaped by different cultures and regions of residents of the entire population. The highest percentage of the population in Italy is the Italian comprising to about 95% with the remaining groups of people taking around 5% in composition compositions (Marwick, 2011). The highest composition shows that some basic cultures are shared within the country with the difference being realized in consideration of the regions of residents and their love for different foods (Downey et al. 2016). Meals taken are not only to fulfill the satisfaction desires for the body development, but also to serve the traditional customs and bring together different people within the families and communities as well as to remind the society of an activity or event that had taken place. The food choices and avoidance of different foods in Italy have been affected by various factors especially in the cultural, political, and social set-ups as is discussed in the paper. First, the regional diversity within Italy affects the choice of food. In Italy you can hardly find similar kind of food in different regions and as you travel from the North region to the South, it is possible to find large category of food that is of the same stake as of a continent (Cavanagh et al. 2013). Van Oudenhoven et al. (2012) argues that at some point the diversity in food choice in the regions is attributed by the resources available as well as the raw materials which are required to help in the making of the food. For example, in the Northern part of Italy polenta is a more common dish that is made with corn flour prompting its choice for various meals in the region. The same mill is avoided in the southern regions due to its unfamiliarity and the inexistence of the resources for making it. Second example is with the Parmigiano reggiano also known as the parmesan which is the food love for only the residents of Emilia-Romagna and is never common in any other region. The food is common in the area since cows that are used to make the food are typically from the region. Similar case applies for the buffalo mozzarella which is only common and a choice for the residents of Campania making it an avoided food in any other region within Italy. The choice of food is depended on its availability and from the regional make-up of the resources, the Italian only choses their food culture depending on the simplicity and ease of finding the food (van de Wouw et al. 2010). The second factor that determines the choice and avoidance of the food in Italian set-up is the nature and the needs of the family (Fieldhouse, 2013). In Italian system, Sunday meals are always considered to be the most important part of feasts as they argue that it is the time that family can be brought together. In the choice of the meals for this occasion the grandparents are responsible for making the decision for foods. Also, due to the length of meal, the population chooses the meals that reduce the chances of becoming full at faster rates as the meal is to be taken for a long span of time (Guerrero et al. 2009). The cultural needs for the Italian prompts even the poor families to avoid any expensive or use of beef during the week days to preserve the resources for the main gatherings of Sundays. The meal choice always works that the food starts from antipasto and closes with dessert. After that the meal is followed by caffe’ and ammazza-caffe which is a small amount of liquor or spirit. To ensure long lasting meals in the occasion, the Italians always choose to split the meal into two. The two meal parts are always the primo and secondo with each part having its own purpose and the food type (Guerrero et al. 2009). The first course always consists of pasta, risotto or a soup like minestrone with the traditional paste hand-made freshly on that day. The second course always varies from region to region depending on the food make-up of the regions. Despite the variation in the second course, the food is usually based on meat or fish with the several other side dishes which forms the basis of the meal (Guerrero et al. 2009). Thirdly, the occasion of the meal determines the type of food that is to be prepared as well as bought for the celebration (Bach-Faig et al. 2011). For example during Sundays, the restaurants and hotels do not have to make too much food, as the locals prefer having family meals. Also, the Italian tradition prompts the locals to share together at the family levels hence hotel foods are avoided over Sunday. Also in the family meals, all the meals that are chosen for the occasion are always traditional local foods which are always supposed to be excellent, locally sourced and tested so many times to ensure that it perfectly fit the needs of the gathering (Almli et al. 2011). Fourthly, the meals taken by the Italians are also chosen on the basis of the holiday being celebrated (Frongillo et al. 2010). With different holidays within the country some specific types of foods are consider compulsory during such holidays. The most commonly celebrated holidays are the Christmas and Easter which have their setting on the type of meals to be taken by the individuals. The meals are based on the picnics and the day time involvements to facilitate the understanding of the occasions. For example during the Easter holiday, the occasion is celebrated by the Easter bread made with hard-boiled eggs and during the New year’s eve, wines form the best part of the meals as it is served routinely (Frongillo et al. 2010). It does not take into account any location or regional love of the people but it fully depends on the people’s understanding of the situations. Fifthly, the tradition of the culture is mostly based on the understanding of food with relation to the ingredients in the food rather than the elaborate preparation (Bornkessel et al. 2014). The ingredients composition makes the