Ritu Dalmia
I was ten-year-old when I went to Italy for the first time and knew right away that I had a connect with it, this feeling still remains after 42 years. For a long time, I felt I was the only one who felt like that until I met several Italians who thought they were Indians in their last life and Indians who felt exactly the same as I do.
Our collective love for food is what binds us. In both countries, cooking is learnt, and is most treasured, at home. An ardent passion takes over the kitchen while a meal is being prepared, with a shared zeal to create something that one’s family will enjoy and savour. Meals are familial in the truest sense of the word, upholding artistic legacies that have been promised to be passed on.
They are an integral part of any family’s daily routine. For the Italian and Indian, nothing tastes better than taking the first bite of a recipe that has been in your family for generations. There is also an immense joy surrounding shared moments with the elder members of your family that centre on food, in both cultures; whether it is a conversation about the food they grew up eating, an introduction to one of their most cherished recipes that they wish to teach you, or their enduring passion for putting together the most visually delightful and gastronomically inviting table, even while ailing.
While we may be nestled in different corners of the world and utilise distinct ingredients in the food we eat most often, Indian and Italian cuisine are united by their simplicity, warmth, and remarkable ability to make one feel whole. Unlike other cuisines, Indian and Italian foods satisfy cravings that go far beyond one’s hunger.
Not many communities give the same kind of importance to food as we do – after every meal, our minds are occupied with preparing what we will eat for the next. Italians are an exception. For both Indians and Italians, meals are never solely about eating. We see food as a form of celebration, solidarity, and love: every festival requires a distinct set of delicacies, every special occasion brings with it an abundance of sweets, and every single one of us enjoys nothing more than keeping somebody’s stomach, and heart, full. Shared culinary experiences are our cultures’ greatest love language. Let us not forget the sense of hospitality, the only two countries where I have seen people opening their hearts and homes to someone, they have just met is Italy and India.
For both Italy and India, the art of food revolves around celebrating its culture and its people. As geographically and ethnically diverse regions, both nations have tremendous variety in their cuisine, depending on the bearings of specific parts of the country. It is certain that both countries take pride in using local ingredients and fresh produce – Northern India boasts of heavy gravies and breads made in tandoor ovens whereas the South is known for its use of local coconuts as a base and fresh Seafood. Northern Italy, similarly, is known for its polenta and rice-based dishes while its coastal towns are recognized by fresh seafood and their preference for olive oil over butter. However, both cuisines are similar in terms of the omnipresence of starch in regional foods across their vast landscapes. In Italy, pasta can be found everywhere, in different preparations, shapes, and sizes contingent on where you are, and is a crucial facet of the Italian meal. Its Indian counterpart is rice, which may be seen as a base for our renowned lentils, as flavourful Biryani, or in Dosa filled with spiced potatoes and onion. It can be said that rice and pasta symbolise the unity that exists in the diversity offered by Indian and Italian cuisine, representing the notion that although different parts of the country eat different food, they are all connected by their love for collective culinary experiences, their passion for food and to feed, and of course, their fondness for and dependence on carbohydrates.
In addition to these elements of familiarity, both Italy and India are distinguished by the presence of food in our surroundings. Both nations consist of bustling streets and markets that offer numerous local specialties. In India, you will see a chaat wala every few miles, resembling the several street hawkers you will be met with in Italy at different village festivals.
Much like us, Italians also attribute a deep sentimental value to the food they eat most often, reminiscing the places in which they ate and the people they shared their meals with. Regional competitiveness is also something that both nations have in common, as each part believes and emphasises upon their preference for their own food. As Gregory David Robert said in Shantaram, the Indians are the Italians of Asia and every Italian has a bit of Indian in him. One looks forward to Italy and India collaborating on food and several other fronts.
The author is co-owner of theItalian restaurant Diva in Delhi, which she established in 2000, with co-founder Gita Bhalla under partnership firm “Riga Food ”. Other restaurants of the company include ‘Latitude 28’ and ‘Cafe Diva’.
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