There are few things Italians are as proud of as their cuisine. By many, not necessarily Italians, it is considered the epitome of tradition and enjoyment. At the same time, it is very popular worldwide. For the first time the famous cucina italiana will literally reach space. As part of Italy’s efforts to have its national cuisine recognized as an Intangible World Heritage Site by Unesco, pasta will be served to the astronauts on the mission departing today for the International Space Station. It should be noted that one of the astronauts is Walter Villadei, a colonel of the Italian Air Force. The Italian Space Food program is organized under the leadership of the Italian Minister of Agriculture, Francesco Lolobrigita, and provides a ready-made pasta menu for the members of the Axiom 3 mission.

The astronauts’ trip to space coincides with the “World Italian Cuisine Day” in honor of Saint Anthony the Great, patron saint of butchers, butchers and bakers,” much to the delight of the government of Georgia Meloni, who insists on tradition by promoting Made in Italy products .

“Italians learned to cook in the countries they immigrated to”

But how traditional is Italian cuisine really? Critics talk of a clever marketing strategy behind the label “authentic Italian cuisine” with identifying features. One of the critics is the historian Alberto Grandi, who with his provocative positions “takes out their clothes” many Italians. Among other things he argues that cucina italiana is not traditional at all, has a history of only a few decades and is the result of excellent marketing. Speaking to the German news agency dpa, Alberto Gandhi says: “Almost everything that is said about Italian cuisine is not true.”

The Italian historian became famous with his book Denominazione di Origine Inventata (DOI), “Invented Designation of Origin”, a corruption of the PDO seal for Italian products. The acronym DOI also gave the title to Alberto Grandi’s podcast of the same name.

Italian dishes are the result of combinations, imitations and borrowings

Most Italians only learned about pizza in the 1950s, claims the Italian historian. Carbonara was originally an American dish, tiramisu and panettone relatively new culinary creations, while the famous parmesan was actually produced in the US state of Wisconsin. The famous Pacino tomatoes, from the region of the same name in southern Sicily, were started by growers in Israel. According to Alberto Grandi, the Italians are trying to hinder the evolution of their cuisine. In his view, history shows that the dishes that are now considered 100% Italian are actually the result of combinations, imitations and borrowings. “The Italians never learned how to cook. They learned to cook themselves as immigrants in the countries where they worked.”

The historian disputes that “World Italian Cuisine Day” or pasta in space benefits the traditional art of cooking. World Day is just another advertising campaign. As Alberto Grandi says, these PR actions are in no way a specialty of Meloni’s government. “Tradition and cuisine are issues that even the Left likes to promote to a degree.” It remains to be seen whether the ISS astronauts will like ready-made pasta and whether the initiative will bring Italy closer to the recognition of its cuisine as a cultural heritage by Unesco.