The “Cibo Povero” Heritage of Italian Cuisine (2024)

Before dishes become traditional, they're usually part of an experiment. Centuries ago, dishes that are now considered traditional, which stemmed from cibo povero (peasant food), were once a novelty. Cooking is evolutionary, so there really can’t be any “taboos” in the kitchen.

Chefs make a conscious choice to experiment, researching ingredients and seeking new combinations and flavors. But experimentation can also be rooted in necessity. And many dishes and recipes considered traditional today reflect the Latin adage: Facis de necessitate virtutem (Make virtue a necessity). These dishes, like those of Rome's quinto quarto cuisine (Fifth Quarter), emerged when food was scarce and waste-free was not just a fad, but rather the only possible solution for feeding an entire family. This led to daring risks in the kitchen, all strongly tied to the season and the territory.

One can't help but wonder how many culinary experiments have been lost – and in doing so only hope that lost recipes were experiments gone wrong. However, the dishes that have been handed down from previous generations usually maintain their original characteristics. Other times, they've undergone local variations and became signature dishes of both trattorias and starred restaurants where they've been modernized or even fused with foreign cuisines. Their "humble origins" display a beautiful narrative full of joy, sadness, and fatigue, but always rich in humanity and heritage. They're made up of women and men who have struggled for survival and these dishes are their legacy, an inheritance, and a lesson in respecting food, which should never be wasted.

Italian Cibo Povero: 15 recipes

Tested by La cucina Italiana