10 'Italian' Foods That Actually Aren't At All Italian
NEWS
BY ALYSA SALZBERG
Chicken Parmesan
Chicken Parmesan didn't originate in Italy's Parma region and isn't Italian at all. It's an evolution of eggplant parmigiana, which is served and eaten in Italy.
The dish first appeared widely on U.S. menus in the 1940s, and it’s quintessentially Italian-American, especially since it often uses frozen, pre-breaded chicken breasts.
Spaghetti & Meatballs
While spaghetti and meatballs is a popular "Italian" offering, it is not eaten in Italy. Italian meatballs (polpettes) are smaller and never served with pasta.
Pasta and meat are separate courses in Italian cuisine, but they are often combined in Italian-American cuisine in order to adapt Italian food to American preferences.
New York-Style Pizza
New York pizza is an Italian-American variant of the original. New York pizza is topped with dry rather than wet mozzarella, is huge, and available for sale by the slice.
Traditional Neapolitan pizza, on the other hand, is topped with wet mozzarella, is much smaller, and has a crispier, lighter crust. A whole pizza is meant to serve just one person.
Caesar Salad
Caesar salad was invented in 1924 by Cesare Cardini, an Italian immigrant who owned a restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico. Since then, countless variants have developed.
Garlic Bread
Garlic bread as we know it is Italian-American. It may have evolved from bruschetta or fettunta, which are both toasted bread slices with olive oil on them.
Olive oil is a staple in Italy, but it wasn't always available when Italian immigrants started coming to America. They used butter instead, creating the garlic bread we know today.