Jeannette Martin

Making the Mediterranean

Response #1

Few events transformed the world like the Columbian Exchange. It transformed the global food culture by establishing trade relations between the Old World and the New World which are now the foundation of our current global food market. According to Nun and Qian (2010),  the Columbian Exchange was the world wide transfer of foods, ideas, people, and diseases (163).  Normally when I think of the Columbian Exchange the first thing that comes to mind is the transfer of diseases and how approximately 95% of the Native American population was wiped out. However, I never stopped to think about the diseases the settlers took with them back to Europe, like Syphilis. I always believed the disease originated in the Old World, but I was surprised to learn that it is actually a New World disease (Nun and Qian, 2010: 165). Since Syphilis is treatable today it is difficult to remember that at one point in time it was a deadly disease that spread quickly though the Old World (167).  

The next thing that comes to mind when I think about the Columbian Exchange is the  trade of agriculture goods such as potatoes, maize, chili peppers, cacao, peanuts, tobacco, sugar, coffee, and tomatoes. It is not surprising to learn that it was the Old World that benefited the most from the trade, however, it is interesting to learn that without the Columbian Exchange many nations would not have been able to develop their national cuisines (163).  If I had no knowledge of the Columbian Exchange I would have thought tomatoes were native to Italy since it is very prominent in Italian Cuisine. 

According to David Gentilcore, the author of  “A History of the Tomato in Italy: Pomodoro!” tomatoes were not welcomed to Italy with open arms. The Italian people believed tomatoes were poisonous and acidic because how moist and cold it was. For nearly three centuries  people were cautious about consuming it. Since tomatoes grew very close to the ground it was considered to be food for the poor. With time most of the beliefs that surrounded tomatoes dissipated and it became an important part of la cucina Italiana. Tomatoes have always been a topic of interest for me given the way it is produced in the United States. A year ago I read a book called, “Tomatoland” by  Barry Estabrook and was surprised to learn how many pesticide  and fertilizer chemicals go into growing tomatoes especially since it is grown in a region that is not meant to support tomato production. This book made me realize that I have never tasted a real ripe tomato because in America tomatoes are picked when they are still green and are artificially gassed with ethylene in warehouses until they acquire the rosy-red skin tones of a ripe tomato.Therefore, I am curious to know whether Italy produces its own tomatoes or if it imports them. As well as what kind of agriculture practices are used in their tomato production. I have yet to visit the Mercato Centrale. 

Despite the fact that tomatoes are wildly used in Italian cuisine, I learned that each state has its own cuisine and that foods like pizza are not widely accepted. In Serao’s article, “They are What They Eat”, it was interesting to read that pizza was seen as out of place in Rome. The article made pizza seem very unappetizing and like it was tedious to produce, it seemed like it was not fresh since they made it the night before and the price went down the later it got and the staler it got. I was surprised to learn that pizza was originally the food of the poor in Naples. Pizza is one of my favorite meals and I have been very excited to eat real pizza in Italy. I will have to definitely make a trip to Naples and taste it there. The final reading this week was Catelvetro Giacomo’s and it was interesting to learn about Italian food practices. My favorite part was the artichoke section and how food was eaten based on what season it grew and how it should be cooked depending on how big or how far into the season the artichoke was produced. I am a huge advocate for seasonally grown and consumed foods and this reading really made me appreciate the fact that there are people out there who are teaching others how to cook seasonally.