TOP 10 dishes you think are Italian, but NOT! – 10 olasz étel … ami nem is az!

Did you know that more than four million Italians immigrated to the United States between1880 and 1924? Most of them came from the south’s rural areas or the island of Sicily to flee poverty and political unrest.

They brought their love of their home country, pride, and willingness to work hard with them. But when they got there, most of them lived in big cities like New York City, where it was harder for them to get fresh grains, veggies, and seasonal foods like they did in Italy. In America, it was easy to find chicken, beef, and pork at low prices. At that time, in Italy, they were really expensive. This easy access to meat is what led to the development of a new type of ’cuisine’, called Italian-American.

Italian refugees at this time brought garlic with them, which wasn’t a very common food in America, so it was met with some prejudice. During lunch, Italian-American kids were often made fun of because their food smelled strongly of garlic or because they ate big sandwiches on Italian bread, which their American mates thought was strange. Because of this cultural appropriation, many dishes were changed to fit American tastes and became more famous.

These are the 10 most popular „Italian” dishes in the United States

1. Fettuccine Alfredo

Fettuccine Alfredo is a creamy pasta dish with fettuccine noodles in a rich „Alfredo sauce” of butter and heavy cream. Despite having an Italian chef named Alfredo di Lelio as its inspiration, the dish’s American rendition is very different from its simpler, original Italian version. Di Lelio invented fettuccine al triplo burro (later named “fettuccine all’Alfredo” or “fettuccine Alfredo”) in 1907 or 1908 in an effort to entice his wife, Ines, to eat after giving birth to their first child, Armando. Alfredo added extra butter, or triplo burro, to the fettuccine when mixing it together for her. In the U.S., it is often served as a main course, sometimes garnished with chicken or other ingredients, with disgusted Italians laughing just by looking at it.

1. Chicken Parm

Chicken Parmesan, or Chicken Parmigiana (or simply Chicken Parm), is one of the most popular Italian-American dishes, featuring breaded and fried meat topped with tomato sauce and melted cheese. It originated in the northeast of the United States from Italian immigrants who, upon arriving in America, began to take advantage of America’s affordable meat market, incorporating chicken into parmigiana. In the United States and Canada, chicken parmesan is often served as a main course and sometimes with a side of or on top of pasta.

1. Caesar Salad

Despite having a name that sounds Roman, Italian-American chef Caesar Cardini invented the Caesar Salad in Tijuana, Mexico. The combination of romaine lettuce, croutons, Parmesan cheese, and a creamy Caesar dressing is a classic example of culinary cross-pollination. In its original form, this salad was prepared and served tableside and did not contain any chicken or salmon at all.

1. Pepperoni Pizza

Pepperoni pizza, with its spicy salami topping, is distinctly American. While pizza itself is an Italian creation, pepperoni pizza differs from traditional Italian pizzas, which focus on simple, high-quality ingredients. Pepperoni can be considered a false friend because in Italy there is a very similar word, peperoni (1 p only but very similar in pronunciation), which means bell peppers. So, if you ask for a pizza with pepperoni in Italy, they will think you want a vegetarian pizza with red and yellow bell peppers on top.

1. Spaghetti and meatballs

A classic Italian-American comfort dish, spaghetti and meatballs feature meatballs in tomato sauce atop a bed of spaghetti. In Italy, meatballs (polpette) are usually served separately from pasta, also in „brodo”, which means broth.

1. Garlic Bread

While garlic bread is a staple in American-Italian restaurants, it’s not a common side in Italy. The generous use of garlic-infused butter on slices of bread is an American twist on traditional Italian bread.

1. Mozzarella Sticks

Mozzarella sticks, breaded and fried with gooey melted cheese inside, are a popular appetizer in Italian-American cuisine. This snack has become a staple in the U.S., though it’s not something you’d typically find on the menu in an Italian restaurant. However, you’ll find mozzarella balls, which are basically the same, just in another shape.

8. Penne alla Vodka

Many Italian restaurants in the US include penne alla vodka on their menu. Penne alla vodka is made with penne pasta and vodka sauce. The vodka sauce is usually made of vodka, along with tomatoes, heavy cream, herbs, and occasionally some flour to thicken the sauce. Penne alla vodka is so common in America that it happens to be the fourth most popular pasta dish in North America, next only to spaghetti and meatballs, ziti, and the good ol’ bowl of Mac and cheese. However, you won’t find it on menus in Italy, unless at some very touristy places.

9. Cannoli dip

Cannoli, a traditional Italian dessert, consists of fried pastry tubes filled with sweet ricotta cream. However, the Americanized version, Cannoli Dip, takes the creamy filling and transforms it into a dip, often served with crunchy cookies for dipping.

10. Rainbow Cookies

Finally, some dessert. Another food that doesn’t exist in Italy is Rainbow Cookies. This 100% Italian-American food is the creation of Italians who immigrated to the United States in the 1900s. The tricolor cookies honour their home country, and that’s why they have the colour of the Italian flag.

LANGUAGE POINT: A false friend is a word that is often confused with a word in another language with a different meaning because the two words look or sound similar. For example, pepperoni (English) and peperoni (Italian).