Ok, I know Italian Food Forever is not a genealogy site, but I couldn't help myself.
I love Italian food! Since food is a part of each country's culture, the study of our
ancestors in genealogy sometimes leads to the foods they ate. This is especially true in Italy and in my family. I am an Italian American, but the Italian part has faded in my family over the years. The language was lost, and the memory of the hardships in "old country" have disappeared, but apparently the food has not. I remember my father's zesty spaghetti sauce with sausage; my Aunts fried eggplant with tomato sauce, and the wonderful pitzells she made every Christmas; and of course my grandmother making homemade pasta. I also have a vague memory of family parties where the homemade red wine flowed.
As I studied my family history, I discovered that many of my favorite foods and traditions that I hold dear are are rooted in my southern Italian heritage. So, I found food very important in understanding myself and my ancestors. What I love about Italian Food Forever, besides the wonderful recipes are the little vignettes that tie culture and food together. For example, since we are in the Christmas season there is a little piece titled "An Italian Christmas." This article shows how food and Christmas are tied together - the first sentence is a perfect description of my how my extended Italian family used to celebrate the season: "An Italian Christmas revolves around faith, family, and the abundance of food." I also found articles on the site that that discuss the foods of of three regions of Italy - Tuscany, Calabria, and Sicily. These three articles show how culture and history shaped the foods of the regions.
Of course, the recipes are mouthwatering if you like Italian food like I do. They even have pictures of some dishes. One neat feature I like is the menu section. Its a series of articles that discusses menus featuring specific dishes or those that are appropriate for certain times of the year. For example, they show fall, winter, spring, and summer menus; an Italian grill menu; and my favorite, the Christmas Eve menu that includes the traditional seven seafood dishes.
While this site appears to change it's theme according to the season, most of the articles were written between 2002-2004. Some of the posts in the forum are current, but most of the site is dated from 2-4 years ago. But you know, recipes are really timeless, and there is enough content here to keep a person who loves cooking busy for quite sometime.
Check this site out of you love Italian food and culture.
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