Italian cuisine has a long and storied history, with recipes and dishes dating back thousands of years. When thinking about the oldest Italian dishes, one has to consider not just modern day Italy, but also the various civilizations and cultures that inhabited the Italian peninsula throughout ancient history. Many of today’s quintessential Italian foods have their origins in ancient Rome, but some dishes can be traced back even earlier, to the Etruscans, Greeks, and ancient Italic tribes.
The Earliest Italian Dishes
The earliest Italian dishes pre-date the Roman Empire andorigina
ted with the Etruscans, Greeks, and various Italic tribes that inhabited the peninsula. These civilizations were creating flavorful, innovative recipes as far back as the 8th century BCE. Some of the oldest dishes include:
- Polenta – A coarse cornmeal porridge likely eaten by Italic tribes throughout early Italian history.
- Pancetta – Italic tribes like the Samnites were salt-curing pork to preserve meats. This technique led to pork belly pancetta.
- Lasagna – Greeks were layering flat pasta sheets with spices and cheese as early as the 5th century BCE.
These primitive Italian dishes were taking shape centuries before the rise of the Roman Republic and Empire. They originated before written recipes or culinary traditions were established in Italy. As a result, tracing their exact origins and timelines is difficult. But food historians believe these basic dishes represent the earliest beginnings of Italian cuisine.
Ancient Roman Dishes
The Roman Empire had a huge influence on shaping Italian cuisine into what we recognize today. As the empire expanded its territor
ies, it also expanded its palate and absorbed recipes from various cultures. They refined Etruscan, Greek, and Italic tribal dishes into more advanced versions with unique Roman flair. Some ancient Roman dishes that became Italian staples include:
- Pasta – Romans were early adopters of pasta, creating lasagna and other baked pasta dishes.
- Pizza – Flatbreads with olive oil and toppings were popular street food in ancient Rome.
- Prosciutto – The Romans advanced the curing and salt-preserving of meats into a refined culinary art.
- Garum – A popular Roman fish sauce made from fermented fish entrails and used to flavor meals.
- Dormice – Roasted dormice were consider a delicacy enjoyed by wealthy Romans.
Roman food was designed to impress and make lavish displays of wealth. Nobles held extravagant feasts with exotic ingredients from across the empire’s territories. But common Roman people also enjoyed flavorful dishes at home, in taverns, and from street vendors.
Medieval & Renaissance Era
After the fall of Rome, Italy splintered into independent city-states and territories under foreign rule. Each regional court developed its own unique culinary traditions during the Medieval and Renaissance periods. Some landmarks in Italian food history include:
- Arab Influence – The Arab occupation of Sicily and parts of southern Italy led to innovations like pasta being produced commercially, rice dishes, and the introduction of products like lemons, eggplants, and spinach.
- Catherine de Medici – The Italian noblewoman married King Henry II of France and brought many Italian dishes like pastries, ice cream, and vegetables in artful presentations to French courts.
- Bartolomeo Scappi – The Renaissance chef pioneered formalized recipe writing in his 1570 cookbook Opera dell’arte del cucinare. He detailed methods for braising meats, preparing pastries, etc.
Overall, Italian cuisine became more refined and elegant during these eras. The courts of nobles and rising middle class began appreciating food presentation and complex flavors more than in the past.
The Tomato Transforms Italian Cuisine
Tomatoes originated in South America and were first introduced to Europe by Spanish colonizers in the 16th century. Italy was slower than other European countries to adopt the tomato though. Long held superstitions claimed tomatoes were poisonous, being members of the nightshade family. But eventually their use in Italian cuisine exploded in the 17th and 18th centuries. When tomatoes arrived in Italy, they transformed several dishes into the versions we are familiar with today. Some examples include:
- Pizza – Tomato sauce started topping pizzas in Naples in the late 18th century, creating the modern pizza.
- Tomato sauce pasta – Penne all’arrabbiata, puttanesca, cacio e pepe, and other Roman tomato pasta classics date to around this period.
- Caprese salad – Fresh sliced tomatoes paired with mozzarella cheese and basil also originated around this time.
In many ways, the tomato defined the flavor profiles and major dishes of Italian cuisine as we now know them. Dishes from ancient Rome and the Middle Ages morphed into their contemporary versions thanks to this simple New World fruit.
