Food as a Terrain for Identity Construction and Ethnic Confrontation among Italian Americans in the United States

This article investigates the representation of foodways in autobiographies, memoirs, and semiautobiographical - albeit fictional - works by Italian Americans since the age of mass immigration as a lens that can help cast light to examine the ethnic identity of the newcomers from Italy and their offspring in the United States. It argues that the initial local and regional tastes in cuisine yielded to a preference for Italian-style recipes without subnational characterizations. The latter inclination was then rejected to embrace an American gastronomy that, in turn, ultimately gave in to the revitalization of an interest in Italian dishes. That trajectory is a symbol for Italian Americans’ early retention, subsequent disavowal, and final rediscovery of their ethnic identity.