On Food and Fascism

A talk by Italian food writer and historian Karima Moyer-Nocchi



This engaging and visually driven presentation will examine the ways in which the politics of the fascist era (1922-1943) influenced the Italian culinary identity from a socio-cultural perspective and the role it played in the conceptual development of Italian cuisine as we know it today. The lecture will explore the tenets of Oral History in general and then look specifically at how this method of data collection opens a unique window onto food history research. Today there is much discussion around the notion of “authenticity,” and this retrospective reveals how some of the best-loved myths of Italian food are part of an invented set of traditions. That view is balanced through a closer look at how traditions, invented or otherwise, play an important part in societal healing and cultural progression in Italy. The presentation will conclude with a performance of selected excerpts from the book Chewing the Fat – An Oral History of Italian Foodways from Fascism to Dolce Vita. 

Sponsored by the English Department, Academic Affairs, and the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies