I’d like to introduce you to 10 traditional and authentic Italian cucina povera recipes which have been passed down within my family.
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What is Cucina Povera?
These are “cucina povera” style recipes, which essentially means “peasant food” (literally “poor cooking” or “poor kitchen”).
Since I shared a load of English and Scottish recipes when I was in those respective countries, I thought it would be nice to do the same with Italian recipes, given that I’m currently in Italy right now. I came to speak on a round table at the Turin Epicurean annual event featuring everything from food to fashion. More to come on that soon!
Cucina Povera dishes are mostly always made using super simple recipes, containing a minimal of ingredients. Usually, the products and seasonal and locally grown. As you would probably guess, those ingredients must be the best quality. There’s nothing to hide the lack of flavor otherwise.
Cucina povera recipes are the antitheses of American “Italian” chain restaurant’s dishes. If you enjoy this type of menu, that’s totally fine, just know that there is essentially nothing on it that is truly Italian.
Traditional Italian food is not smothered in sauces, tons of cheese and/or “lots of herbs and spices”. Those are American concoctions. Authentic Italian dishes are mostly light, include lots of vegetables, very little cheese (even on pizza) and are very healthy/nutritious.
Most “Italian” recipes I see aren’t even remotely Italian
I get very upset seeing many bloggers sharing “Italian” recipes when they have made up a recipe including tomatoes and oregano on their own and call it “Italian”. People in the US also tend to think that Italian food is heavy and fattening.
It’s very frustrating as I’m trying to share and inform readers what REAL Italian-style food looks and tastes like. Cucina povera recipes fall under the classification of the Mediterranean diet which is extremely healthy and nutritious!
Since you may have never heard of or seen these dishes before, I’m adding a comment left by a reader below each photo. It may entice you to try something really new!
I hope you enjoy my family’s recipes: a true taste of Italy. (Click on the dish title for the full recipe.)
10 Italian Cucina Povera Recipes Passed Down
Within my Family
1. Pasta and Beans (aka Pasta e Fagioli)
2. Roasted Red Peppers
3. Polenta
4. Dried Zucchini
5. Dried Zucchini with Pancetta and Potatoes
6. Cabbage and Rice
7. Minestra
8. Pickled Eggplant/Aubergines
9. Zucchini and Mushrooms
10. Cioffe (Bows)
I hope you enjoyed these recipes, and if you’d like to see more of my Italian recipes, just click HERE.
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[…] Traditional Italian food is not smothered in sauces, tons of cheese and/or “lots of herbs and spices”. Authentic Italian dishes are mostly light, include lots of vegetables, very little cheese (even on pizza) and are very healthy/nutritious. via […]
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Yes, the problem is most Americans do not understand that Italian-American food is not Italian food. Its just that simple. Italian-American and Italian are totally different ideas. Yes, they have common denominators, but no, they are not the same.
Americans in general tend to have the same confusion with other cuisines that have Americanized offspring, Chinese, Mexican, etc.
I often tell people that it is not easy to find an Italian restaurant in America, and they look at me like I am crazy. But it is in fact not easy to find an Italian restaurant in America, and peoples’ befuddlement when I say that is just one more symptom of the same misunderstanding about cuisines.
To understand the difference between a mother cuisine and the Americanized version you first have to understand there is a difference to begin with. And most Americans are not that aware.
I completely agree on all of your points, except that in larger cities, like here in LA, there are some wonderful authentic Italian restaurants. However, most of them are owned by immigrant Italians straight from Italy.
We once went to an Italian restaurant in Phoenix, owned by a Sicilian chef. The food was NOT Italian and we were very disappointed. To cut a long story short, the owner heard us as we were paying the bill and ended up talking to us. He said when he opened the restaurant, he served authentic Italian cuisine. People didn’t appreciate it, or like it. They wanted the green stuff in the can as opposed to Parmigiano Reggiano. He did what he needed to do to survive, and adapted his menu and ingredients. He told us would have cooked using his own personal ingredients had he known my mother was born in Italy.
That is one of the biggest problems in a nutshell. :(
Everything here is wrong. American ideas about Italian food come from Italian-American cooking, which is heavier, richer and more satisfying than what was made in Italy where they were too poor to be able to cook that way. Italian food is heavy because so much olive oil is used, in Italy.
I am disappointed that eggplant all’ povere was not on the page, that’s what I was looking for. And the ads, the moving ads and how they cover up the text are very disturbing.
I disagree wholeheartedly, Baron. Some Northern Italian winter dishes are heavier, but not because of olive oil. I also don’t agree that olive oil makes dishes “heavy”. Sorry for your disappointment in not finding the melanzane recipe you’re looking for, but in no way is this an exhaustive list of cucina povera dishes, it is only an extremely small sample. I think you are probably on mobile, so I’d suggest trying to navigate on a desktop as the ads are less noticeable, otherwise, you’ll have to pay for a site which has no ads or buy a cookbook. I cannot afford to run a site offering free recipes without ads to help compensate for the cost of running the site, the ingredients and most importantly, my time.
[…] with the arugula, grated parmesan, and prosciutto. That’s it, meal complete! Enjoy one of the tastiest true Italian […]
[…] one of the things my Nonna always made, and, to me, it is insanely delicious, not unlike the other “cucina povera” dishes she made so incredibly […]
[…] may have seen other recipes I have shared which fall under the typical “cucina povera” cuisine, and this is definitely another. Anything where you sop up the juice with some crusty bread […]