Italian Heritage
How the Italian culture has influenced the United States
Italian culture is ever present in today’s modern America. From the trending name brands that people obsess over to gourmet dishes served around the country to the countless aspiring artists who gathered inspiration from the one of the most artistic countries in the world, Italian culture has had a profound effect on America. Italian Americans are the fourth largest ethnic group of European origin but their visibility and impact on popular culture is much greater than that. Italian Americans have always retained enough elements of their culture to be a very distinctive ethnic group, but they have assimilated well into the culture of the United States since many of them belong to families that have been in the United States for generations. The romanticism of the Italian culture has found its way into American society, leaving a bit of Italian elegance, everywhere you go. Little slices of Italy are seen in many neighborhoods throughout the United States, offering the culture of a country strong in heritage. Many Italian Americans have intermarried with other ethnic groups, but they have been able to retain their distinct cultural identity. They are devoted to their traditional food and drink and have done much to popularize it in the mainstream culture. Italian food can be found all over the United States today which is a testament to its popularity.
While the stereotypical Italian restaurant in America reliably serves up plates of hot pasta with tomato or cream-based sauces, this is far from true Italian cuisine. Or, at the very least, the stereotype represents only a small part of the many diverse and multi-regional styles that make up Italy’s total gastronomic picture. The culinary history of Italy is deeply indebted to cross-cultural currents of people and societies from over three thousand years of history that slowly defined the Italian peninsula as a geographical, political, and cultural
Italian culture is ever present in today’s modern America. From the trending name brands that people obsess over to gourmet dishes served around the country to the countless aspiring artists who gathered inspiration from the one of the most artistic countries in the world, Italian culture has had a profound effect on America. Italian Americans are the fourth largest ethnic group of European origin but their visibility and impact on popular culture is much greater than that. Italian Americans have always retained enough elements of their culture to be a very distinctive ethnic group, but they have assimilated well into the culture of the United States since many of them belong to families that have been in the United States for generations. The romanticism of the Italian culture has found its way into American society, leaving a bit of Italian elegance, everywhere you go. Little slices of Italy are seen in many neighborhoods throughout the United States, offering the culture of a country strong in heritage. Many Italian Americans have intermarried with other ethnic groups, but they have been able to retain their distinct cultural identity. They are devoted to their traditional food and drink and have done much to popularize it in the mainstream culture. Italian food can be found all over the United States today which is a testament to its popularity.
While the stereotypical Italian restaurant in America reliably serves up plates of hot pasta with tomato or cream-based sauces, this is far from true Italian cuisine. Or, at the very least, the stereotype represents only a small part of the many diverse and multi-regional styles that make up Italy’s total gastronomic picture. The culinary history of Italy is deeply indebted to cross-cultural currents of people and societies from over three thousand years of history that slowly defined the Italian peninsula as a geographical, political, and cultural