One thing about Italian cuisine we can all agree on is that it is as rich and varied as its history weaving together as it does, flavors, traditions, and ingredients that evolved over millennia.
At the heart of it all, we find fruit and vegetables, which have shaped the diet and culture of Italy from ancient times to the modern era, often developing and changing along the passing of time, and based on connections and exchanges with other people and cultures,
The ancient Italian diet was based on cereals, fruits, and vegetables, supplemented by legumes and a modest consumption of meat and fish. If it sounds familiar it’s because it essentially laid the groundwork for what is known today as the Mediterranean diet. The temperate climate of Italy fostered a wide array of vegetables and fruit trees. However, it was during the Roman Empire era that horticultural varieties significantly diversified. Through trade with foreign peoples and military campaigns in the southeastern Mediterranean, Romans encountered new fruits that were soon incorporated into their banquet dishes, though not always in the ways we might expect.
Ancient cookbooks and frequent mentions of food in Latin literature give us a remarkable insight into what was cultivated in Italy during Roman times: among the indigenous fruits and vegetables that have been part of Italian cuisine since the first centuries BC, certain ones stand out for their prominence and historical significance. Cabbage, for instance, held a special place: it was praised by Cato the Elder in his treatise De Agri Cultura (2nd century BC) for its medicinal properties, and it was considered a cure-all for ailments ranging from arthritis to wounds, with a recommendation for abundant consumption. Other commonly used vegetables in Roman kitchens included onions and lettuce, along with carrots, arugula, celery, chard, leeks, asparagus, cucumbers, thistles, artichokes, and even pumpkins of a variety different from the American ones, originally from India. Broccoli, an indigenous vegetable of Italy, didn’t gain recognition in Europe until the sixteenth century, whereas cauliflower found success during the Middle Ages.
Herbs, though not vegetables, were extensively used by Romans to season their dishes, with dill, cumin, marjoram, coriander, mastic, mallow, dandelion, borage, and chives being particularly common. The absence of references to herbs we associate today with Italian and Mediterranean cooking, such as rosemary, sage, basil, and garlic, might not indicate a lack of use but rather their ubiquity, possibly making them too common for mention.
Fruits were also crucial, with grapes and olives being indispensable for wine and oil production, respectively. Romans enjoyed apples, pears, figs, pine nuts, chestnuts, hazelnuts, plums, raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries. The Roman period introduced many new fruits to Italy, including cherries — brought back by the famed gourmet Lucius Licinius Lucullus from his campaigns in Asia; peaches from Persia (hence their Latin name, persica); pomegranates from Carthage; apricots from Greece and Armenia; melons (treated as a vegetable and mixed with salads), and watermelons from Egypt. Dates were particularly cherished by Roman cooks, featuring often in their elaborate recipes, although they had to be imported from Egypt and nearby regions due to Italy’s unsuitable climate. Almonds, documented first by Pliny the Elder in the first century AD, likely spread with increased contact with the Greek world.
Moving further along in Italian history, we enter the Middle Ages and then progress into the modern era. The evolution of fruits and vegetables from antiquity through the medieval period into the modern age shaped Italian cuisine in profound ways, reflecting broader cultural and economic shifts. After the fall of the Roman Empire, Italy’s diet saw a marked increase in the consumption of meat and dairy, influenced by the culinary practices of Central and Northern European populations. However, this period also witnessed the birth of regional cuisines as long-distance trade diminished, and exotic products like dates became rare, only to reappear at the dawn of the modern age.
The Middle Ages and Renaissance harbored a skepticism towards new foods, which later became important in Italian culinary history. The eggplant, initially dubbed mela insana (insane apple) due to its limited popularity, eventually overcame its initial reception to star in iconic dishes like parmigiana.
The arrival of bitter oranges, lemons, and chinotto in Italy through Arab influence in the 11th century, and sweet oranges in the 15th century via Portuguese traders marked the beginning of a fruit revolution. Unlike other fruits and vegetables, citrus fruits were immediately celebrated, initially more as decorative plants than for consumption. This era also saw the creation of Italian arancere, or orangeries, a concept that spread throughout Europe.
The Age of Exploration catalyzed a vast exchange of fruits and vegetables between continents, enriching European, and specifically Italian, gastronomy with new varieties. Tomatoes, now a cornerstone of Italian cuisine, were initially met with indifference in Europe due to their low caloric content, only gaining popularity in the 19th century. Similarly, potatoes faced skepticism until a famine in 18th-century Germany prompted their cultivation, and they were only appreciated in Italy a century later. In contrast, bell peppers were immediately liked, while chili peppers found their place in the popular cuisine of Southern Italy by the 18th and 19th centuries, but not gaining national prominence until the 20th century.
Other notable introductions include the prickly pear, mistakenly thought to originate from India but actually from America; the bergamot, which likely emerged from a mutation in Calabria during the 18th century; persimmons, initially ornamental before being consumed; and mandarins, originally from China.
This short culinary journey showed the dynamic evolution of fruits and vegetables in Italian cuisine, with many modern varieties differing from their ancient counterparts due to selective breeding for size, nutrition, pest resistance, and even aesthetics. This evolution reflects the ongoing interplay of cultural exchange, agricultural innovation, and gastronomic creativity, shaping Italy’s rich and delicious culinary tradition!
This article was inspired by a very interesting and exhaustive piece, Storia della Frutta e della Verdure nella Cucina Italiana, published online by Storia tra le Pagine (www.storiatralepagine.it)
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