food to be easily prepared, as they do not major on the order upon which the ingredients are added. The cultural need of specific ingredients in food determines whatever is to be included in food. The ingredients used in making fish in the coastal regions are different from the espresso of other regions which helps to ensure that cultures are maintained in terms of the ingredients and regions. It is a common practice to find that ingredients used in different regions have specific meaning to the society without clear direction on the benefits attained from the ingredients. It is like a norm among the Italians that every meal is accompanied by its own ingredients and the failure of expressing the utilization of such product means reduced valuation of the food (Blengini and Busto, 2009). The evolvement of the Italian foods in terms of flavor and appeal has been affected by the tourism and the influence from outside industries Blengini and Busto, 2009). The tourists and different visitors within Italy come with different specifications of foods which are prepared and sold in hotels which influence the applications and preparation of different foods. The adaption of the gastronomy for the inclusion and development of the tourism sector makes the food making principles to change developing new ideas concerning food. The wealthy imports that are realized from the tourists find their way into the kitchen of Italians hence changing the shape and the utilization of the traditional ingredients in the country. The existence of the ships that travel to different places in the world ensures the return of spices which are then implemented and used in the kitchen (Henderson, 2009). The meal structures of the Italian food are currently reduced to the special events such as weddings (Mäkiniemi et al. 2011). The traditional structure of food in Italy was based on three or four courses, but with the influence of the today’s food, the courses have been reduced to apply. The today’s system involves the use of two courses plus the side dish and coffee. The food type does not only come as one but must be complimented with other types of food to fit the traditional needs for the food. The choice of food is based firmly on provision of carbohydrates and proteins at the same time. This has been achieved through the provision of such kind of food like the pasta and legumes which are common to the entire regions of the country (Annunziata and Vecchio, 2013). The choice of food within the area also depends fully on the time at specific locations within the country (Uribarri et al. 2010). The understanding of timing of food prohibits the utilization of specific types of food at some times. For example, the Sunday lunch are always taken from the 12pm without the time limit for its ending provided it is within Sunday. Foods like soft drinks, juice and alcohol are only allowed to be served at the bar or Caffe from 6am to 10pm which prohibits their usage at some times (Uribarri et al. 2010). The agriturismo firms are recommended for the foods in helping the guests only and are restricted from serving any other food different from the local-made products. The different establishments within Italy have specialization at various types of foods making the choice of food easier for the residents. The individuals with argue for a given type of food will only identify the establishment location which he or she uses to find the food needed (Kelly et al. 2010). For example, when an individual choses to feed on bruschetta, he or she will locate the Bruschetteria where he/she will find the best made bruschetta. Also when there is need for ice cream or gelato he/she will find gelataria where the ice cream of the type is greatly prepared. The choice of food is also affected by the duration upon which the partakers are willing to wait for the food to be served (Köster, 2009). Different foods within Italy have different time span for their preparations. When individuals are in fast moving activities and need to quickly have the food, they will prefer to go for the fast cooking meals. Otherwise when the individuals have much time that can make them wait for long cooking meals then they will prefer to go for any kind of meal (Martinez, 2010). For example, fast making paste like the Marcella Hazan’s tomato source will be recommended for the individuals in hurry as it takes little time with few procedures to make. The long making pastes are also recommended for the residents with more time to wait for the preparation. Finally, the food choice depends on the order on which the food is to be served depending on the occasion and the people around the meal (Frewer et al. 2013). Serving a breakfast meal in Italy comes before any other meal and during its time, it gives the option of only choosing in relation to the food breakfast meals. The foods are chosen in order of preference at its time of service that is lunch comes after breakfast and supper and dinner follows latter before the day ends (Ha and Jang, 2010). There are specific foods which cannot be served at the time of some meals for example; lemon liquor cannot be served at lunch time for it is meant for the usage in the breakfast foods. From the discussion, the paper has looked at different factors that determine the choice of food by the Italians. The choice of food by the Italian has been influenced by cultural, social, and regional settings as discussed above. It has also been found that tourism as well as imports has impacted the development of different types of food in the area. With all the understanding, the Italians still practice their traditional ways of food choice. It is therefore important for every organization or country to maintain their tradition towards food choice to retain the value for their traditional foods. 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