Bertha M. Wood

“ When constipation is found among the Italians, it is usually due to the fact that they have been financially unable to secure vegetables, fruit, and olive oil, and have lived exclusively on macaroni, rice, and lentils.
An Italian patient with nephritis finds it very hard to leave cheese out of his diet. He does not miss the other forms of proteins so much. A very little meat is used at any time; eggs are used as thickening, and would not be missed if another thickening were used, but cheese furnishes flavor for many dishes. ”

“ Fruits and vegetables are produced in quantity, and the poorest people have them in abundance. Very little meat is used; it is served not more than once a week in some families, and in others on festive occasions only. Here again we find the many kinds of pasta, or macaroni, used in combination with different vegetables, garlic, and oil. When bread is eaten with it, no butter accompanies it.
The peasants use very little pastry or cake except on feast days; then they are elaborate—such as Gateau Margherita, made with ten eggs and the whites of five more, butter, flour, and almond flavoring. ”

“ Either they leave out both milk and meat and live largely on starches—bread, macaroni, and potatoes—and vegetables, or meat is used at the sacrifice of vegetables and milk. When the health of the family suffers through this great change in diet, one often hears, "My man no like his work; he sick," or "My child, he no good since he came here," always attributing the difficulty to the wrong cause. Eggs are another staple in the diet in Italy which is almost prohibited here because of the high prices, unless the family keep hens. ”

“ The Italian children are given the adult's diet as soon as they are out of swaddling clothes. The larger the abdomen, the stronger and healthier the mother considers the child. A diet of milk, strained cereal, and fruit juices is unknown to an Italian mother. Too large an amount of macaroni or rice and lard are usually included in the diet, and often the children suffer from constipation because of this excess of starch, with few vegetables and little fruit. ”

“ Soups may be given that will have the Italian flavor of tomato, or garlic, or both. To them may have been added macaroni in one of its various forms, rice, or fava (horse beans) , and this will furnish thickening in the place of eggs. Milk soups will be acceptable only when highly flavored, or after the family have learned to like white sauces. Gnocchi is their milk soup. Vegetables the Italians have always cared for, and when their value is explained, they are often willing to substitute more of them for meat. ”

“ Italy has a climate much like that of California, which gives the people a long farming season, but in the hottest part of the summer, in Southern Italy, very little work is done during the middle of the day. Wheat, corn, and other cereals, vegetables, fruit, chickens, sheeps' and goats' milk constitute the food products of the farm. Some have a greater variety than others, depending on the ambition and aggressiveness of the farmer.
The Italians make their own cheese from goats' milk ”

“ Raisins and almond paste are other forms of sweets.
Diabetic patients find it very hard to adjust themselves to a diet without any pasta, or macaroni. Among their people it has always been the staple at every meal. Vegetables used by them in many combinations are prescribed for this disease. Tomatoes may be scooped out and an egg dropped in each. Then the tomatoes are placed in a small dish, and baked until the eggs are set. Mushrooms are often chopped and baked in tomatoes. Beans of all kinds are used in their dietaries, and must be removed. ”

“ This to us is a thick corn meal mush, to which is added tomato paste or ripe tomatoes. Sometimes they change it by adding grated cheese, or bits of pork and garlic. It is eaten hot; or, if allowed to cool, is then sliced and fried in olive oil. This is eaten with bread and butter.
Proceeding south in Italy, one finds the use of alcohol decreasing and more wine used at meals and on social occasions, accompanied by cakes.
The food produced in Central Italy is not very different from that of the north. It is raised more abundantly, however, as the farming season is longer. ”

“ The Italians from the northern provinces use stronger drinks than wine, both at and between meals. Their diet consists of black coffee for adults, goats' milk for children, and bread without butter for breakfast. The bread is heavy and made of wheat, which is home grown and ground. It is dark in color, because the wheat is not put through any refining process. ”

