Dining with the Authors: Food and Cultural Identity in Italian American Literature

Authors : Giulia Tarantino

Pages : 43-60

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Publication Date : 2023-12-31

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :This manuscript explores the connection between cultural identity and food in relation to the Italian American experience, placing a particular emphasis on the metamorphosis underwent by the latter, from comforting element to stigma and vice versa. The peculiarity of this work lies in considering the topic from a literary perspective. Through the analysis of the literary works produced by authors like Helen Barolini, Maria Mazziotti Gillan, and Jerry Mangione, this work reconstructs the way in which the perception of food has changed from the first to the latest generations. As the works cited suggest, the complex relationship between Italian Americans and food is not a newly discovered subject of interest. Nevertheless, the studies around the changes that this relationship has undergone are not exactly extensive. For this reason, the manuscript aims to provide valuable evidence on the crucial role played by food in defining Italian American identity.
Keywords : Diasporic food, food and stigma, generational gap, hyphenated community, identity