Unification of Italy in the 19th Century
The existence of distinct regional cuisines was a hallmark of Italian food for centuries. But in 1861, Giuseppe Garibaldi united the territories of the peninsula into the single nation of Italy. With a newly unified national identity came more sharing of recipes and culinary traditions between regions. Dishes like pasta carbonara from Rome, ossobuco from Milan, and tiramisu from Veneto became beloved countrywide. Immigrants from Italy also brought regional dishes with them overseas, spreading Italian cuisine’s popularity globally.
The Italian Diaspora Spreads Italian Food Worldwide
From 1880-1920, nearly 4 million Italians immigrated to the United States alone, with millions more heading to South America, Australia, and other parts of the world. Wherever they went, they brought traditional Italian recipes with them. Spaghetti and meatballs, chicken parmesan, Caesar salad, and calzones morphed from regional specialties to worldwide favorites thanks to Italian immigrants. The Italian diaspora essentially made the cuisine loved globally.
Post-World War II Prosperity
Following World War II, Italy finally experienced widespread prosperity after decades of poverty, war, and fascism. With growing disposable income in the 1950s, Italians could again appreciate food quality, artistry, and dining out. Many staples of modern Italian cooking came from this post-war period, including:
- Pesto – The basil, pine nut, and parmesan sauce originated in Genoa and grew popular nationwide after WWII.
- Tiramisu – The dessert hails from the Veneto region but didn’t gain popularity until the post-war era.
- Spritz cocktail – The wine-based aperitif mixed with Aperol or Campari also came into fashion in the 1950s and 60s.
The economic rebound of the 1950s and 60s allowed Italians to return to their rich food heritage after the deprivations of war.
The Oldest Named Italian Dishes
Tracing the origins of basic recipes like polenta and pasta is difficult in the absence of written records. But there are a handful of specific Italian dishes that do have documented early origins between the Medieval period and Renaissance:
| Dish Name | Origin Date | Region |
|---|---|---|
| Maestro Martino’s Lasagna | 15th century | Rome |
| Panzanella | 15th century | Tuscany |
| Bartolomeo Scappi’s Zabaglione | 16th century | Rome |
| Florentine Steak | 16th century | Florence |
| Bistecca alla fiorentina | 17th century | Florence |
| Neapolitan Pizza | 18th century | Naples |
| Spaghetti all’amatriciana | 19th century | Amatrice |
| Pesto Genovese | 19th century | Genoa |
While most original Italian dishes are anonymous, these examples can be attributed to specific chefs, cities, or time periods. They represent the named roots of modern Italian staples like pizza, steak Florentine, and lasagna.
Tracing the Origins Through Cookbooks
Early Italian cookbooks also provide insight into the development of certain dishes over the centuries. By studying recipes listed in cookbooks, we can identify when dishes first appeared in written form:
- Liber de Coquina – A 13th century cookbook containing one of the earliest written European recipes for lasagna.
- Libro de arte coquinaria – Maestro Martino’s 15th century recipes include Roman maccaroni (pasta) and lasagna.
- Opera dell’arte del cucinare – Bartolomeo Scappi’s 16th century cookbook documents dishes like zabaglione and tomatoes stuffed with fish.
- Cucina teorico-pratica – This 19th century cookbook by Ippolito Cavalcanti has some of the first written pesto and tomato sauce pasta recipes.
While the origins of most Italian cuisine is poorly documented, cookbooks like these provide early written accounts of dishes’ existence and evolution.
Conclusion
In conclusion, many quintessential Italian dishes have ancient roots, dating back to the Etruscans, Greeks, and early Italic tribes before the existence of the Roman Empire. Pasta, polenta, and cured pork dishes originated with these groups. Under the Roman Empire, food became more advanced but still retained Greek and Italic influences. Medieval courts further refined Italian cuisine with Arab influences from 8th century conquests. The Renaissance yielded elegant cuisine and formal cookbooks, such as by chef Bartolomeo Scappi. The biggest game changer was the introduction of tomatoes in the 16th-18th centuries, which transformed everything from pizza to pasta. Immigrants spread Italian cuisine globally in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. And post-World War II prosperity revived Italy’s culinary traditions. While the exact timeline is unclear, these influences shaped Italian food over thousands of years. The oldest identifiable Italian dishes date to Medieval and Renaissance cooks like Martino and Scappi. But simple ancient dishes like polenta, pasta, and pancetta certainly represent the deep origins of this cuisine, even if their early history is obscure.