“ Endive is enjoyed as well as dandelions, spinach, and many other leafy vegetables.
If the Italians can secure their preferred diet, it is usually well-balanced. Naturally they are painstaking, good cooks. It is not, therefore, at all impossible for a person who knows their native dietaries to help them adjust themselves to the conditions in this country and to the needs in their local environment. An understanding of their dietary background is absolutely essential to successful results. ”

“ When it is cold, cut in squares or diamonds. Put a layer of these on a shallow baking dish or platter that has been buttered. Sprinkle with cheese and dot with butter. Make another layer, and so on, until the dish is filled. Bake in the oven until the crust is well browned.
Tagliatelli o Pasta Fatta in Casa (Noodles or Home-Made Paste)
The best and most tender paste is made simply of eggs and flour and salt. Water may be substituted for part of the eggs, for economy, or when a less rich paste is needed. Allow about a cup of flour to an egg. ”

“ Tuberculous patients may be given milk in the same forms as are prescribed for undernourished children, and eggs in soups. The Italian people are not in the habit of using soft eggs, but have many recipes for using hardboiled eggs. Patients can be taught to poach or drop them, and serve a little grated cheese on them. ”

“ The raw food materials of the Italian diet, many of which were easily procured from their own farms, when combined in their home country ways furnished a cheap, well-balanced diet. In this country, because of greater cost and more difficulty in securing, the Italians otten have a poorly-balanced diet and run short in some of the most important food elements. ”

“ Cappelletti all' uso di Romagna (Soup with Little Hats)
Grated cheese 1 egg Grated lemon peel Nutmeg, allspice, salt Equal parts curds or cottage cheese and cooked meat (chicken, pork, or veal) Grind the meat very fine and make a highly seasoned mixture of it and all the other ingredients. The ground meat may be sauted in a little butter or drippings before it is mixed with the other ingredients to improve the flavor. Cut rounds measuring about three inches in diameter from a thin sheet of paste, made according to the recipe for Noodles or Home-Made Paste. ”

“ Incomes are larger and transportation brings food materials from all parts of Italy, from Northern Africa, and even from America. These people use more pastry and cake. Afternoon tea is always accompanied by cakes, and light wine is served with small cakes. ”

“ Throughout Italy the variety of foods is more limited in the winter than in the summer, as the people have little knowledge of preserving fruits and vegetables, except the making of tomato paste, the pickling of peppers, cucumbers and olives, and the drying of peppers and garlic.
On the arrival of the Italians in the United States, they readily find friends and neighbors from their own section of the home country. They establish their homes near ”

“ At night, or supper time, comes the big meal of the day, which, as in their native country, is started in the morning and cooked either in one large kettle or in several small ones, the contents being put into one in the last process of preparation. ”

“ Macaroni is not only imported, but is also manufactured in this country. There are Indian meal for their polenta, meat and fish in abundance, and plenty of vegetables and fruits of various kinds, but everything is much more expensive than at home. ”

“ Zabaione
1⁄4 cup fruit juice 2 eggs 1 tablespoon sugar Beat the eggs; beat in the sugar; add the fruit juice. Cook over a slow fire, beating constantly until the mixture begins to thicken. Take from the fire and continue to beat a moment, so the mixture will not cook to the side of the hot vessel. It should be a smooth, frothy cream. It is eaten hot, poured over sponge cake or served in tall glasses. A scant teaspoon of cinnamon may be added by way of variety.
Bigné
1 cup flour 1 cup water 1⁄2 cup butter 3 eggs Little salt Boil the water and melt the butter in it. ”

“ Cover and cook slowly until the rice is tender and has absorbed nearly all the liquid, which will take about forty minutes. When half done add salt and paprika to taste. If necessary to stir, use a fork, so as not to break the grains. ”

“ Cook in a double boiler until it thickens. Take from the fire and add the finely-ground macaroons, stirring and beating the mixture until it is smooth. Pour into a buttered mold and chill thoroughly on the ice. ”