Between 1876 and World War I, about 7.5 million Italians made the hard journey to America.
In their native country, Italian food was not as decadent and rich as it is now and meals consisted primary of polenta and stale bread. But the Italian immigrants used their new American resources to their advantage.
The American economy gave emigrated Italians more lucrative earnings which were flaunted in their hybrid recipes.
Back in the Old Country, dishes were generally known by region, like Bucatini all’Amatriciana from Rome, Ribollita from Tuscany, and the deliciously simple Cicchetti from Venice.
But in America, Italians from all over Italy were now next door neighbors and new versions of traditional favorites were born.
So let’s take a look at some of the most famous “Italian” dishes that are actually totally American.