Start Date

29-5-2024 11:45 AM

End Date

29-5-2024 12:00 PM

Description

Can a recipe divide historians, gastronomes, and chefs? The answer is yes if we are dealing with carbonara, an iconic Italian dish, famous throughout the world. However, so much animosity could have deeper roots than the recently renewed controversy over its authorship suggests. This article aims to study the case of carbonara as an example of the race to conquer consumers’ memories. Following a transdisciplinary methodology, the author identifies three main approaches to the making of carbonara: glocal, regional, and creative. These approaches reflect distinct schools of thought regarding food within the diverse spectrum of Italian society. Their supporters - orthodox, revisionist, and innovators - compete to influence and rewrite the past to better suit our deepest needs for safety, protection, enjoyment, and eternity. Their interactions are explained with the help of a model, the “golden recipe triangle,” shedding light on the conflict-inducing elements but also accounting for the widespread popularity of the recipe. Moved by the remembrance of a perfect carbonara, we all want to experience it again and again. Ultimately, this perception, continuously stimulated by competing narratives, may underpin the success of this global "megafood" (valued at least 1 billion euros in turnover per year), along with other worldwide renowned dishes such as pizza and tiramisù. In the end, the turbulent dynamics at play in the carbonara case should be viewed as indicative of the vitality of Italy’s culinary culture.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.21427/9dhh-ce89

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May 29th, 11:45 AM May 29th, 12:00 PM

The Carbonara Case: Italian Food and the Race to Conquer Consumers’ Memories

Can a recipe divide historians, gastronomes, and chefs? The answer is yes if we are dealing with carbonara, an iconic Italian dish, famous throughout the world. However, so much animosity could have deeper roots than the recently renewed controversy over its authorship suggests. This article aims to study the case of carbonara as an example of the race to conquer consumers’ memories. Following a transdisciplinary methodology, the author identifies three main approaches to the making of carbonara: glocal, regional, and creative. These approaches reflect distinct schools of thought regarding food within the diverse spectrum of Italian society. Their supporters - orthodox, revisionist, and innovators - compete to influence and rewrite the past to better suit our deepest needs for safety, protection, enjoyment, and eternity. Their interactions are explained with the help of a model, the “golden recipe triangle,” shedding light on the conflict-inducing elements but also accounting for the widespread popularity of the recipe. Moved by the remembrance of a perfect carbonara, we all want to experience it again and again. Ultimately, this perception, continuously stimulated by competing narratives, may underpin the success of this global "megafood" (valued at least 1 billion euros in turnover per year), along with other worldwide renowned dishes such as pizza and tiramisù. In the end, the turbulent dynamics at play in the carbonara case should be viewed as indicative of the vitality of Italy’s culinary culture.