ITAS 298 - Food in Italian Imagination

This interdisciplinary course will deconstruct the myth of “Italian food” by exploring the paradoxical nature of Italy’s relationship with food, which, over the centuries, has been marked by hunger and abundance. We will study food in Italian culture as literary and artistic symbol, culinary history, social convention, geographical difference, political tool, and gendered sign. Readings will be drawn from literature, art manifestos, cookbooks, and essays. Topics will include origins and roles of certain ingredients, DOP designations, Mediterranean Diet, Slow Food movement, Italian American variations, and contemporary shifts in Italian eating patterns as a result of globalization. Course taught in Italian.

Credits 1