{"id":123373,"date":"2022-12-02T16:13:05","date_gmt":"2022-12-02T15:13:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/centmagazine.co.uk\/?p=123373"},"modified":"2022-12-02T16:21:42","modified_gmt":"2022-12-02T15:21:42","slug":"italian-eating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.centmagazine.co.uk\/?p=123373","title":{"rendered":"Italian Eating"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It may seem that Italian food has been present in the UK forever, in fact, did not actually become commonplace in households until the 1980s. Our love of Pasta is relatively new but how did Italian cuisine make it to our shores and when? Would you be surprised to know that it was here with the Romans, probably not, because it did take several millennia before almost every household would have staples like pizza and pasta in their diets Also, you might be surprised to know that the UK has only really been experimenting with new flavours and food from overseas since the 1960s. The latest (and only) Italian restaurant Cecconi’s opened at destination shopping Bicester Village<\/a>, a place to meet, greet and carry on the true Italian feasting experience.
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Italy as we know it today and like many countries, was only formally unified in the 19th century up until then it would have been regional or even feudal. This meant that cuisine and influences can be traced back to specific areas within a country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the Roman Empire conquered Britain, they brought with them not only new foods and animals but more advanced agricultural techniques and introduced the social concept of feasting and banqueting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, we can credit the Romans for introducing many of our favourite ingredients used today: onions, leeks, garlic, figs, basil, rosemary and, notably, grapes and therefore influencing British wine culture and the subsequent winemaking industry. For many years though it really was only available to those with deep pockets<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is even a story that in 1666, Samuel Pepys, a naval administrator, famously rushed to bury his Parmesan cheeses when the Great Fire of London took hold of the city, highlighting the idea that Italian ingredients were not just enjoyed in Britain but were also rather pricy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Italian cuisine developed further in their country after the fall of the Roman Empire, as the country divided and formed individual city-states. This period saw the diversification of bread and pasta, with new traditions and methods forming in each region. Think Naples for classic, Neapolitan pizza and Genoa for the origins of pesto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The customs of Roman-Anglo living also faded in the UK after the Empire\u2019s fall for some time, returning after Sicily\u2019s invasion by the Normans and, centuries later, as many Italians began migrating to Britain. Pasta became a delicacy for families of a middle class or higher status in the 19th century, although wasn\u2019t widely eaten until after the Second World War.<\/p>\n\n\n\n