Abstract
This chapter traces the history of an Italian dish known as pizza chiena ‘filled pizza’ and by various other names, brought to North America by Southern Italian immigrants. Typically prepared at Easter in parts of Southern Italy and in some Italian immigrant communities in the northeastern United States, it is essentially a baked savory pie filled with a mixture of various cheeses, meats and eggs. I examine the process of translation and adaptation of pizza chiena as it moved between these two worlds of Southern Italy and the northeast United States. Analysing a family recipe introduces a number of dimensions of variability in both the Italian and English names given to the dish in Italy and the northeastern United States as well as in the form, content and preparation methods. The chapter also examines some of the methodological problems involved in translating culinary traditions across communities and time periods and between oral and print cultures as it investigates the historical, social and geographical origins of pizza chiena , identifying elements of perseverance and persistence as well as change and adaptation.
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Notes
- 1.
As a linguist, I never thought I’d be writing about food! I would like to thank various people for the inspiration behind this chapter. My biggest debt is to my great grandmother Catarina Langone for passing on the tradition of making pizza chiena. The idea to investigate its history resulted from an invitation from Emilia Di Martino, on behalf of Emma Giammattei, organiser of a seminar series at Università degli Studi Suor Orsola Benincasa in Naples, entitled: “In punta di lingua. Lessici dell’alimentazione e culture d’Europa” (‘On the tip of the tongue. Lexicons of foods and cultures of Europe’). This set me thinking about my erstwhile search for the Italian roots of pizza chiena. I am grateful to Emilia for many discussions about the topic as it evolved. I would also like to thank Jocelyn Vincent for her many contributions to the discussion. Both helped in the investigation by consulting acquaintances about names and recipes. Thanks to both also for numerous good times at the table in Italy!
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Romaine, S. (2019). Pizza Chiena Between Two Worlds. In: Balirano, G., Guzzo, S. (eds) Food Across Cultures. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11153-3_7
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