History of Italian Food and Culture

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108 Terms

1
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what happened in 1492?

Columbian Exchange (potatoes, sunflowers, chili pepper, corn, tomatoes, chocolate, vanilla, etc.)

2
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what happened in 1861?

Unification of Italy

3
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some facts about Mesopotamia

great advances in the plow and the control of water; advances in agriculture and metalworking; fertile crescent ran along the Mediterranean coast and other places

4
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Cuneiform

bread, food, to eat

5
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facts about wheat

used during the nomadic to sedentary lifestyle transition; first cereal to be cultivated; naive to the Levant region of the Mediterranean; people of Jericho first lived on cultivated crops

6
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what was a staple of the Egyptian diet?

beer (liquid bread); safer than water at the time

7
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where was bread common?

common throughout the Mediterranean, ancient Rome, and Tuscany; importance of grains to most people’s diets then and now

8
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types of bread examples

pane, ciabatta, casalingo, integrale, rustichetto, ciaccino

9
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tuscany bread

basically just flour and water; no salt; pane toscano is DOP (protected origin); pan raffermo is stale bread

10
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what is pappa al pomodoro

stale bread, water, and tomatoes

11
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what consists of the Mediterranean Diet

red meat and sweats are not eaten as much; veggies, grains, bread, olive oil, and fish are eaten most; staying active is the starting base for this diet; sustainably eating (eating things in season so they are more naturally made)

12
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salt facts

class and taste; uses include flavor and preservation; more salt=lower status (your foods need to be preserved longer); roman soldiers were paid in salt so they could preserve their food; “salary” from “salarium”

13
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what does Angel Gabriel give Mary during the Annunciation according to those in Siena?

an olive branch (not a lily flower because that is a symbol of Florence)

14
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why is olive oil really popular in Italy?

because of the climate—> olive trees can thrive in Italy

15
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southern Italy olives

larger, less peppery/flavorful

16
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northern Italy olives

smaller, more peppery/flavorful

17
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extra virgin olive oil acidity

< 0.8%

18
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virgin olive oil acidity

< 2% acidity

19
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olive oil acidity

> 2% acidity

20
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does olive oil have an expiration date?

no, but loses health benefits after 2 years

21
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DOCG (denominazione d’ origine controllata e garantita)

for drinks; highest level of quality assurance for Italian wines; signifies that the wine is produced in a specific geographical area with strict rules

22
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DOC (denominazione d’ origine controllata)

for drinks; indicates a specific geographical area and production rules; regulations are less strict than DOCG

23
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IGT (indicazione geografica tipica)

for drinks; offers more flexibility in the winemaking methods

24
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DOP (denominazione di origine protetta)

for food; guarantees that the product is produced, processed, and prepared within a specific geographical area

25
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IGP (indicazione geografica protetta)

for food; at least 1 stage of the product’s production takes place within a specific geographical area

26
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L’Aperitivo

apetite stimulant; antioxidant properties; low calories; drinking this is a ritual (sitting down to enjoy social life); examples: aperol spritz, ugo spritz; non alcoholic examples: crodino, sanbitter

27
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Antipasti

dates back to ancient Rome (served at the beginning of banquets); eat one, four is usually the max; regional and seasonal; served hot, cold, cooked, raw, cured (think meats, cheeses, etc.)

28
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Primi

soups; rice; pasta dishes

29
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what is the main pasta of Siena?

pici

30
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how does fresh pasta differ from dry pasta?

fresh has egg in it; dry does not (has less protein)

31
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what area produces a lot of rice?

La Maremma area (SW Tuscany); breeze dries out the rice and makes it easier to harvest

32
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is rice or pasta more difficult to prepare

rice; add water, stir, repeat

33
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what did the Romans use rice as?

medicine

34
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rice dishes

savory (risotto); sweet (budino di riso)

35
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50% of Italian rice is grown where?

Piedmont and Lombardy

36
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50% of European rice comes from where?

Italy—> the largest rice producing country in the world

37
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Secondi

meat and fish

38
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do Italians eat more pork or beef products?

pork—> pig is eaten from the nose to the tail

39
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why should meat from young animals not be used in stew?

it’s more tender

40
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what temperature should meat be before cooked?

room temperature

41
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what type of wine does sandy soil make?

makes elegant wines with high aromatics

42
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what type of wine does clay make?

muscular wine

43
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what type of wine does silt make?

smooth wines with slightly less acidity

44
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what type of wine does loam soil make?

isn’t used often; too fertile unless blended

45
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how many DOCG wines are in Italy?

