On Food and Fascism

How did the politics of the fascist era (1922-1943) influence Italian culinary identity and what role did they play in the conceptual development of Italian cuisine as we know it today? This lecture will explore the tenets of Oral History and 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.