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. Pancetta
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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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. :(
[…] 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 […]
[…] Italian sausage to add to it, so I usually make it vegetarian (actually, vegan.) This is a typical “cucina povera” type of […]
[…] zucchini blossoms are a traditional Cucina Povera type of recipe from Italy. Minimal ingredients with fresh flowers and the result is nothing short […]
[…] a restaurant I wanted to go to because their logo is, “Obsessively Authentic Italian.” If you know me, you know why I wanted to eat here! Mum and I were not disappointed; so yes, it’s Nonna […]
[…] is simply, cooked corn meal, and it has always been a very popular dish in Italy. It’s really a “peasant” dish, and I make it the way my mother taught me, which is how her mother taught her, which I’m sure […]
Your recipes are straightforward and easy to follow. Kudos! They bring memories of my grandma. She made wonderful (fattening) chocolate cookies with walnuts in them for special occaaions .They were made with LARD. Lost her recipes in a house fire. If you or anyone has this please share. Blessings!
Hi Debbie! Thank you and I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your grandma’s recipes! That is something truly irreplaceable. I will ask on my Facebook page to see if anyone has a recipe that sounds similar. Can you give me any other info to go on? Were they an Italian cookie? American? Remember the shape they were made in? These would be helpful. Let me know! Christina
You must let me know if these are the cookies your grandma made because a friend just posted this recipe TODAY! The are Sicilian Chocolate and Clove Cookies (change out the butter for lard). Hope these are the ones you’re looking for, Debbie! CC
Debbie, did this Cookie have pepper in it. My mom made Italian chocolate pepper cookies with walnuts in them. The whole cookie was then glazed. Hope you find the recipe.
My husband and I currently have an Italian exchange student with us for the school year. He has been a real trooper and tried dozens of American dishes but I want to provide a little taste fo home for him too. He has raved over the dishes I have made and I love having a reference for authentic Italian recipes!
How lovely, Debbi! That’s so kind of you to make him food from home as well as your own dishes! Thank you so much for the note, it is soooo appreciated! CC
I love your recipes . I agree with so many others , recipes on the various cooking sites are just American- Italian dishes., Nothing to do with real Italian food. I enjoy your site so much because my mothers parents were from Italy. When they came to the united states and had their children they never passed down any Italian traditions, customs, recipes or language. Sometimes I feel the only way I know I am Italian is because I had my dna tested. I am exactly 50%. So my 50% thanks you so much for your recipes.
You have no idea how much your note means to me Sharyn. I am trying my hardest to share these authentic Italian recipes in hopes that people will give this type of food a chance, and it honestly seems like a useless endeavor. All the sites that use jars of awful sauces and bottles of “Italian dressing” and “Italian seasoning” which don’t even exist in Italy, are the ones that people want most. I want to tell them, “It’s just as easy to use REAL ingredients and less of them!” I’m so sorry that your parents and grandparents didn’t pass on their traditions in all aspects of life. As an immigrant, I feel it’s important to assimilate (speak the language of the country you move to, obey the laws and respect the new culture), but at home, I also think it’s important to pass on the ethnic traditions or, as you describe, they will be lost forever.
Thank you so much for your comments and I do hope you’re able to bring some “Italianità” into your life. Do you know what part of Italy your grandparents were from?
CC
HI Christina, I completely agree with you when you say that many food bloggers offer Italian recipes in their own way when in reality they have not the slightest idea what Italian cuisine is. I’ve seen and read too many fake Italian recipes.
I am Italian, and I cannot accept that the typical Italian recipes that are part of our history, our culture and tradition are so abused.
I confess that the blood boils in my veins.
So far you are the only food blogger who offers real Italian recipes.
Well done, keep it up!
Thank you, Salvo! I appreciate your comment, however, there are many other authentic Italian food bloggers. One of my favorites is Frank at http://www.memoriediangelina.com. You will love his site, too! Grazie mille! CC
Its a kind of combination of healthy and simple food.
[…] told him that I was trying to bring recipes like cucina povera to the US, and he was very happy to hear it! I’ve added a link for a video about Chef […]
Thanks for sharing the recipes passed down from your Italian parents. I just love Italian food. The dried zucchini with potatoes and pancetta looks great. I’m not a great cook myself, but I would love to find something like this in a restaurant.
When I was little my Mother always minestra with dandelions we picked ourselves. Then she would make polenta and fry it in a black frying pan, and it was great to dunk in greens.
That sounds lovely, Concetta! Do you still make it?
you left out what in our family we referred to as “re zut” which I found later in life was rizzuto – spelling?? apparently it is a northern italy thing – our friends from Naples didn’t know what we were talking about. This was a staple with stewed chicken, dumplings etc.
Oh goodness, this is not even the tip of the iceberg, Marcia! This isn’t meant to be a comprehensive list, only a few recipes that I have on my site. I’ve never heard of that dish, but then again there will be hundreds and thousands of regional dishes across Italy like this. Sounds almost like “risotto”?
Love keeping up with your travel adventures and the wonderful recipes you share. My Mom, who turned 91 in April this year, comes from Rome. She met my Dad towards the end of World War ll, they married in August 1945 and she has been living in Cape Town, South Africa, since then. My late husband was Dutch so as you can well imagine keeping everyone happy at the dinner table was quite a challenge. All turned out fine.
Thanks so much for your note, Pat! What a wonderfully international family, I love it!! I can imagine you have quite the repertoire when it comes to the dinner menu. Hope you enjoyed some of these Italian recipes, too! :)
I most certainly will, always keen to try something new. Thank you Christina
Perfetto ! Ma non e povero . E ricco e delicioso. Grazie mille !
Si! È vero!! Grazie! :)
This is such a great collection of easy dishes. Such a great reminder that really delicious and healthy food doesn’t need to be complicated or time consuming!
That’s what the basis of Italian food is all about! :)
What a lovely collection of old time recipes! Most of which I knew, but the dried zucchini is a new one for me. How I wish I knew about that a few years back when I was growing my own and didn’t know what to do with the incredible bounty… couldn’t give it away fast enough to keep up with the production!
Thank you, Frank! Oh yes, that’s such a great way to use a bounty of zucchini! Tastes so different when it’s rehydrated, too! Lovely treat in the winter!
You have the best Italian recipes! I am looking forward to new recipes after your Turin trip. So excited to hear about it.
Thanks, Cathy!
I love so many of these, and know I will love all those I have yet to try! I am most excited about the homemade pancetta! This will be happening REALLY soon in our home!
Love to hear it. Thanks, David, and let me know how it turns out!
Great collection of recipes and great pics. This is the food I grew up on!
Thank you, I’m glad you like it!
I have always thought of Italian dishes as fattening Christina. Now I know they are not at all like the Italian meals served here and in the USA. I travelled in Greece and the food there is not like what we get in our Greek restaurants in Canada so I should have know this. I look forward everyday to reading about your food and travel adventures…
Thank you for saying this, Lindsay. It truly is sad to see the representation of most Italian food in the US, especially, and I’m glad you know now what it is supposed to be like!
All of these dishes look and sound amazing! I really love that dried courgette, pancetta and potato dish though, it’s sounds absolutely divine!
Thank you, Michelle!
All of your recipes look delicious; however, your dried zucchini recipe really caught my attention. … drying zucchini is new to me. This is definitely something I look forward to trying this summer!
Thank you, Sue! Definitely give the zucchini a try!
What delicious looking recipes – ALL of them.
Christina, I am so with you on the authentic and using the best ingredients.
Looking forward so much to hearing about your culinary trip to Turin – love seeing the ambience there on your social media.