78 (11 in Tuscany; 5 in Siena)

46
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which DOCG wines are in Siena

Brunello di Montalcion; Chianti Classico; Vernaccia di San Gimignano; Vino Noble di Montepulciano

47
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what type of grapes are really good for wine?

San Giovese

48
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what is the wine of the Muslims?

coffee

49
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where was the first coffee house invented?

Constantinople in the mid-14th century

50
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where does the history of coffee begin for Italy?

1570 Venice

51
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where was coffee first sold in Italy?

pharmacies

52
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when was the first espresso machine invented?

the Industrial Revolution

53
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what is Moka?

one of the most popular and iconic brewers in the world; was inspired by the washing machine

54
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what are three great modern inventions discussed in class for some reason

gunpowder, compass, and the printing press

55
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where do tomatoes grow well?

in Southern Italy because of the climate

56
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what is a unique way to preserve large stores of tomatoes?

sun dry them and store them in olive oil

57
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how many types of maize were developed by the native people by the time Columbus came?

over 200 types

58
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what is pellegra

illness from a strictly corn diet

59
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beans were eaten by which class

lower class because other proteins were more expensive

60
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where did potatoes originate from?

Andes; “discovered” by the Spanish

61
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some examples of Italian dishes that use cacao (cocoa/chocolate)

some pastas like ravioli; dark chocolate is used with wild bore

62
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what is Europe’s traditional sweetener

honey

63
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what sugars can be easily digested and which cannot?

glucose and fructose can be easily digested; sucrose has to be broken down more by the body

64
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what was the name of the olive oil producer at the Frantoio Franci?

Matteo

65
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True or false: The Frantoio Franci is one of the most important olive oil companies in the world

True

66
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When does the olive oil harvest traditionally begin?

October

67
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What did the likes of Hippocrates and Homer call olive oil?

liquid/green gold

68
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True or false: water is lighter than oil

False

69
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What is the name of the town where we had lunch called (on the olive oil/honey day)

Montalcino

70
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What was the name of the extinct volcano we saw on the olive oil/honey day?

Monte Amiata

71
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What is the name of the area we visited on the olive oil/honey day

Val d’Orcia

72
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What was the name of the beekeeper at the Villa i Cipressi?

Dario

73
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What is the technical term for beekeeping?

apiculture

74
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How long does the average worker bee live in the “busy” (i.e. pollination) season?

40 days

75
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what is the order of a full, traditional Italian meal

Aperitivo, Antipasto, Primo, Secondo, Contorno (salad i guess??), Dolce, Digestivo

76
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what are some examples of DOP foods?

Balasmic vinegar, olive oil, parmigiano reggiano, mozzarella

77
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what are some examples of DOC wines?

Chianti, soave, lugana

78
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what are some examples of IGT wines?

Toscana wines, Sicilia wines, Bolgheri wines

79
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How does Siena’s relationship with Florence feature in wine?

The Chianti region lies between the two cities and the vineyards are intertwined

80
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Why is Siena “the daughter of the road”?

because of its location on the Via Francigena, which is a major pilgrimage route to Rome (“All Roads lead back to Rome”)

81
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True or false: The average Italian wastes more food per person than the average American

False

82
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“Se non è zuppa è pan bagnato” best translates to:

“six of one, half a dozen of another”

83
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True or false: Whole grains, bread, pasta, and nuts are the basis of the Mediterranean Diet

True

84
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What sea is not apart of the Mediterranean Sea

Black sea

85
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“Cucina povera” can best be translated as

peasant cooking

86
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A common way to flavour foods is to add this to the dish:

anchovies

87
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True or false: Advances in food preservation techniques helped solidify certain features of what we now recognize as Italian cuisine

True

88
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True or false: Italian-American cuisine is not a valid cuisine

False

89
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Gelato was invented for which family?

Medici

90
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True or false: The desire for spices changed the history of the world.

True

91
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True or false: Ricciarelli contain gluten

False

92
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Which god/goddess is said to have gifted the olive tree to the Greeks?

Athena

93
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What are some foods that did NOT reach Italy via the New World

black pepper and oranges

94
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From which animal do we generally NOT make cured meats?

hare

95
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True or false: Steak should always be served well done to ensure the best flavour

False

96
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A bistecca alla fiorentina is made with the meat from which cattle breed?

Chianina

97
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A “sagra” is best described as a

food/wine festival

98
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Which people are said to have first made pici?

Etruscans

99
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True or false: Bronze-cut pasta holds on to pasta sauce better than steel-cut pasta 

True

100
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A feature of “pane sciocco” is its lack of

salt