Bon appititu
Beyond eating as much of New York’s food as I can, another challenge I’ve set myself for this year is to read only books by American authors (and preferably ones that are also set in New York). This led me to the brilliant 1969 Godfather novel by Mario Puzo and – inevitably – to revisit the films. Food plays a central role in both depictions of the story, providing a centrepiece for the Sicilian family’s interactions and reflecting one of the integral plot threads: how immigrant families hold onto traditions and ties from their home country. It provided a perfect starting point for me to explore Italian (and more specifically, Sicilian) food and reflect on its place in New York.
Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.
Food is depicted in delicious detail in both the book and the film, sometimes explicitly (as in the classic line from the film, above) but often subtly: oranges, for example, are used throughout to symbolise threat, mainly to Vito Corleone, who is buying oranges when he’s near-fatally gunned down and who’s also eating them in his death scene as he relaxes in his back garden. Indeed, this latter setting is linked powerfully to food and nostalgia in the novel: ‘The Don … worked on his tomato vines … he loved tending his garden … it brought back his childhood in Sicily 60 years ago’. This evokes how food can be a powerful way to reconnect with early memories, and its importance to the immigrant experience.
A memorable scene in both the book and the film is the Don’s caporegime Clemenza (having just helped to commit murder) setting aside his gun to whip up a huge batch of tomato sauce. I couldn’t resist recreating the recipe (as the character describes it in the film) to see what mafioso red sauce tastes like. The answer is: delicious. This was probably as much to do with the availability of authentic Italian ingredients in grocery stores in New York (and my liberal interpretation of the required quantities) as it was about the recipe, but “Godfather pasta” will definitely become a staple in my household. Clemenza’s “trick” is to add a little sugar to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes. This, combined with gently fried garlic and a liberal slug of Italian red wine, creates an indulgent but simple sauce. The full recipe (if it can be called that) is below, for anyone who wants to give it a go. And while it’s clearly a dish that’s rooted in Italian traditions, spaghetti and meatballs is also an iconic American staple; indeed, all of America’s classics are inherently linked to different immigrant groups, given the diverse and recent make up of most of the population.
Immigration and cuisine
Italian immigration to the US is often spoken of in broad terms, but makes most sense when considered in distinct regional groups; Italy was historically divided into multiple principalities and, after the unification of the country in the 1860s, the economic divide between north and south grew more distinct. While Italian immigration to the US had a long history (“America” was actually named after an Italian explorer, Amerigo Vespucci) it rapidly increased towards the end of the nineteenth century. Much of it came from the poorer southern regions (including Sicily), reflecting families who were seeking improved fortunes overseas. Over four million Italians emigrated to the US between 1870 and 1930, most of whom were from the south (and around a quarter of whom were from Sicily specifically). Similarly to the characters in the Godfather, immigrants naturally wanted to recreate remembered flavours from home but using available foods and cultural influences from their adopted country. This led to a distinctly Italian-American food tradition that is still synonymous with American food today: what would American food be without pasta, pizza and ice cream? Interestingly, this article explains how Italian food was originally seen as “slumming it” in America, given the associations with poor immigrants. Apparently, it wasn’t until restaurants showcased northern Italian food in the 1980s and 1990s that Italian cuisine became more fashionable.
Just as Sicily’s history and geography explain its emigration, they also characterise its distinctive cuisine, which has absorbed influences from a number of regions and cultures. Spanish and North African influences are evident in the prevalence of ingredients such as almonds, raisins, saffron and – back to the Godfather – oranges. These sun-soaked flavours contrast strongly with earthier, northern Italian flavours like truffles and red meat. In order to pay homage to Sicily and conclude my fortnight’s exploration of the cuisine, I made a meal of pasta with pesto alla Trapanese, a sauce that departs from the more well-known, northern Italian version, with the use of tomatoes, almonds and mint in place of the pine nuts (in addition to the pesto staples of basil, olive oil, garlic and cheese) - see the final photo on this post. Alongside this I made an orange salad (topped with red onion, black olives, parsley and olive oil) to balance out the rich pasta, and to complete a meal that Clemenza could be proud of.
Godfather pasta
Clemenza: “Come over here kid, learn something. You never know, you might have to cook for twenty guys some day. You see, you start out with a little bit of oil. Then you fry some garlic. Then you throw in some tomatoes, tomato paste. You fry it, you make sure it doesn’t stick… You get it to a boil. You shove in all your sausage and meatballs. Huh? And a little bit of wine. And a little bit of sugar. And that’s my trick.”
